Human remains exhumed in Dharmasthala amid murder, rape allegations

A special investigation team in Karnataka, India, has recovered human remains from two of 16 suspected burial sites in Dharmasthala, an 800-year-old temple town dedicated to Hindu god Shiva, as part of a probe into alleged murders and rapes dating back to the mid-1990s.

The investigation, sparking nationwide attention, stems from a former temple cleaner’s July 4 complaint, claiming he was coerced by superiors to dispose of hundreds of bodies, primarily women and girls showing signs of sexual assault, between 1995 and 2014. The anonymous whistleblower, who fled Dharmasthala in 2014 due to guilt, provided a skeleton he exhumed to support his claims.

Karnataka’s Interior Minister Gangadharaiah Parameshwara confirmed police collected bone fragments and soil samples for testing, emphasizing the investigation’s early stage and urging the public not to frame it as a religious issue. The temple welcomes a thorough probe to uncover the truth.

The whistleblower, under police protection, accused temple officials of orchestrating the burials and offered to name them with guaranteed safety. His lawyer, Sachin Deshpande, confirmed remains were found at indicated sites, expressing confidence in revealing the truth.

The case has reignited interest in unresolved incidents, including the 1986 alleged rape and murder of college student Padmalatha. Her sister, Indravathi, noted the family buried her body, hoping for future investigations, and seeks justice.