Karnataka Man Confesses To Mass Burial Of Rape, Murder Victims Near Dharmasthala Temple

Bengaluru: A man in Karnataka has alleged that he was forced to bury the bodies of rape and murder victims while he was working as a sanitation worker at a temple in Dharmasthala. He filed the complaint on July 3, stating that he was threatened with physical violence and even death by the temple administration if he did not obey them.  

The man, reportedly belonging to the Scheduled Caste community, told the police that he was willing to give complete information regarding the burials which took place between 1995 and 2014. Stating that the confession was borne out of guilt, he sought police protection for him and his family. A case was registered at the Dharmasthala Police Station on Friday, July 4 under Section 211(a) (failing to provide required information in the manner and time prescribed by law) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

'Those buried include schoolgirl, acid attack victim' 

According to reports, the man believed the bodies were suicides or accidents near the Netravati river. However, he said that several bodies had injuries on them that suggested rape and violence. According to The News Minute, the man also recounted being asked to dispose of the body of a woman whose face had been disfigured with acid.“Many of the female bodies were found without clothes or underwear. Some of the bodies bore clear signs of sexual assault and violence. The bodies bore injuries or strangulation that indicated violence,” The News Minute reported him as saying. The man also alleged that he was assaulted for the first time when he refused to bury a body.

The complaint also mentions specific cases, such as that of a schoolgirl in 2010 whose body was found 500 meters away from a petrol pump. "She was wearing a school uniform shirt. Her body bore clear signs of sexual assault,” he reportedly wrote. He also submitted photographs of a dead body with his complaint, which did not mention names of the perpetrators.  

The man said he escaped from Dharmasthala in December 2014 after he found that a girl from his family was sexually assaulted, allegedly by a person who was close to his supervisors. "I have been hiding in a neighbouring state, changing homes. I am scared that my family and I would be murdered at any moment. The buried bodies should be exhumed and given proper last rites. I will cooperate with investigation if police guarantees protection to me and my family,” he said.

MENAFN06072025007385015968ID1109764723