Police in southern India have arrested a man whose chilling allegations of mass rape and murder in the temple town of Dharmasthala sent shockwaves across Karnataka and beyond, reported by BBC News.
The man, a former temple cleaner, had claimed that over nearly two decades he was coerced into burying the bodies of hundreds of women—some of them minors—after they were raped and killed. His accusations, lodged in early July, triggered a political storm, intense media scrutiny, and a sweeping investigation by a state-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT).
On Saturday, an SIT official confirmed the man’s arrest on charges of perjury, telling the BBC that the evidence he provided was “not brought from any spot in which he claimed to have buried the bodies.”
The man, whose identity has been withheld, appeared publicly only while cloaked in black garments and a face mask. In his complaint, he described five incidents in detail, while alleging countless others. He accused temple administrators and staff, though he did not name individuals. When brought before a magistrate, he produced a human skull from his bag, insisting it belonged to one of the victims. Investigators, however, later disputed his account.
The allegations cast a shadow over Dharmasthala, home to the revered Manjunatha Swamy temple, which draws thousands of pilgrims daily and is overseen by the influential Heggade family. Veerendra Heggade, the temple’s hereditary chief administrator and a respected parliamentarian, rejected the claims as “false and impossible,” while welcoming the investigation.
Excavations at sites identified by the accuser did uncover human remains, including a skull and nearly 100 bone fragments. These have been sent for forensic testing, though their origin remains unclear.
The case quickly spiraled into a political battle. Opposition lawmakers from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) denounced the allegations as a smear campaign against a holy Hindu site, while the ruling Congress government insisted it was committed to finding the truth.
“Shouldn’t the truth come out?” Karnataka’s Home Minister G. Parameshwara asked. “If nothing is found, Dharmasthala’s stature will only grow stronger. If something emerges, justice will be delivered.”
