Mother of Ananya Bhat who went missing 22 years ago in Dharmasthala seeks fresh probe
Meets Dakshina Kannada SP as Dharmasthala Mass Burial Case unfolds
Mangaluru: In a significant development that ties into the ongoing Dharmasthala mass burial case, Sujatha Bhat — the mother of missing MBBS student Ananya Bhat, has approached the Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police, seeking a fresh investigation into her daughter’s mysterious disappearance in 2003.
Ananya Bhat, then a young medical student, had gone missing during a visit to the Dharmasthala temple. Despite repeated efforts and inquiries over the past 22 years, her family has received no clarity or closure on her whereabouts.
Now, amid explosive revelations surrounding the alleged mass burials in Dharmasthala, Sujaata Bhat has formally submitted a complaint to the SP, urging authorities to reinvestigate her daughter’s disappearance amidst the newly surfaced claims of unreported burials. She was accompanied by her advocate during the meeting.
Police officials have confirmed receipt of the complaint and stated that further action is likely as part of a renewed investigation.
The case took a sensational turn earlier this month when a man who had worked as a sanitation worker in Dharmasthala claimed to have buried hundreds of dead bodies under pressure. He initially submitted a written statement to the Dakshina Kannada SP and, a few days later, appeared before a Belthangady court, where he gave a formal testimony before the magistrate. During his court appearance, he also brought with him a human skeleton which he claimed he exhumed from the site of burial he used before moving into hiding. The skeleton has now been sent for forensic analysis.
The man reportedly told the court that he had buried bodies in several undisclosed locations around Dharmasthala and expressed willingness to identify those sites if the police conduct an investigation. Following this, two lawyers representing him have formally demanded the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged murders and illegal burials.
His confession and the shocking nature of the allegations have triggered a state-wide and national-level debate, raising serious questions about how unidentified deaths and disappearances in Dharmasthala have been handled over the years.
Sujatha Bhat’s renewed plea has now brought Ananya’s two-decade-old missing case back into the spotlight, with concerns growing over whether her disappearance was one of many such neglected or possibly connected incidents.
This is the first time in years that Ananya’s family has formally approached the police again, hopeful that the current momentum might finally lead them to the truth.
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SC seeks ED's response on journalist's bail plea in money laundering case
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file its response within three days on a bail plea of journalist Mahesh Langa in a money laundering case linked to an alleged financial fraud.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi also asked senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the jailed journalist, to file rejoinder, if needed, to the ED's response within two days of it being filed.
The top court fixed the case for further hearing on December 15.
During the brief hearing on Monday, Sibal said a journalist has been facing as many as six cases.
"The journalist is accused of extortion," the counsel for the ED said and sought a short adjournment on the ground that Solicitor General Tuhar Mehta was unavailable at the moment.
The top court on September 8 sought responses from the Gujarat government and the ED on Langa's bail plea.
While issuing the notices on Langa's bail plea, the bench asked, "What kind of a journalist is he?"
"With due respect, there are some very genuine journalists. But there are also people who on their scooter say we are 'patrakar' (journalists) and what they actually do everybody knows," the bench told Sibal.
Sibal replied that these are all allegations.
"In one FIR, he gets anticipatory bail, then a second FIR is lodged and again anticipatory bail is granted but now he is booked under a third FIR for income tax evasion. There are other things also against him," Sibal submitted.
He added that there is a background to the case also.
On July 31, the Gujarat High Court rejected Langa's bail plea in the money laundering case on the grounds that if released on bail, prejudice would be caused to the prosecution case.
On February 25, the ED said it arrested Langa in a money laundering investigation linked to an alleged financial fraud.
He was first arrested in October 2024 in a GST fraud case.
The money laundering case against Langa stems from two FIRs filed by Ahmedabad police on charges of fraud, criminal misappropriation, criminal breach of trust, cheating and causing wrongful loss of lakhs of rupees to certain people.
