Time to break the triangle of religion, power and crime

The horrific story that has come out of Karnataka's holy city Dharmasthala raises serious questions not only on the local administration but also on the entire judicial and political structure. When a former sweeper claimed before a magistrate on July 4 this month under Section 183 of the Indian Civil Defense Code that he buried more than 100 bodies between 1995 and 2014, since then this episode has shaken the trust of religious institutions, law and order and the public.

In fact, this alleged incident is related to Dharmasthala Manjunath Swamy Temple, which is a major religious place in South India. There is a temple of Shaivite tradition here, but due to the administrative leadership of Vaishnavite priests and Jain descendants, it is considered a unique religious-cultural center. But now, this temple is at the center of the allegation, where it has been claimed that a dirty game of hiding crimes and destroying evidence has been going on for a long time.

According to the complainant, he saw over 100 bodies, one by one, buried and some burnt with diesel while cleaning the banks of the Netravati river. These bodies included teenage girls, women and men, whose bodies bore marks of sexual assault, strangulation, acid burning, and brutal murder.

He says he was intimidated, threatened and eventually made a part of destroying evidence. Recalling an incident in 2010, he said he was asked to bury the body of a 12-15 year old girl with rope marks around her neck. This statement should not be seen as merely sensational but indicative of a deeply ingrained criminal system.

The Karnataka government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on 14 July following massive public pressure and criticism from senior Supreme Court lawyers. It is headed by DGP Pranab Mohanty and comprises officers who have previously been active in investigating high-profile cases such as Gauri Lankesh. Yet, senior advocate KV Dhananjaya has made serious allegations that the police are not only working at a snail's pace, but are possibly adopting a strategy to protect influential people. He also said that despite the complainant having already exhumed the grave and produced the remains before a magistrate, the police neither inspected the spot nor called the complainant again.

This is not only a serious lapse in the criminal justice process, but also an indication that somewhere powerful institutions may be involved in destroying evidence and weakening the case. After the complaint surfaced, a woman named Sujata Bhat shared the story of her daughter Ananya Bhat, who went missing 22 years ago. Ananya was a student of Manipal Medical College and was last seen in Dharmasthala. Her mother says she doesn’t want justice, just the truth and closure, to know if Ananya’s life really ended there.

Similarly, the rape and murder of a student named Soujanya in 2012 sparked widespread protests in the state. Soujanya’s case remains unresolved and these recent allegations have brought that pain to light once again. The most alarming aspect of this entire episode is that it is linked to an influential religious institution like Dharmasthala, which has a strong social, political and economic hold in the region.

Many locals have believed that raising voices against the Dharmasthala temple administration is nearly impossible. In such a situation, the question becomes imperative: could the alleged murders have happened for so many years and no one raised their voice without the connivance of the local administration, police and religious institution?

In 1983, MLA K. Vasanth Bangera raised the issue of the disappearance of four women in the Assembly, but that too was suppressed without any result. This makes it clear that there is no such thing as responsibility in these institutions. Superintendent of Police of Dakshina Kannada district Dr. Arun clarified that the digging done by the complainant is a crime and hence it is possible to proceed only under the legal process. This argument may be technically correct, but when the matter is about hundreds of possible murders, the priority should be to preserve evidence, identify the victims and ensure the safety of the complainant.

While on the one hand the police are appealing to the legal process, on the other hand, the impression is being formed across the state that perhaps the government, religious institutions and the police together want to suppress this issue. This matter is not only legal or political. It also exposes the cultural narrowness in which religious institutions are considered untouchable and the immoral incidents happening there are not allowed to become a part of public discourse.

The attempt to cover up serious allegations of sexual violence, murder and destruction of evidence in the name of religion, linked to an institution like a religious place, highlights the distance between religion and justice in Indian society. Overall, this is a defining moment for the Karnataka government and judicial institutions. It is not just about 100 dead bodies, but also about countless families whose missing loved ones have never been found. 

If the investigation in this case is incomplete, sloppy or biased, it will not only kill the soul of the complainant, but will also kill the rights of all those citizens who still hope for justice. The time has come to break this triangle of religion, power and crime. This is not just a test of law, but also a litmus test of morality and democracy.