Mangaluru (Karnataka): Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari of Dharmasthala Manjunatha Swamy Temple, on Saturday welcomed the arrest of the complainant in a case involving allegations of multiple murders, rapes, and burials in the temple town, saying that the “truth is beginning to come out.”
Speaking to a gathering that had arrived in Dharmasthala to show solidarity, after the SIT produced the complainant in a Belthangady court, Heggade said the temple town had been facing “unfounded allegations” which had caused distress to devotees and the community at large.
“With this development, we have faith that facts will prevail and justice will be upheld,” he said.
Explaining his family’s involvement in managing temple institutions, he said, “I have three brothers and one sister. My second brother, based in Bengaluru, takes care of educational institutions. My third brother here handles administrative aspects in my absence — arrangements at the Dharmasthala, food, rooms, cleanliness, and Yakshagana. The other two brothers are independent. My sister is married, and her husband is Vice-Chancellor of Dharwad Medical College, which is now a university.”
On the government’s decision to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT), Heggade said, “We welcomed it on the very first day. Many doubts and confusion were created in the minds of our devotees. If a proper investigation clears those doubts, it is a good decision of the government to form an investigation team and find a solution.”
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is probing claims by a former sanitation worker who has alleged that he was forced to bury several bodies in Dharmasthala, including those of women and girls who appeared to be sexually assaulted. So far, skeletal remains have been recovered at two of the 17 locations the police have excavated.
