Mangalore: The sensational Dharmasthala case, which began with the shocking claim of a masked man named Chinnaiah that hundreds of bodies were buried in the shrine town, has now widened into what investigators suspect is a coordinated conspiracy aimed at defaming the historic religious center. With the Special Investigation Team (SIT) unearthing fresh links to political actors, activists, and social media propagandists, the case is no longer confined to a lone individual’s allegations but appears to be a multi-layered plot.
Explosive revelations emerged this week as SIT officials confirmed that accused persons Chinnaiah, Girish Mattannavar, and Jayant T had carried a skull to Kerala and attempted to use it to fabricate a narrative of mass graves in Dharmasthala. The skull, originally claimed to have been unearthed from the shrine premises, is now at the center of conflicting testimonies.
While Chinnaiah reportedly told investigators that he never brought the skull from Dharmasthala, Jayant insisted that it was given to him by Girish Mattannavar. In turn, Mattannavar has denied any role. This blame game among the accused has only deepened suspicions that the incident was engineered, with SIT sources hinting at the involvement of Kerala CPI(M) MP Santosh Kumar.
Case under 11 stringent sections
The seriousness of the plot is reflected in the charges invoked. The SIT has registered a case under 11 stringent provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Dharmasthala police station. These include charges related to fabricating false evidence, giving false information to courts, falsifying documents, misleading investigations, and maliciously accusing individuals without basis.
Among them, BNS 231 and 229 deal with fabricating evidence of crimes punishable with life imprisonment, while BNS 248 specifically addresses falsely accusing individuals with the intent to harm. The wide range of sections indicates that investigators believe the entire skull episode was part of a deliberate attempt to mislead the judiciary and destabilize public trust in a major religious institution.
Another dimension of the conspiracy has emerged with the SIT issuing a notice to Kerala-based YouTuber Manaf, who aggressively propagated the so-called Burude story. Manaf is no stranger to controversy he is also the owner of a lorry involved in a tragic landslide accident at Shirur in July 2024 that killed 11 people, including his own driver.
Manaf, according to investigators, played a central role in amplifying the Dharmasthala narrative. On July 11, he uploaded a video purportedly showing a body being recovered from a forest with the help of a sword near a saree-tied tree. The video, which quickly went viral, was framed as evidence of mass killings and burials in Dharmasthala. It was through his channel that the allegations of rape, murder, and mass burials first spread to Kerala, fueling outrage and suspicion.
The SIT suspects that Manaf, along with activists like Jayant, deliberately orchestrated the video to implicate Dharmasthala and its spiritual head, Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade, in false crimes. Manaf is also reported to have met Mahesh Timarodi, a known critic of the shrine, further indicating coordination among detractors.
Political undercurrents and Kerala MP’s name surfaces.
The SIT’s investigation has added a political dimension by pointing to Kerala CPI(M) MP Santosh Kumar. Sources say the skull was even taken to him in an attempt to create credibility around the allegations. While there is no direct confirmation of the MP’s role in propagating the charges, the very mention of his name has triggered questions about whether political forces outside Karnataka are attempting to exploit the controversy.
The ruling Congress government in Karnataka has already been accused by opposition leaders of “silence” in the face of growing attacks on Dharmasthala’s reputation. BJP and JD(S) leaders have repeatedly alleged that the case is part of a larger ideological effort to malign Hindu religious centers under the guise of activism.
Earlier this week, more than 50 prominent swamijis and heads of mutts gathered at Dharmasthala for a Dharma Jagruti Samavesha, where they passed resolutions condemning the campaign of misinformation. They called the entire episode a “well-funded conspiracy” aimed at destabilizing peace and harmony in the region. The meeting also demanded that the case be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for a thorough probe, citing the cross-border political links and digital propaganda machinery involved.
