Karnataka mass grave case: SIT to halt probe till chemical, DNA analysis report arrive

Bengaluru, Aug 18 (IANS) In a major development pertaining to the mass grave case, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara has said that until the chemical and DNA analysis reports are available, the investigation into the matter will remain on hold, adding that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has taken this decision.

He made the statement on the floor of the Legislative Assembly while replying to BJP members on the matter. Responding to a question on how long the SIT investigation would continue, Parameshwara said: "So far, only exhumation work has been undertaken. The collected samples have been sent for DNA and soil analysis. Once the reports come, the real investigation will proceed on that basis.

"The digging has taken place at multiple sites. In one location, a skeleton has been recovered, and in another, bones have been found. They have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). In other places, the soil is lateritic and acidic in nature. Whatever remains are there, including bones, will dissolve in such soil. Samples from all these spots have been collected and sent to the lab."

"The recovered skeleton and bones have to be analysed. Every sample collected from different spots must be examined. Only after this analysis is completed can the probe move forward," he added.

The skull presented by the complainant at the beginning of the case has also been sent to the FSL, he said.

Responding to the BJP’s demand on why the unknown complainant, also called the "masked man", is not in police custody, Parameshwara said: "The complainant has been given protection under the Witness Protection Act. The committee headed by the Principal District Judge, along with the Superintendent of Police and the Public Prosecutor, has granted protection to him and his family. Hence, it is not possible to arrest him or take him into custody."

He stressed that the investigation is being taken up seriously, conducted transparently, and without any pressure. "A fair probe is underway," he said.

"We are not going to dig the whole of Dharmasthala. Excavation will be limited to the spots already identified. Whether to continue or stop the excavation is for the SIT to decide. The SIT has been given full liberty in this regard," Parameshwara said.

"The chemical and DNA analysis must be completed. If human traces are not found in the reports, the probe will take a different direction. If human remains are detected and reports show that the bones dissolved in the soil, the investigation will continue based on those findings," he elaborated.

"Until these reports are available, the SIT has decided to halt the investigation," he underlined.

Questioning the BJP’s stance, Parameshwara said: "It is unclear why the BJP is raising objections at this stage. They had no objections in the beginning, but are now coming up with different analyses. Do you want the investigation or not? Do you want the truth to come out? If the probe establishes that nothing has happened, Dharmasthala’s reputation will only grow stronger, and the faith of crores of devotees will increase. But we cannot simply declare that nothing has happened."

"If any crime has taken place, the victims’ families will get justice. Mixing politics or giving the issue a religious colour should not happen," he stressed.

"Leave it to the law of the land. Let the truth come out. Once the truth emerges, Dharmasthala, the community, and even you (the opposition) will have to accept it. Nothing definitive can be said while the probe is ongoing," he said.

He further said: "We have not received the interim report. We cannot fix a timeframe for the probe. No one is being protected or targeted, nor is there any need to do so. Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade, who runs the temple, has been awarded the Padma Bhushan. Allegations are being made against such a person, and the truth must come out."

Veerendra Heggade is also a BJP Rajya Sabha Member.

--IANS

mka/pgh