SIT finds no conclusive evidence in Dharmasthala mass burial allegations: Report
Bengaluru/Mangaluru: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating allegations of mass burials in Dharmasthala has so far not found substantial evidence to support the claims made by whistleblower CN Chinnaiah, according to sources quoted by The New Indian Express on Monday. The team is now examining whether there was an attempt to deliberately target the temple town and identify those who may have instigated the allegations.
Since, Chinnaiah, a former sanitation worker at the temple between 1995 and 2014, alleged that he was coerced into burying more than 100 bodies—including those of women and minors, the SIT has identified and examined around 18 alleged burial sites, where limited skeletal remains were found at some locations, including Banglegudde.
These remains have been sent for forensic and DNA analysis. However, according to officials, the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report on remains recovered near the Nethravathi bathing ghat indicated they belonged to a male, contrary to the complainant’s claims. The report also stated that the age of the remains could not be determined and that there was no DNA sample available for matching. The SIT is still awaiting results on five skulls seized from Banglegudde.
Sujatha Bhat, who is also a complainant in the case, had alleged that after visiting Dharmasthala in 2003, her daughter went missing. She later retracted her statement and admitted that she had no daughter and had made the false claim under pressure from others.
The investigation was led by Director General of Police (Cyber Command) Pronab Mohanty and was constituted in July after the allegations gained national attention. Due to public sentiment over the unsolved murder of Soujanya the case resurfaced. Her case was initially investigated by the local police and later handed to the CID, before transferring it to the CBI. The CBI’s main accused, Santhosh Rao, was acquitted in 2023 for lack of evidence, and the Karnataka High Court later rejected a plea for a fresh probe.
The SIT has issued notices under Section 41A to five individuals including activists Mahesh Shetty Timarodi, Girish Mattannavar, Vittal Gowda, Jayant T, and Sujatha Bhat, for questioning in connection with the ongoing perjury case. Officials quoted by TNIE said that failure to comply with the notice could lead to arrests.
The Dakshina Kannada police denied permission for a protest planned in support of Timarodi. They said that a related writ petition is pending before the High Court, while the District Superintendent of Police Arun K warned that legal action would be taken if the instructions were not followed.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
