History has shown that political and financial influence is enough to bury the real perpetrator, silence the voice of dissent, and suspend any kind of investigations which may reveal the truth. Now, the question arises: is the “Mass Burial Case” of Dharmasthala yet another instance of a powerful system to dispose of the real evidence, leaving the innocent to suffer the consequences? Or do we still have some hope of justice waiting to reveal the truth?
Dharmasthala, one of Karnataka’s most prominent pilgrimage sites, renowned for serving thousands of devotees, has been at the centre of distressing news for quite some time about the alleged “mass burial case”.
Widespread discussion online and offline by the media has sparked new levels of curiosity among the public. Over the past few months, investigations have revealed contentious information, adding to the previous claim made by a sanitation worker back in July 2025.
C.N. Chinnaiah, a 48-year-old Dalit man and former sanitation worker at the Dharmasthala Temple, put forward claims of being guilty in the “mass burial case”. In his shocking statement, on 3rd July, 2025, he alleged that he had been forced to bury over a hundred dead bodies of women and children who were raped and murdered in heinous ways between the years 1995 and 2014.
A target of continuous death threats left him feeling fearful and helpless. In an attempt to free himself of this relentless guilt, he approached the police station. The police, upon hearing his claim of “unidentified bodies found in the temple site”, filed an FIR the following day, 4th July 2025. The police then directed him to file a complaint in the court of law. The sanitation worker provided his official statement in a magistrate’s court in Belthangady on July 11, 2025. Following his complaint, he was reported to have been provided with police protection.
In view of the grave nature of the allegations, Karnataka Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, appointed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Pranab Mohanty, and consisting of other members like The Director General of Police consisting of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) M N Anucheth, and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers SK Sowmylatha and Jitendra Kumar Dayama on July 19 to examine the case further.
One of the spokespersons from Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Temple said that he urges the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a thorough investigation into this matter and bring out the facts.
Following this, a two-week inquest was initiated. Chinniah helped the team by giving them the locations of 13 burial sites and assisted the police in identifying them. He showed burial sites along the Netravathi River, from where several acid attack victims, minor girls and women's bodies were exhumed.
The investigation began at all of the indicated sites in the presence of police authorities and forensic personnel. But as the investigations progressed, no concrete evidence was found. Except in one or two locations, nothing fruitful was uncovered.
Only in Banglegudde, one of the sites identified by the sanitation worker, a human skull and a few human bones were excavated. Reports suggested that the skull was of a man who probably died of strangulation.
Sources later revealed that the skull belonged to a 2012 teen rape murder victim. Apparently, the skull was kept there by the victim’s uncle himself, and Chinnaiah knew of it.
Due to a lack of any substantial material, the SIT put Chinnaiah under police custody on charges of false claims. His case was filed under Section 379 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, on the grounds of perjury. He was later granted bail in November 2025 by the Dakshina Kannada District Court in Karnataka.
Upon his release, Chinniah accused the SIT of carrying out an incomplete investigation, as a result of which no effective action was taken.
A final complaint was lodged by Chinnaiah in the Karnataka High Court stating that this is a part of a larger criminal conspiracy plotted by several activists to tarnish the image of BJP MP Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade, the trustee of the Sree Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Temple.
Chinnaiah disclosed the names of certain individuals and urged strict action against them. According to him, the conspirators involved are Mahesh Shetty Thimmarody, a former right-wing activist, Girish Mattanavar, Jayanth T, a left-wing activist and Vittal Gowda.
Chinnaiah further mentioned that Mahesh Thimmarody formulated a budget of 200 crore, from which he promised to offer Rs 50 lakhs to the worker in return for his allegiance and cooperation in sending Heggade to prison. On asking Thimmarody the source of such substantial funding, he revealed that a Keralan woman from Chitradurga was behind this.
In another seemingly suspicious development, Actor Prakash Raj was also found linked to this case. Though there is no proven evidence against him, the petitioner alleged that he was in a conference call with the actor and Girish Mattannavar, where he was encouraged by Roy to follow the activist’s instructions.
Prakash Roy later stated that he was called by the petitioner himself and denied any involvement in the 200crore funding conspiracy.
It is alleged that the sanitation worker was mentally and physically abused and his family members were held captive in Thimmarody’s residence. He was dictated in advance the manner in which he would present his statements before the court. He was compelled by the conspirators to deliver false accusations against the YouTubers by the conspirators.
Trapped in a relentless cycle of torture and intimidation, Chinnaiah thought of committing suicide, but instead he had to face further consequences. The conspirators threatened and assaulted him, saying that upon his death they would have no one to perform their said tasks and therefore his life was more valuable and useful to them.
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