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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Kangana Ranaut sparks row: Claims Gandhi made 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' the national anthem
New Delhi: A significant political controversy has erupted following the Modi government's decision to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a move that has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties. The row was further fueled by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, who, while defending the name change, erroneously claimed that Mahatma Gandhi had made the devotional song "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram" India’s national anthem.
The central government has rebranded the flagship rural employment scheme from MGNREGA to the "Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission," abbreviated as VB-G RAM G. The removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the scheme has been termed an insult to the Father of the Nation by the Congress and other opposition parties.
When questioned by the media outside Parliament regarding the opposition's allegations, Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut defended the government's decision by invoking Mahatma Gandhi's devotion to Lord Ram.
"How is naming it 'Ram Ji' an insult to Gandhi ji?" Ranaut asked. "Mahatma Gandhi made 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' the national anthem to organize the entire country. Therefore, this is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi? The government is fulfilling his dream by giving it the name of Ram."
Ranaut's claim regarding the national anthem was immediately seized upon by the opposition. Congress leader Supriya Shrinate shared the video of Ranaut’s statement on social media, tweeting sarcastically, "Come on brother, today we learned a new national anthem! The BJP is full of such gems."
Social media users also trolled the MP for the factual error. One user quipped, "Kangana ji forgot to mention that Bapu made this the national anthem after the country got independence in 2014," while another commented that the party finds people who "don't use their brains while forwarding WhatsApp messages."
Beyond the social media mockery, senior Congress leaders criticised the renaming on ideological grounds. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took to X (formerly Twitter) to condemn the move.
"The biggest irony is that Mahatma Gandhi was a lifelong devotee of Lord Ram and said 'Hey Ram' in his last moments," Gehlot wrote. "Today, the central government is making a despicable attempt to sideline Gandhi ji under the guise of the same 'Ram' name (VB-G RAM G), which is highly condemnable."
मनरेगा का नाम बदलने की केंद्र सरकार की कवायद महात्मा गांधी के प्रति उनकी ओछी मानसिकता और असम्मान का प्रमाण है। सरकार पहले 'पूज्य बापू' के नाम का शिगूफा छोड़ती है और फजीहत होने पर अब 'विकसित भारत-गारंटी फॉर रोजगार एंड आजीविका मिशन (VB-G RAM G)' जैसा नाम थोपना चाहती है। बार-बार नाम…
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) December 15, 2025
गांधी जी ने ‘रघुपति राघव राजा राम’ को लेकर नेशनल एंथम बनाया था
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) December 16, 2025
BJP MP कंगना रनौत
चलो भाई आज नया नेशनल एंथम भी पता चला है!
BJP में एक से एक शिरोमणि भरे पड़े हैं 😂🤣 pic.twitter.com/9DvyV5xLb1
