Bengaluru: A former sanitation worker from Dharmasthala, Karnataka, has alleged that over 100 women—many of them raped and murdered—were buried or burned under duress between 1998 and 2014, media reported.

In a letter dated June 3 and later in a court appearance under full police protection, the whistleblower claimed he was forced to dispose of victims’ bodies, often showing signs of assault, including strangulation and acid burns, according to an India Today report.

"Many of the female bodies were without clothing or underwear. Some bore clear signs of sexual assault and violence... More than 100 women, including students, were raped, murdered and buried...," the worker wrote in his complaint, which included photo evidence of skeletal remains.

After years spent in hiding in different neighbouring states, he came back despite the danger, compelled by overwhelming guilt and a revived resolve to pursue justice, the report said.

The complainant said he unearthed the skeletal remains and submitted the photographs to the police, along with his Aadhaar card and an old staff ID, to validate his identity.

He has offered to identify the burial sites and name the perpetrators, on the condition of protection under the Witness Protection Act, 2018.

Temple link and intimidation

The complainant, a Dalit man formerly employed by the Dharmasthala temple administration, alleged that the crimes were committed by individuals with links to the influential shrine board.

"Some of the persons I have named are very influential and have a tendency to eliminate those who oppose them," he warned.

He claims to have been repeatedly threatened:

"We will cut you into pieces, your body will be buried like the rest," he was allegedly told.

School uniforms, acid burns, diesel cremations

The letter detailed horrifying individual cases, including that of a schoolgirl buried near a petrol pump and a woman whose face was burned with acid.

Burials were often near the Netravathi River to speed decomposition.

In 2010, the sanitation worker claims to have buried a 12–15-year-old girl wearing only a school shirt, reported The New Indian Express, earlier in July.

Fresh calls for SIT probe as old wounds reopen

The revelations have rekindled outrage over the 2012 Sowjanya rape-murder case and the 2003 disappearance of Ananya Bhat, an MBBS student. Ananya’s mother, Sujatha—an ex-CBI stenographer—has filed a fresh complaint, suspecting her daughter is among the unnamed victims.

"If the bodies that are being exhumed are given a proper funeral... my sense of guilt will also be reduced," the whistleblower wrote.

Demand for high-level, independent probe

Advocates, activists and victim families have demanded a Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by a top-ranking officer and monitored by a judge.

The Karnataka State Commission for Women has flagged systemic failures in handling missing persons and sexual violence cases in the region.

A group of lawyers met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on July 16 with a memorandum pressing for a new probe.

BJP MLA Arvind Bellad dismisses claims

BJP MLA Arvind Bellad has dismissed the claims as “baseless.” But legal experts and activists insist only a free, fair and protected investigation will determine the truth.

“These are not just allegations—they are cries for justice that were buried with the victims,” said Advocate Ojaswi Gowda.

With visuals, skeletal evidence, and a sealed list of alleged perpetrators held in safekeeping, the case has triggered national attention and a deep sense of unease in one of Karnataka’s most visited temple towns.