Latest news with #SujathaBhat
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Mass grave scandal, cover-up claims rock southern Indian state
The government in India 's southern state of Karnataka has started a special investigation into allegations of a mass burial at Dharmasthala, a major pilgrimage centre, following a confession by a former sanitation worker that has sent shock waves across the country. In a formal complaint to police dated July 3 – a copy of which has been seen by This Week in Asia – the worker revealed that between 1998 and 2014, he was allegedly instructed to bury 'hundreds of bodies' of women and children. Some of the victims, he claimed, had been raped. 'Many of the female bodies were without clothing or underwear. Some bore clear signs of sexual assault and violence: wounds or strangulation that indicated violence,' the complaint stated. The 48-year-old sanitation worker, who belongs to the marginalised Dalit community, said he was coerced by some 'influential people' into performing the burials to protect himself and his family. On July 19, the Karnataka government formed a special investigation team (SIT) amid demands from several sections of society. The latest allegation has brought the spotlight back on previous cases, mostly involving young girls and linked to Dharmasthala, one of which was the missing daughter of former stenographer Sujatha Bhat.
Time of India
16-07-2025
- Time of India
New twist in Dharmasthala horror: Mother seeks probe in 2003 MBBS student's disappearance; assault, silence, fear haunt her
MANGALURU: Days after chilling allegations emerged in Dharmasthala about the disposal of bodies of sexual abuse and murder victims, a new complaint has surfaced. On Tuesday evening, Sujatha Bhat, mother of medical student Ananya Bhat who went missing in 2003, filed a fresh plea with Dharmasthala police demanding a thorough investigation into her daughter's mysterious disappearance. Speaking to reporters in Mangaluru, Sujatha said she has been living in fear for over two decades. 'If any remains are recovered and a DNA match confirms it's my daughter, I will at least be able to perform her last rites so hersoul finds peace,' she added. Ananya, a first-year MBBS student in a college in Manipal, had travelled to Dharmasthala with her friends in 2003. She never returned. 'I was working in Kolkata in 2003,' Sujatha said. Got little support in search: Mom At the time, I was in Kolkata for work. I rushed back and began searching for her,' Sujatha said. She also claimed she got very little support in her search for her missing daughter. 'After being turned away by Belthangady police, I went to Dharmasthala where I was assaulted... I regained consciousness in a hospital.'
