Mangaluru — As the Special Investigation Team (SIT) nears completion of its exhumation work at alleged burial sites in Dharmasthala, the BJP is planning a large-scale visit to the shrine of Lord Manjunatheshwara on Sunday. State BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra will lead a 200-member team, travelling in around 200 cars from Bengaluru, in what party sources describe as a gesture of solidarity with the temple administration.
The SIT’s fortnight-long search stems from allegations by a former sanitation worker who claimed he was forced to bury about 300 victims of sexual violence over the past 25 years. So far, the probe has not produced substantial evidence, and no human remains have been found. On Wednesday, excavation continued at site no. 13 — an area measuring 32 by 28 feet, dug to a depth of 16 feet — without any major discovery.
“We are visiting Dharmasthala as devotees of Lord Manjunatha and Annappa Swamy, not as party workers,” Vijayendra stated, downplaying any political motive behind the visit.
Meanwhile, two individuals, including the uncle of Sowjanya — a 2012 rape and murder victim — met SIT officials to record their statements. One of them, Purandara Gowda, alleged he had witnessed bodies being buried near sites 1 and 13 between 2003 and 2017.