Sujatha Bhat’s lawyer urges for immediate arrest of Dharmasthala gram panchayat VP Shrinivas Rao
Dharmasthala: Advocate Manjunath N., lawyer representing Sujatha Bhat, the mother of MBBS student Ananya Bhat has called for the immediate arrest of Shrinivas Rao, Vice President of the Dharmasthala Gram Panchayat.
This comes hours after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged mass burials in Dharmasthala discovered suspected human remains on the third consecutive day of excavation. However, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has not officially confirmed these findings yet.
In a press note issued on Thursday, the Manjunath N. stated that the claims made by Shrinivas Rao, that all burials were official and properly documented since 1980’s, have been disproved by today's findings.
The burial sites, discovered with the help of a whistleblower, were located in remote, hazardous terrain near the riverbank. According to the release, these are not locations any panchayat would use for official burials, especially if there was a chance that remains would need to be exhumed later for grieving relatives.
Manjunath further questioned how the panchayat could claim to escort families to such treacherous sites or maintain records of such burials, as Rao had previously stated. The whistleblower reportedly led the SIT to multiple hidden spots rather than to a single, designated burial ground.
“We demand the immediate arrest of Shrinivas Rao, Vice President of Dharmasthala Gram Panchayat, the moment human remains are recovered from these sites. Rao’s statements appear to be a calculated attempt to obstruct justice and normalize irregular burials that may have covered up criminal acts,” Manjunath added.
The lawyer also raised concerns about Rao’s role in what he described as a potential cover-up operation, questioning whether Rao was acting alone or on instructions from others. The release called for his interrogation, suggesting that he may have crucial information about the people involved in the alleged crimes.
Manjunath N. has also called upon the Karnataka Government to initiate a broader inquiry into all panchayat officials who may be linked to the issue, urging the public and media to demand transparency and accountability.
Thursday’s search began at 11:30 am and focused on the sixth burial site near the Netravati riverbank. Officials present included Puttur Sub-Divisional Officer Stella Varghese, Belthangady Tahsildar Prithvi Sanikem, a medical team from KMC Mangalore, forensic science experts, and other support staff.
So far, while five sites were dug on previous days with no significant findings, Thursday marked the first instance where suspected remains have surfaced.
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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.
