Dharmasthala confronts legacy of silence, suspicion

DHarmasthala/Bengaluru: The coastal temple ithiel town that was erstwhile revered for its negro spiritual hospitality, is struggling with an unsettling shift. The murmurs of devotedness that once filled its narrow lanes have now been replaced by silence and suspicion. Lodges once bustling with pilgrims are now half-empty. Conversations at tea stalls spiral quickly into silence when the word “bodies” is mentioned.“Visitors used to ask us about darshan timings or whether rooms had hot water,” said a manager at a small lodge near the temple. “Now all they want to know is if we have seen anything suspicious or heard anything about bodies being found.”At the centre of this shift is an investigation by a special investigation team (SIT) formed by the state government after a former sanitation worker came forward with a chilling claim that he was made to bury hundreds of human bodies in the forests and banks around Dharmasthala between 1995 and 2014. Many of them, he said, were women and minors who showed signs of sexual assault or acid injuries. He submitted a few skeletal remains and identified 13 locations where he said more remains could be found.The claim sparked outrage across Karnataka, drawing national attention and leading to excavations across the temple town. Initial findings at Site 6, near the Nethravathi river, lent weight to the allegations, with skeletal remains recovered. On August 4, at a newly opened site marked as Spot 14, more bones were found along with pieces of a saree. But since then, the investigation has faltered.Conflicting reports from within the SIT have only deepened the confusion. At a hillock near one of the identified sites, an officer said the skull and bones were found on the surface with a saree tied to a tree, suggesting a possible suicide. Another officer, however, contradicted this version, claiming there was no record of any skull being found outside the soil.Excavations at other marked sites yielded no additional remains. Monsoon rains and overgrowth have been cited as possible reasons for the inconclusive digs. “Trees have grown wild, and it is difficult to recognise the areas the complainant described,” said one officer.Meanwhile, the forensic analysis of the recovered remains is expected to take months, even as mystery over the recovered bones remains. A forensic science laboratory officer said that though DNA testing and other scientific analysis may take time due to backlogs, they were treating this case with urgency. “We ensure safe storage and prevent tampering,” the officer said. “Once identified, we examine the bones for injuries or anomalies and extract DNA for comparison with any familial samples.”According to SIT, the mere recovery of the bones doesn’t warrant full fledged investigation into the alleged rapes as the region where the searches are being conducted is place known for burying unclaimed bodies and suicide victims.Legal confusion has further derailed the process. The SIT, it turns out, never registered a formal complaint when the investigation began since it doesn’t have the powers of the police station and investigating officer. An officer clarified that the team cannot register fresh cases and can only probe those already filed by local police.This structural gap has contributed to the delays and raised questions about the preparedness of the investigation. As time passes, the credibility of the complainant is also under scrutiny since he had claimed over 100 bodies. SIT officers say his accounts have varied over time, making verification more difficult. “That does not necessarily mean he is lying,” a senior official said, “but it complicates how we proceed.”While the SIT’s work continues, the town’s collective memory is being pulled back to cases once thought forgotten — stories of missing girls, brutal murders, and unanswered questions.In 2003, Ananya Bhat, a 20-year-old MBBS student, went missing during a trip to Dharmasthala. Her mother, Sujatha Bhat, then working with the CBI in Kolkata, rushed to file a complaint. Police dismissed her, suggesting her daughter may have eloped.Sujatha says she was later tricked by three men who claimed to have seen Ananya. Instead, she was locked up, assaulted, and left unconscious. She woke up in a hospital three months later. When she returned home in Mangaluru, it had been ransacked, and all her daughter’s documents were gone. “Had I the money or strength, I would have fought then,” Sujatha said. “All I want now is to find her remains. Let me bury her with dignity.”Another mother, whose 17-year-old Saujanya was found dead in 2012, believes her daughter’s case is linked to the broader pattern of violence in Dharmasthala. The girl, a student at a college run by the temple management, was found tied to a tree, with broken ribs and cut marks.Her mother recounted how the police ignored the names of the suspects given by her husband. The case passed from the local police to the CID and then to the CBI. Eventually, the man charged was acquitted for lack of evidence. A plea for a fresh investigation was rejected by the Karnataka high court in 2023. “Saujanya told her friends she would come home for the Hosa Akki festival,” her mother said. “She never did. That day changed everything.”She now believes her daughter’s spirit is revealing the truth behind these buried stories. “She is the light that is bringing out all the darkness,” she said. “She is not just my daughter now. She is every girl who was silenced.”Long-time residents have also started to speak up. Babu Gowda, who ran a store near the Nethravathi river for decades, says he often heard sanitation workers discussing buried bodies. He remembers seeing human remains exposed after rain and hearing of girls being dragged into cars in broad daylight. “Nobody had the courage to speak then,” he said.Past cases that never reached closure are now resurfacing. In 1979, a teacher who challenged the management of a temple-run college was allegedly burnt alive. In 1986, the body of a college student — daughter of a communist leader — was found dead and naked on a riverbank. In both cases, family members alleged the involvement of the temple establishment, but no one was arrested.A 2016 government report on women’s safety documented around 100 unnatural deaths annually in Belthangady taluk, with a significant number in Dharmasthala alone.The mother of the Saujanya says she continues her campaign despite being isolated by neighbours and harassed by authorities. “People even refused to give directions to our house,” she said. “So we put up signboards so those fighting for her can find us.”Thirteen years later, she remains determined. “My daughter’s case was the last murder in this town. Since then, no one else has come forward, not because nothing happened, but because everyone was silenced. Justice for all those women buried in silence is justice for her.”