MANGALURU: BJP leaders on Monday criticised the state government for constituting a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged mass burial case in Dharmasthala, claiming that the move was politically motivated and lacked prima facie evidence.
Addressing a massive crowd that had gathered at the temple town from across the state, BJP state president BY Vijayendra alleged that the SIT was set up solely based on a complaint from “a streetwalker” without any preliminary inquiry.
He accused the government of attempting to tarnish the reputation of the Dharmasthala temple and warned against testing the patience of Hindus. “This rally should not be taken lightly. We will not rest until the real conspirators are exposed. We demand a thorough probe by the NIA or CBI,” Vijayendra said.
Vijayendra said the Congress has failed to ensure justice for Hindus. “Whenever Siddaramaiah is in power, attacks on Hindu temples rise,” he said.
Masked man ‘friend’ of Congress: Minister Prahlad Joshi
“The allegations against Dharmasthala are not just baseless but a deliberate attempt to break Hindu unity. The government has resorted to appeasement politics,” Vijayendra charged.
Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Prahlad Joshi dubbed the maskman as a ‘friend of Congress’ and questioned how an individual managed to exhume a skull without a magistrate’s permission.
“Who is this masked man who accessed the burial site? Why wasn’t he arrested and interrogated immediately?” Joshi asked, adding that the excavation was halted only after it failed to yield the desired results, and when the government began facing backlash.
Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, R Ashoka, acknowledged that rumours of murders in Dharmasthala have been around for over two decades but were consistently dismissed due to lack of evidence. While expressing solidarity with the demand for justice for Soujanya, he stressed that her case should not be used to malign the temple.
“A few individuals, including an MP from Tamil Nadu and some forces in Delhi, are behind this plot. Only an NIA probe can uncover the truth,” Ashoka said.
P Sudhakar Reddy, BJP’s co-incharge for Karnataka, demanded the arrest and interrogation of Tamil Nadu MP Sasikanth Senthil, alleging his involvement in the so-called conspiracy.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Belagavi MP Jagadish Shettar questioned the legality and intent behind the SIT formation.
“How can a government form an SIT without prima facie evidence? The aim is clear - to slander a sacred temple. Siddaramaiah and the Leftist lobby are behind this. The Chief Minister should apologise to the devotees,” Shettar said.
BJP MLC CT Ravi pointed fingers at a “religious conversion mafia,” alleging that the government conveniently ignored forming SITs in cases like police station attacks, cow slaughter, ‘Love Jihad’, and illegal conversions, but acted swiftly when Dharmasthala was involved.
