Karnataka constitutes SIT to probe Dharmasthala murders, assaults

The Karnataka Government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe grave allegations of multiple murders, sexual assaults and cases of missing women in the Dharmasthala region of Dakshina Kannada district in the past two decades.

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The order, dated July 19, was shared with the press on Sunday. The SIT will be headed by Pranav Mohanty, Director General of Police, Internal Security Division. Its other members include Additional Commissioner of Police (Recruitment) MN Anucheth, DCP (CAR Headquarters) Soumya Latha, and SP (Internal Security Division) Jitendra Kumar Dayama.

The move comes in response to a letter from Karnataka State Women’s Commission chairperson Nagalakshmi Choudhary, who cited a court statement by an individual claiming that “hundreds of bodies were buried in the Dharmasthala area”. The Commission also took serious note of media reports highlighting the discovery of a human skull and statements made by the family of a missing medical student.

The panel said these reports — along with the court testimony — point to a “disturbing pattern of abuse, unnatural deaths and disappearances of women and female students spanning more than 20 years”.

A case has already been registered under Section 211(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Dharmasthala police station.

The SIT has been empowered to investigate not only the present case, but also all related cases registered or to be registered in other police stations across the state.

The DGP will assign such cases to the SIT and provide necessary personnel. The SIT will function using resources from the Dakshina Kannada District Police Office and is expected to submit regular updates to the DGP. A comprehensive investigation report will be submitted to the government through the DGP at the earliest.

"There have been claims related to hundreds of bodies being buried in Dharmasthala. The SIT will thoroughly investigate all criminal cases registered at the Dharmasthala police station, as well as other related cases registered or to be registered in the state related and submit a report," said Siddaramaiah, Karnataka CM.