Whistleblower in Dharmasthala Mass Burial Case pleads for protection from CJI Gavai, fearing death after police allegedly leaked his statement in rape and murder probe.
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MANGALURU: Karnataka is shaken after a whistleblower in the shocking Dharmasthala case, alleging mass rape, murder, and secret burials of women and children between 1998 and 2014, has come forward once again, this time pleading for protection.
The whistleblower in the Dharmasthala rape and mass burial case has accused the Karnataka police of leaking his statement and compromising his safety. In a letter to the Chief Justice of India, he has urged a high-level probe into the leak and sought protection.
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In a strongly worded three-page letter addressed to the Chief Justice of India, the whistleblower has alleged that the statement he confidentially provided to the police on July 14 has been leaked and is now circulating on YouTube. The gravity of this claim cannot be understated. The letter has also been sent to the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara, and the Director General & Inspector General of Police.
According to the whistleblower, the leaked information was featured in a YouTube video where a person claims it was sourced directly from police personnel. If true, this is not just a breach of confidentiality but a potential obstruction of justice.
The letter accuses the Investigating Officer or someone with access to the confidential statement of leaking it, thereby compromising the entire investigation. More shockingly, the whistleblower claims that the police are considering withdrawing witness protection, effectively leaving him exposed after leaking his identity and statement.
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The letter urges,
“This contradictory conduct, leaking confidential information while threatening the very protections meant to encourage such disclosures, necessitates urgent action by both judicial and executive authorities.”
Despite the public availability of the YouTube video for over 11 hours, there has reportedly been no action by the police to trace the source of the leak. This delay casts serious doubts on the intent and integrity of the ongoing investigation.
The whistleblower, a sanitation worker, claims that he was coerced into burying “hundreds of bodies of women and children” over 16 years. He alleges that he refused to disclose the burial locations ahead of time, fearing that crucial evidence could be tampered with. He insisted on leading investigators to the sites physically, a reasonable measure, given the severity of his claims.
Yet, instead of being supported and protected, the whistleblower was allegedly pressured by the police to reveal the information prematurely.
Background
A former sanitation worker from Karnataka’s temple town of Dharmasthala has made explosive allegations, claiming he was forced to bury or burn the bodies of over 100 women and children between 1998 and 2014, many of whom, he says, were raped and murdered.
In a complaint dated June 3, backed by skeletal photographs, the whistleblower alleged that several victims bore signs of brutal violence and sexual assault. He stated that some perpetrators were linked to the influential Dharmasthala temple administration, under the Jain Heggade family.
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Fearing for his life, the whistleblower appeared in court completely covered for protection and demanded witness security under the Witness Protection Act, 2018. He has promised to reveal burial sites and names of the accused only under strict safeguards.
His complaint coincides with renewed efforts by families of missing women, including that of Ananya Bhat, an MBBS student who vanished in 2003, to seek justice. Activists and lawyers have now demanded a high-level SIT probe, supervised by a judge, to investigate what may be a decades-long cover-up.
The Sowjanya rape-murder case, 2012, was also linked to Dharmasthala.
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