CPI MP Sandosh Kumar urges Amit Shah for NIA probe in Dharmasthala burial case

New Delhi [India], July 19 (ANI): Communist Party of India (CPI) Rajya Sabha MP from Kerala, P Sandosh Kumar, on Saturday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, urging a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the Dharmasthala burials case.
He alleged that despite mass protests and years of appeals, the Karnataka government has failed to constitute a credible Special Investigation Team (SIT). The so-called 'Acquittal Review Committee' was never operationalised meaningfully, he said.
On July 4, Dharmasthala police in Dakshina Kannada district registered a case, a day after a former temple sanitation worker complained that he was forced to bury many bodies in the jurisdiction of Dharmasthala village more than a decade ago.
"Most chilling is the recent confession made on 3 July 2025 by a former temple sanitation worker, now under witness protection, who alleges that between 1995 and 2014, he was forced under threat to dispose of over 500 human bodies, many of them women and minors who had been sexually assaulted," Kumar said in his letter.
"He describes mass burials, acid disfigurement, and targeted killings, and has expressed willingness to lead investigators to the burial sites. His confession is detailed, specific, and supported by physical evidence," the CPI MP added.
Kumar said that these were not isolated aberrations. Taken together, they reveal signs of an organised criminal enterprise-one that has flourished under administrative silence.
"Just as disturbing is the pattern of intimidation and suppression that surrounds every attempt to seek justice. Activists, KTI petitioners, journalists, and grieving families have faced threats, fabricated cases, online abuse, and in some cases, even physical harm," Kumar said.
He stated that the local police, who are often implicated by their inaction and at times alleged complicity, cannot be expected to ensure a fair and transparent process.
"It is for this reason that I urge the Ministry of Home Affairs to immediately hand over the entire investigation to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Only an agency with full authority and a clear mandate can unravel the extent of this alleged criminal network, identify those responsible, and restore faith in the justice system," he said.
"Let me emphasise that this appeal is made in the firm belief that the spiritual sanctity of Dharmasthala must be protected, not just in ritual or appearance, but in truth, justice, and transparency. A sacred town revered by devotees across India cannot remain clouded by fear, suspicion, and buried truths," he added in the letter. (ANI)