Sujatha Bhatt's lawyer demands arrest of Dharmasthala Panchayath's Vice President
Dharmasthala: Advocate Manjunath N who is representing complainant Ananya Bhatt has called for the immediate arrest of Dharmasthala Gram Panchayat Vice President Shrinivas Rao after the Special Investigation Team (SIT), guided by a mass burials case complainant, identified multiple hidden burial sites in forested, hard-to-access areas near the Netravati River.
This comes in the wake of the ongoing investigation into the alleged mass burial case in Dharmasthala.
According to the advocate, the locations shown to the SIT are scattered across dangerous terrain and do not match the kind of official burial grounds that a panchayat would normally use.
In a press release issued on Monday, Advocate Manjunath stated, “The whistleblower today led the Special Investigation Team to multiple burial sites in dangerous, scattered locations near the Netravati river, terrain so treacherous that no panchayat anywhere in the country would ever choose such sites for official burials.” He added that the sites marked for exhumation from Tuesday directly contradict Shrinivas Rao’s claim that the burials were official and documented since the 1980s.
The press note also questioned how a panchayat could escort grieving families to such locations if they needed to exhume a body later. “No sane panchayat administration would bury bodies in places that are this hard to access,” the release read.
Manjunath pointed out that the whistleblower spent hours showing the SIT several hidden burial spots that are not part of any known or officially recorded burial ground. He argued that this raises serious doubts about Shrinivas Rao’s role. “Rao’s strong defense of these claims makes us ask—who asked him to support these burials? What does he know about the people responsible? Is he part of a cover-up?” the statement asked.
Shrinivas Rao had earlier claimed that records for unclaimed body burials existed in annual audit reports since 1989. But Advocate Manjunath believes this was a deliberate attempt to make illegal burials look official. “No panchayat in India buries bodies in scattered forest-like places. These were not official burials. They were attempts to hide murder victims,” he stated.
Manjunath is now demanding Rao’s arrest the moment human remains are recovered from these locations. He believes Rao may have important information that can help expose those involved in the alleged murders and any attempts to hide them.
“Rao has tried to mislead the public. His arrest and questioning could help uncover the truth behind this case,” he said.
Advocate Manjunath urged that, “We urge the SIT to arrest Shrinivas Rao immediately upon recovery of bodies at these sites. The Karnataka Government should also investigate other panchayat officials who may be involved. The media should ask why a panchayat official is defending burials in such places. Citizens must demand accountability.”
“The exhumation planned for tomorrow will reveal the truth. The people who tried to hide the truth must be held responsible. These were not proper burials, they were part of a crime,” the statement read.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
