Woman Retracts Allegations in Karnataka Mass Burial Case: Claims She Was Misled Over Property Dispute

Sujata Bhat previously alleged her daughter disappeared from Dharmasthala temple in 2003.

In a surprising development, a woman who had reported her daughter's disappearance from Karnataka's Dharmasthala temple in 2003 has now withdrawn her claim, stating she was "misled" by individuals she had approached regarding a property dispute with the religious institution.

In an interview with NDTV, Sujata, who filed a police complaint in July about her daughter's alleged disappearance from the Dharmasthala temple, expressed that while she was distressed at that time, she is now prepared to "seek forgiveness for her sins".

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) from the state police is currently investigating allegations of multiple burials, murders, and rapes in Dharmasthala, which has captured significant public and political attention. The controversy began last month when a "masked" individual, later identified as C N Chinnayya, claimed to have buried numerous bodies, including those of sexually assaulted women, in Dharmasthala over an extended period, with implications directed at the local temple administrators. Chinnayya was subsequently arrested for perjury.

Following this, Sujata alleged that her daughter Ananya, a medical student, vanished from the temple grounds in 2003.

"Ananya was a fabricated name. A YouTuber called Shivashankar, who operates the channel 'Hai Karunadu', created this name and I followed along," she revealed, indicating the YouTuber prompted her to make these allegations during an interview.

Sujata, who was recently questioned by the SIT, explained that her distress stemmed from a property dispute with her father.

"I had issues concerning my father's property. My family treated me as if I were dead. I was informed that the property was transferred to Veerendra Heggade. I later discovered that all children's signatures were required before selling the property, but this procedure wasn't followed. This caused me immense emotional suffering," she stated.

Veerendra serves as the Dharmadhikari or custodian of the temple.

According to Sujata, she encountered activist Girish Mattanavar and another individual named Jayant T - both supporters of C N Chinnayya's claims - who then accompanied her to Delhi to meet a lawyer named Dhananjaya.

"They compelled me to make false accusations against Harshendra Heggade, Veerendra's brother," she admitted.

She confessed to using a photograph of a woman named Vasanthi, claiming she was her daughter Ananya. "In reality, Vasanthi is the wife of Rangaprasad's son," she revealed. "I was unaware of the plan or that the masked man with the skull would be present. Advocate Dhananjay is not responsible. They manipulated me."

Sujata confirmed she has provided all details to the SIT, which she claims treated her fairly without applying any pressure.

"I am elderly now and only wish to apologize to everyone. I recognize there will be no justice for me, but I have never spoken negatively about Dharmasthala or Veerendra Heggade. People exploited me and have now deserted me," she lamented.

"If circumstances don't improve, I intend to visit Dharmasthala within a week, fall at Veerendra Heggade's feet, and beg forgiveness for my transgressions. Afterward, I will determine how to proceed. I feel death might be my only remaining option, as I lack the means to continue living," she concluded.

The SIT investigation into the allegations involving Dharmasthala continues.