Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Friday said the government is monitoring digital media for posts related to alleged mass burial in Dharmasthala and warned of action against those that could "instigate feelings in the society". The state government has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into allegations of mass murder, rape, and mass burials in Dharmasthala over the past two decades.
The SIT on Friday started excavation at the seventh location unearthed in the temple town of Dharmasthala, as part of its ongoing investigation into claims of mass graves in the region, police informed.
This comes a day after skeletal remains were found during excavation at the next door site, Point No 6, on Thursday.
Police say that the SIT has stepped up operations by sending more manpower, comprising excavation workers and heavy equipment, to dig at the sites identified. There are 15 locations being earmarked for excavation, as per a complaint filed anonymously by an erstwhile sanitation worker.
These accusations have been made by a former sanitation worker who remains anonymous, alleging that he was compelled to bury multiple bodies between 1995 and 2014 in Dharmasthala, including women and minors.
Also read: Human skeletal remains found at Dharmasthala
The worker has made a statement to a magistrate accusing that some of the bodies had evidence of sexual assault.
"We are monitoring it and if at all they are spreading emotions in the society, we will make efforts to curb them. We are acting against hate speech cases as you know. We will monitor such postings that can have an effect (on the society) inappropriately," Parameshwara informed the media.
He referred to earlier actions against communal postings in Dakshina Kannada district.
In the meantime, SIT chief leading the investigation in Dharmasthala case, Pronab Mohanty, met the state Home Minister at his residence on Friday, amidst speculation of being replaced, following his name figuring in the list of Director General-rank officers who are being considered for appointments in the union government.
Mohanty is the Director General of Police (Internal Security Division) in Karnataka.
Replying to a query on the meeting, Parameshwara explained that it was not about the inquiry into the Dharmasthala case since discussing that would be improper.
"Mohanty's name does figure in the list of Director General-rank officer empanelment to be posted in the union government. But he is not being posted (at Centre) right away. He has come to inform me of the same. Also, as the government is introducing the rules for fake news, online gambling — Mohanty being the chief of the Internal Security Division, had come to brief me on some things prior to the meeting regarding this today," he clarified.
The Minister added that the Karnataka government was the final authority in deciding to relieve Mohanty of his state responsibilities for a central government assignment and would act upon any formal communication from the Centre.
"No such communication has reached us from the Centre so far. It is just an empanelment," he added.
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