In response to grave allegations of mass burials in Dharmasthala, authorities have intensified security by deploying 30 armed personnel from the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF). With two officers stationed at each of the 15 identified sites, the ANF has begun round-the-clock patrols through dense forest terrain to prevent evidence tampering and safeguard the integrity of the potential crime scenes.
The ANF presence will remain in place until forensic teams complete their initial assessments. The scale and seriousness of the claims have drawn national attention, with the sacred reputation of Dharmasthala now at the center of a sensitive, high-stakes investigation.
Earlier on Monday, the SIT brought the informant and primary witness to the Belthangady office for a closed-door session, where his formal statement was recorded. Later, under heavy security, he was taken to the riverbank near the Nethravathi bathing ghat, one of the alleged burial sites. The SIT team, led by IO Jitendra Kumar Dayama, officer Anucheth, and SP C A Simon, conducted an on-site inquest of disturbed patches reportedly linked to illegal burials.
The investigation is now a multi-agency operation, involving the Forest Department (as many sites lie within protected land), Revenue and Survey Departments, Scene of Crime Officers (SOCO) from the Forensic Science Lab (FSL), and personnel from the Internal Security Division (ISD).
These teams began surveying soil shifts, logging GPS coordinates, and collecting trace evidence as part of an early-stage forensic sweep.
Though still in its initial phase, the case has stirred national debate, given Dharmasthala’s spiritual and cultural prominence. Verification of any human remains will depend on detailed exhumations and forensic testing, which are expected to proceed under strict legal oversight.