Mangaluru: Activist Mahesh Shetty Thimarody has filed a complaint with the Special Investigation Team (SIT), demanding a probe into four unnatural deaths that took place in various lodges in Dharmasthala between 2006 and 2010.
On Thursday night, Mahesh Shetty approached the SIT office in Belthangady, alleging that the deaths, hastily declared as “unidentified,” could potentially be murders. He urged investigators to reopen these cases in the interest of justice.
Complaint filed with supporting RTI documents
In his complaint, Mahesh Shetty stated that the four cases occurred in three different lodges in Dharmasthala village. At the time, only unnatural death cases were registered, with no First Information Reports (FIRs) filed.
He alleged that despite suspicious circumstances, the bodies were quickly buried by the gram panchayat without detailed investigations. “There is every reason to believe that these were not natural deaths, and a fair inquiry is necessary,” Mahesh Shetty said.
To support his claims, he submitted documents obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act to the SIT.
Viral video of skeleton claims
Meanwhile, a video featuring Vittal Gowda, uncle of the 2012 rape-murder victim Sowjanya, went viral on social media. In the video, Gowda claimed to have seen multiple skeletons during spot inspections carried out by the SIT at Banglegudde near the Nethravathi bathing ghat.
“They (SIT) took me to Banglegudde twice for spot mahazar. I saw three human skeletons during the first visit and a heap of bodies beneath the ground during the second. In total, I saw five skeletons, including child bones,” Gowda said.
He further asserted that the complainant witness, who earlier handed over a human skull to the authorities, was speaking the truth. “What the complainant witness has said is 100% true. We are ready to join the investigation anytime, even at 1 am if needed,” he remarked.
SIT response
Sources within the SIT, however, rejected Vittal Gowda’s claims, maintaining that no such evidence had been found during their inspections. The SIT had taken Gowda to the Banglegudde forest area on September 6 and September 10 to conduct spot mahazars after the earlier handover of a human skull by the complainant witness.
The ongoing probe into the Dharmasthala mass-burial allegations has triggered a series of complaints, witness statements, and counterclaims. The SIT continues to maintain that its investigation will be evidence-driven and impartial.
Conclusion
With Mahesh Shetty’s fresh complaint about the four unnatural deaths and the viral claims of multiple skeletons surfacing, the SIT probe into Dharmasthala has widened in scope. The investigation now faces mounting pressure from activists, witnesses, and the public to address both past and present allegations with transparency and accountability.