Dharmasthala, August 23, 2025 – In a significant development in the Dharmasthala mass burial case, Dr. Veerendra Heggade, the Dharmadhikari of the Dharmasthala Manjunatha Swamy Temple, responded for the first time since the Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrested the anonymous complainant, identified as Chinnayya, on August 23, 2025. The Beltangady court ordered 10 days of SIT custody for the complainant, who had alleged that numerous bodies were buried in Dharmasthala between 1994 and 2014, prompting a high-profile investigation led by senior officer Pranav Mohanty since July 20, 2025.

Speaking briefly due to the ongoing investigation, Dr. Heggade expressed satisfaction, stating, “I won’t speak much as the SIT probe is ongoing, but the truth is coming out one by one, and I am happy. All allegations have now been cleared. Let your love and trust in us remain. God’s blessings are on this sacred place, and the divine is with us.” His statement follows the SIT’s findings of inconsistencies in the complainant’s claims, including retracted statements and lack of evidence from excavations at 17 sites, which yielded only minor bone fragments not linked to the alleged crimes. The complainant faces charges under Sections 209, 227, and 229 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 for perjury, fraud, and obstructing investigation.

The arrest, confirmed by Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara, has shifted the case’s narrative, with Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar previously suggesting a “conspiracy” to defame Dharmasthala. The complainant’s protection under the Witness Protection Act was revoked on August 22, 2025, after he admitted to providing misleading information during interrogation.