Action on Dharmasthala case based on SIT report: Minister Parameshwara

Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Saturday said the government will take a decision on action against wrong doings or conspiracies in connection with the Dharmasthala case based on the SIT probe report.

The Special Investigation Team, formed by the state government, is probing charges of multiple murders, rapes, and burials in different places in Dharmasthala, over the past two decades.

The complainant-witness, a former sanitation worker, whose identity has not been revealed, has claimed that he worked in Dharmasthala between 1995 and 2014, and that he was forced to bury a number of bodies, including those of women and minors.

He had alleged that some of the bodies showed signs of sexual assault. He has also given a statement before a magistrate in this regard.

"I can't say anything as of now. Anything can be said only based on the probe report. Whether it is an interim report or a final report. Until the report comes, I cannot comment on the matter," Parameshwara said in response to a question about taking action against alleged conspiracies or wrong doings in connection with the Dharmasthala case.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, "Once the report comes, we will all sit together, discuss and make an appropriate decision." As part of the probe, the SIT has been conducting exhumations at multiple locations identified by the complainant-witness in the forested areas along the banks of the Netravathi River in Dharmasthala, where some skeletal remains have been found at two sites so far.

The BJP has been critical of the government's handling of the investigation and its inaction against what they called a "slender campaign" targeting Dharmasthala and the temple there.

They demanded an interim report from the government and action against the complainant and others allegedly behind him, claiming the allegations were part of a "toolkit to denigrate Hindu gods and their places of worship." Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has also alleged a "conspiracy" to tarnish Dharmasthala's image, and has expressed confidence that it will come to light through the ongoing investigation.

Parameshwara is expected to reply to a debate on the Dharmasthala issue in the Legislative Assembly on Monday.