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.
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Minor girl kidnapped and raped; main accused and two cafe owners held
Latur (PTI): A minor girl was allegedly kidnapped and raped by an 18-year-old man in Latur, leading to the arrest of the main accused and owners of two cafes where the crime occurred on December 4, police said on Saturday.
Police traced the girl within hours of registering the complaint. The accused, identified as Rihan Gulab Shaikh, was arrested based on the girl's complaint. Two others are owners of two cafes where the crime occurred, police said.
Police registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), POCSO Act, and the Prevention of Atrocities Act, an official said.
