Dharmasthala mass burial case: Complainant records statement before court
MANGALURU: The ex-sanitation worker who claimed to have buried hundreds of bodies in Dharmasthala village appeared before Belthangady court in Dakshina Kannada on Friday.
The complainant recorded his statement under Section 183 of BNSS (Section 164 of CrPC).
Advocates Ojaswi Gowda and Sachin Deshpande representing the complainant, in a press communique, said that they were firmly and clearly instructed by the complainant beforehand that one of them should be present in the Court while he makes his statements to the Court.
"He is illiterate and has never been to a court before, so he had expressed serious difficulty with the process. We clearly informed the Court about this aspect. However, the Court did not agree to the presence of the advocates and commenced the recording of the complainant's statements in our absence," they said.
The advocates further said that the complainant in the Dharmasthala mass burials case has been duly granted cover and protection under the Witness Protection Scheme, 2018.
"A communication to this effect was sent to us on Thursday evening by the authorities concerned. The Complainant has conveyed his gratitude to the District judiciary, Dakshina Kannada, the Police authorities in Dakshina Kannada and the Government of Karnataka for acting expeditiously on the request for Witness Protection for the Complainant," advocates said.
The person, who was a sanitation worker, had lodged a complaint with Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police and Dharmasthala police station, alleging that he was threatened and forced to bury the bodies of persons who were raped and murdered in Dharmasthala village limits and surrounding areas.
The person had sought investigation into the alleged murders, and also requested protection to him and his family.
The complaint contains details of the alleged rape and murders, and the cover up of these criminal activities in Dharmasthala village.