A man whose shocking claims of mass rapes and secret burials threw the temple town of Dharmasthala, Karnataka, into turmoil has been arrested for perjury, police confirmed on Saturday.
Earlier in July, the middle-aged man, whose identity has been withheld, filed a police complaint alleging that during his years as a cleaner at the famous Manjunatha Swamy temple between 1995 and 2014, he had been forced to bury the bodies of women and girls who were raped and murdered. Appearing before a magistrate dressed entirely in black with his face concealed, he even produced a human skull, claiming it was retrieved from one of the burial sites.
The allegations sent shockwaves across Karnataka, with intense media coverage and political uproar prompting the state government to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT). Women’s rights groups demanded answers, and opposition parties accused the government of orchestrating a smear campaign against the Hindu religious institution.
Excavations were carried out at 13 locations identified by the man, some in dense forests. According to SIT sources, skeletal remains, including a skull and nearly 100 bone fragments, were recovered from two sites and sent for forensic analysis. However, officials have now declared that the remains produced directly by the complainant did not come from the alleged burial grounds.
The influential Heggade family, hereditary administrators of the temple, firmly rejected the allegations. Chief administrator and parliamentarian Veerendra Heggade called the claims “false and impossible,” but welcomed the SIT probe, expressing faith in the judiciary and the investigation. “Once and for all, the truth should come out,” he said.
State Home Minister G. Parameshwara emphasized that the inquiry was impartial. “If nothing is found, Dharmasthala’s stature will only grow stronger. If something emerges, justice will be delivered,” he remarked.
The arrest marks a dramatic twist in a case that has gripped Karnataka. While the SIT continues forensic testing of recovered remains, the alleged whistleblower now faces charges of perjury, leaving questions about the veracity of his claims and the future of the investigation still unresolved.
