The excavation process to unearth bodies allegedly buried secretly at Dharmasthala failed to make any headway on its first day, as intermittent showers lashed the temple town in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district on Tuesday.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), set up to investigate the allegations made in a police complaint filed by a former sanitation worker, began the excavation at around 12 noon in the presence of revenue officials. A day earlier, the whistleblower marked 13 locations where he claims to have secretly buried bodies of alleged sexual assault and murder victims.
The SIT picked one of the 13 locations, where it had conducted a spot mahazar, for excavation. A team of labourers dug up the area to look for any skeletal remains. An earthmover was also pressed into service to aid the process. Apart from SIT, forensic experts were also present at the spot along with security personnel deputed to the venue. The excavation also drew hundreds of onlookers from surrounding villages.
Heavy showers affected the excavation process as the pit dug by the labourers was filled with rainwater. The process continued till around 6.30 pm, before the officials decided to call it a day. The process is expected to continue for the next few days as the SIT has to excavate 12 more locations.
The SIT is excavating the land based on an FIR registered at Dharmasthala police station on July 4, following a complaint filed by the whistleblower. Owing to public pressure following the FIR, the Karnataka Government formed an SIT under Director General of Police Pronab Mohanty on July 19.
Before conducting the spot mahazar of locations on Monday to identify locations where the whistleblower had allegedly been forced to bury bodies, the SIT questioned him for two days in Mangaluru.