Mass grave case: Dharmasthala tense amid assault on YouTubers by locals

Mangaluru (Karnataka), Aug 6 (IANS) The situation in the temple town of Dharmasthala turned tense following an assault on YouTubers near Nethravathi Pangala Cross on Wednesday evening following a skirmish that broke out in connection with the ongoing mass grave case.

Police stated that local residents assaulted the YouTubers, accusing them of spreading false information about the Hindu pilgrimage center and its temple management.

According to authorities, two to three cars were damaged in the incident, and police had to resort to a lathi charge to disperse the mob. Four people, including three YouTubers, were admitted to a private hospital for treatment. Soon after, another group arrived at the scene in support of the YouTubers, leading to confrontations with the locals. Both groups engaged in fistfights and stone-pelting.

After regaining control of the situation, police used loudspeakers to urge people to disperse and refrain from further violence. The incident has raised concerns as it occurred amid the sensitive investigation into the mass grave allegations.

Sources stated that the local group, armed with pipes and other objects, launched a sudden attack. Dharmasthala police have taken up the investigation.

The locals have gathered outside the Dharmasthala police station and staged protests demanding justice. The protestors are demanding that the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police of Mangaluru district should come to the spot and give them justice.

Meanwhile, another individual has approached the Special Investigation Team (SIT) claiming to have assisted the unknown complainant–cum–whistleblower in disposing of the bodies of women and girls who were allegedly raped and murdered in the temple town. The SIT has reportedly questioned him in detail and taken him to the excavation site.

Sources revealed that six individuals, including the 'new informant', may have helped the original complainant in burying the bodies.

SIT sleuths continued excavation work throughout the day at the recently identified "surprise" site, where multiple bones had been recovered earlier. However, the officers did not begin digging at the 13th marked burial site — the final one — due to concerns over water seepage, as it is located near the Kindi Bridge and River Netravathi.

The unidentified complainant had earlier claimed that more than ten bodies were buried at the 13th site. Armed police personnel are now guarding both the 13th marked and the newly identified burial spots around the clock. No new recoveries were made at the surprise site on Wednesday, according to SIT sources.

In a major development on July 11, an unidentified complainant—who claimed he had been forced to bury the bodies of women and girls who were raped and murdered in Dharmasthala—appeared before a court in Mangaluru district and recorded his statement. He requested that the bodies be exhumed in his presence and alleged that the victims bore clear signs of sexual assault. According to him, the bodies were found without clothing or undergarments and had injuries consistent with violent sexual abuse.

These revelations have sent shockwaves across Karnataka.

Following the claims, a retired Supreme Court judge and several activists have demanded a Supreme Court- or High Court-monitored SIT probe into the alleged Dharmasthala murders, which may involve the deaths of multiple women, girls, and destitute men.

Earlier, SIT Chief Pranab Mohanty had stated that no significant material had been recovered from the previously excavated sites. However, later reports indicated that a torn red blouse and a PAN card belonging to a woman named Lakshmi were recovered from the first burial site.

In addition, the whistleblower reportedly submitted a skull—allegedly recovered from one of the burial sites—to the SIT.

--IANS

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