Dharmasthala case: SIT urged to deploy GPR at locations identified by witness | Mangaluru News

Mangaluru: Advocate Manjunath N, legal counsel for Sujatha Bhat, mother of Ananya Bhat, a medical student who allegedly disappeared while she was in Dharmasthala in 2003, has requested the use of advanced Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) at locations already identified by the complainant witness. These locations have been excavated in connection with the alleged Dharmasthala mass burial case.“It is learnt that skeletal remains were uncovered at some of the locations identified by the complainant witness. He said he left Dharmasthala in 2014. The region experiences heavy rainfall, leading to a high possibility of soil shifting and accumulation from one place to another,” the advocate said in a release. “Since considerable changes have occurred in the forest area over approximately 11 years, there is a high probability that the landmarks the witness identified from memory may have changed or shifted. Therefore, as we previously petitioned on July 29, we request that GPR units, which are comparable in size to machines used for clearing grass and weeds and can be operated by a small team, be deployed to detect skeletal remains at the already excavated locations and in the surrounding areas,” he stated.“Many experts anticipate that the SIT, led by Pronab Mohanty, will implement GPR technology. We have faith and confidence that the Karnataka govt and chief minister Siddaramaiah will support the SIT in deploying GPRs,” the advocate added.The SIT began its field investigation into the case on July 28 by mapping 13 alleged burial sites, based on the testimony of the complainant witness, and started searching the area from the next day. Till Saturday, the SIT, in the presence of Puttur assistant commissioner Stella Varghese, searched around 10 locations. Security personnel have been deployed in the area.Demand for transparent investigation The Mangaluru unit of All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) has demanded an impartial, transparent, and time-bound investigation into the matter by the SIT. “These are not isolated crimes but raise serious questions about the functioning of the law enforcement system,” said Vinay Chandra, convenor, AIDSO Mangaluru unit.Dharmasthala is a place founded on truth: Scholar “Attempts are being made by mischief-makers to malign the sanctity of Dharmasthala by spreading baseless allegations and misinformation. These unauthorised accusations have deeply hurt countless devotees,” said Daivajna Somayaji, a senior scholar. During his visit to Dharmasthala on Sunday, he told reporters, “Dharmasthala is a sacred place rooted in truth, dharma, justice, and ethics.”