Karnataka: Truth and Justice Buried in Dharmasthala Should Be Unearthed
K S Vimala
SURROUNDED by lush green forests, water flowing in gentle streams, and – since it’s the rainy season – a stronger pull of flowing waters, peacocks calling for rain, and parrots chirping, this is a place that delights the heart. But here, grief lies heavy. Silence weighs on the mind.
This is the house of Padmalatha, near Beltangady taluk of Dakshina Kannada district) Padmalatha – a teenager who in 1986 almost four decades ago, became the victim of injustice, falling prey to the arrogance of those who used religion as a cover for oppression. A CPI(M) delegation including K Prakash (Party state secretary), K S Vimala, Muneer Katipalla (Party district secretary) and other local leaders visited Padmalatha’s house recently.
REMEMBERING
PADMALATHAS
This was the first case to come to light among many so-called “unnatural deaths” in and around Dharmasthala, incidents that were pushed to the margins with that label. It even echoed in the Legislative Assembly. At the time, then Home Minister B Rachaiah had visited Padmalatha’s home. But, because the suspects were very influential people, the matter did not flare up further – it remained like embers buried under ashes.
Padmalatha went to college and never returned. She was kidnapped. 57 days later, her body was found on a rocky slab near the Neriya stream. The clothes she wore and the watch on her wrist confirmed her identity. Anyone could guess that she had been preyed upon in every way the perpetrators desired and then brutally murdered. This was not an isolated event – nothing in this place seemed to operate under the country’s laws or the democratic system.
At that time, in the local body elections, members of the CPI(M) contested, and among them was Padmalatha’s father, Devananda, a peasant and CPI(M) leader. Because he refused to bow to pressure to withdraw from the election, this murder – and possibly preceded by rape – of the girl took place.
Though Dharmasthala is a religious centre drawing millions and owning immense land, wealth and resources, it is equally notorious for such “unnatural deaths.” The entire region is under the grip of a famous family that flaunts boundless feudal-religious power under the cover of various supernatural titles. Everything that catches their eye – women, gold, land – is treated as personal property, and they commit whatever level of atrocity is needed to seize it. In the 1960 and 70s while tenancy registrations and declarations under Land Reforms Act by peasants was taking place under the leadership of AIKS, most violent threats and attacks were witnessed in this area. Full fury of religious-feudal power and tyranny was unleashed. It continues in many forms even now.
The matriarch of that grieving household, Padmalatha’s mother, has lost both her speech and memory. But when she hears her daughter’s name, her eyes glisten with sudden tears. Slowly, she recalls the day her daughter disappeared – she had gone to college saying she’d be back, but never returned. “It was the Dharmasthala people who took her away. The police never helped us,” she says in a halting voice.
In the 1980s, the CP((M) dealt the first blow to the local feudal forces, challenging their power that everything must happen under their supervision – even deciding election candidates. Because the Party fielded candidates according to its own decisions, Padmalatha’s father had to face the tragedy of his daughter’s murder. Following this, there were protests against many other “unnatural deaths,” murders, and rapes – marches, public demonstrations, and rallies in the district centre and in Bengaluru under the leadership of mass organisations.
During this time, many earlier cases came to light – death of elephant mahout Narayana and his sister in a land-related incident, the burning alive of Vedavalli for fighting for a rightful headmistress post in the high school, and later the Soujanya case in 2012, which again triggered intense protests. At that time itself, an RTI query revealed that there were over 400 cases of recorded “unnatural deaths”.
The intensity of the struggle forced the Siddaramaiah government to hand over the case to CBI. But before that, the “last link” that could have become a key witness to reveal the inside truth was killed and thrown into a well. In that case, an innocent man, Santosh Rao, was made the scapegoat to save the influential suspects.
The CBI investigation exposed many faults in the initial probe, and the court acquitted Santosh Rao, ordering the government to take action against the officers who had committed serious lapses. Mass protests in Bengaluru and across the state – such as the “Beltangady Chalo” rally – followed. But the case got stalled there. Meanwhile, new revelations about more “unnatural deaths” kept surfacing.
MEDIA EXPOSURE
Recently a report by a YouTuber named Sameer who claimed to expose “serial killers” of so-called “unnatural deaths” in Dharmasthala caused a stir. Police even booked case on him for “spreading rumours”. Reports from many other YouTubers followed. A few days later, an anonymous man, claiming to have worked in Dharmasthala sanitation, came forward with lawyers, confessing in court that he had buried several bodies considered as “unnatural deaths” and was now tormented by guilt. Initially, the government continued its usual dismissive attitude. Even the home and chief ministers acted as though nothing had happened. But due to pressure from social media and public outrage, an SIT had to be formed.
The SIT, led by respected IPS officer Pranav Kumar Mohanty, has begun work. A helpline was set up. Soon after, Sujata Bhatt, mother of missing woman Ananya Bhatt, lodged a complaint, requesting DNA testing on recovered skeletal remains (if and when found) to determine if they belonged to her daughter. Though there has been one case of withdrawing from SIT for “personal reasons” and murmurs against one SIT member, the work so far appears satisfactory. More individuals have come forward with complaints to SIT.
Another dimension to the case is that while the Dharmasthala Manjunath-Annappa temple is a Hindu religious site, the overseeing Heggade family is Jain, leading some to argue that control should be given to Hindus.
Social Media (particularly YouTube channels) continue to conduct investigative work and expose local truths. The SIT has begun examining the anonymous man’s allegations. While the SIT has not reported about finding any bones, skeletons in the digging done, many informed sources reveal that many bones, skeletons, women’s cloth pieces, debit cards have been found.
To suppress developments, when the CBI court verdict came out, some individuals on behalf of the family obtained a gag order against naming or reporting on them. Still, it has become common for those facing serious allegations to seek one-sided injunctions under the pretext of protecting personal reputation. Later it was overturned by the Karnataka High Court. But that was unsuccessfully challenged in Supreme Court, which asked the same Court to reexamine it. When it was pointed out that the judge issuing such injunctions was part of the legal team of the family and many of their organisations as a lawyer earlier, the case has been transferred to another judge. There have even been physical attacks on independent journalists.
Now the case has heated up again. Locally, efforts are underway to create fear psychosis. Former gram panchayat members have publicly claimed that all burials of “unnatural death” victims in the Netravathi at Dharmasthala were done according to panchayat rules. Disturbingly, reports suggest that all records from that period at the local police station have been destroyed. While demanding impartial investigation, the government must also ensure that official evidence is not destroyed.
If records from all these cases have been erased while the SIT is still investigating, it shows the strength of the “invisible hands” at work. In the Soujanya case too, there were serious allegations of deliberate destruction of evidence, and now the same appears possible here. The government must be held accountable.
The Dharmasthala cases cannot be dismissed as mere “unnatural deaths.” They are tied to questions of land, people’s rights including right to livelihood. The Dharmasthala Rural Development programmes across the state – microfinance lending, exorbitant interest rates, harassment for repayment – must also be examined alongside. CPI(M) has demanded that investigation of all “unnatural deaths” including well known past cases (viz. Vedavathy, Padmalatha, Sowjanya) should be handed over to the SIT. If there is any legal hurdle, CPI(M) has demanded a separate SIT. CPI(M) had been in the forefront of struggle against the feudal-religious terror and the complicity of police, administration and other political parties.
A faction of the RSS in Dakshina Kannada is part of the struggle here – ostensibly for justice, but also with an underlying Hindutva twist of challenging ‘Jain ownership of a Hindu temple’.
It is notable that other political parties have remained silent. Despite hundreds of unnatural deaths, rapes of women, land grabs from the poor, exorbitant interest rates on loans, and property seizures for non-payment, various political parties and their media outlets have not raised their voices – showing the state of democracy today.
BJP and the Sangh Parivar organisations and their media (including their Godi mainstream media) are trying to give religious colour saying that the “Hindu religious practices and organisations” are under attack. They are running disinformation campaigns against the investigations and have also accused it as “Anti-Hindu conspiracy” of the Communist Party and the Kerala government, to sway public opinion. The ruling Congress party and its leaders appear to be in a state of surrender.
CPI(M) is determined to fight till the end, till truth and justice buried with victims in Dharmasthala are unearthed.
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