swift Summary
- The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is probing allegations of burials in Dharmasthala village over a decade ago.
- No interim report of the probe will be submitted to the government; however, SIT has been updating the Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG-IGP), M.A. Saleem, on progress since its formation on july 19.
- the SIT investigation began following a complaint by a former sanitation worker claiming he was forced to bury bodies between 1995 and 2014.
- The complainant’s statement was recorded under Section 183 of the bharatiya Nagarik Surakasha Sanhita, with SIT digging up 17 sites he identified so far.
- Partial skeletal remains suspected to belong to males have been recovered from two specific sites.Other alleged burial sites related to reported incidents from past decades are also being examined.
- Witnesses have been interviewed about an alleged burial of a minor girl in Kalleri near Dharmasthala in 2002-2003 and other suspicious burials during the stated period. Records regarding these burials are collected from Dharmasthala gram panchayat authorities.
- Related cases involving missing persons – Hemavati (2012) and Ananya Bhat (2003) – are being separately investigated by police in Punjalkatte and Dharmasthala respectively.
- home Minister G. Parameshwar is expected to address the issue during an assembly session on August 18, 2025.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The ongoing investigation by the SIT into ancient burial allegations in Dharmasthala raises meaningful issues concerning long-standing grievances related to law enforcement accountability in sensitive cases. While preliminary findings suggest partial evidence through skeletal remains at some sites, it highlights procedural diligence undertaken without prematurely rushing conclusions.
By examining old records, interviewing witnesses, revisiting unresolved disappearances like those referenced, and involving local municipalities for data retrieval purposes-this methodical approach underscores seriousness but also reflects how delaying historical reconciliatory frameworks prolong justice gaps community-connectivity . it now awaits broader follow-ups including culprit-tracing truth-confirmations longer systemic Lessons