Dharmasthala, as the name suggests, is a holy temple town in south Karnataka. Yet, the news emanating from there over the past week has been anything but holy. In fact, the news talks of crimes so blood curdling and vile, that only the enemies of God could have done it. A dalit man, an ex sanitation worker at the temple shrine, walked into the local court covered head to toe for anonymity, holding photos of human skulls and bones. His story? He was forced by powerful people, allegedly linked to the temple administration, to bury dead bodies of hundreds of girls and women who were brutalized, raped, murdered and in some cases, mutilated. He was allegedly blackmailed under the threat of death into burying those bodies over a period from 1998 to 2014. He had to flee with his family to the nearby states and roam around as nomads after a minor girl from his own family was assaulted. But 11 years hence, his conscience and guilt got the better of him. He returned silently, exhumed a few bodies, took the photographs and walked into a police station offering to name the culprits. He wanted those lost souls to find peace before he is also gone.
So a nightmarish reality awaits us. Somewhere near the holy temple there may be bodies of hundreds of women and even minor girls, as many as 400 according to the whistle-blower, who had their dignity ripped away violently from them, before they were brutally murdered. It has been nearly a week since this expose. Is it true, though? Given that the whistle-blower has photographic evidences, there is little to dismiss that something is up. Besides, there has been a spate of several unsolved mysterious disappearances of girls and women over the past few decades. Is it too far fetched to think that those poor souls may be resting without peace under the dirt of the temple town? As the news gradually spreads, kin of women missing from Dharmasthala are starting to turn up wondering if their dear one was one of those hundreds. One of the missing was Ananya Bhat, a first year MBBS student who had gone missing from the place while on a tour there in 2003.
The whistle-blower's scant accounts of the incidents are gut wrenching. He was forced to bury the remains of numerous victims whose bodies allegedly had signs of sexual assault and brutal violence. Many were buried on the shores of river Netravati, to ensure that the soft damp soil would quick decompose and consume those bodies. He also described individual cases - like a school girl, somewhere in between 12 and 15 years of age, clad partially in her school uniform and buried along with her school bag. Another woman near 20 years of age had her face burned with acid, body wrapped in newspaper and burned with diesel.
With so many women missing over decades and being reported missing, how has such an unimaginable spate of crimes remained hidden from the public view for so long? There is only one very uncomfortable answer - the involvement of very powerful authorities. There is no good reason to argue that all this escaped the attention the police till the district level at the minimum. For example, Sujatha, the mother of Ananya Bhat and a retired steno for the CBI, has alleged that the police had earlier declined to register her complaint, with the claim that the women had eloped. But it's not inconceivable that authorities at even higher levels may also be complicit. For example, a similar 2012 case of the rape and murder of 17 year old Sowjanya, a native of Dharmasthala, was investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT). By all accounts, the investigation was botched by evidence mishandling and submission to powerful influences. Many people have alleged Police inaction and even intimidation while trying to file these missing cases. That case remains unsolved. Meanwhile to compound the matter, the local MLA has gone on TV to lambaste the allegations.
Needless to say, the credibility of the local authorities are at an all time low among the local population and even the judiciary. The whistle-blower requested the court for witness protection against credible threats on his and his family's life. This request was very justifiably granted by the Judge involved. However, the Police has disregarded this directive on frivolous grounds and the family remains under the protection of his advocates. They have taken extraordinary measures to ensure that the information surfaces in case he is silenced. As it turns out, women weren't the only victims of this crime series. Several other men also have gone missing and presumably murdered after they tried to expose the crime previously. There are serious fears that this case may go cold forever if the assailants manage to do the same to this unknown dalit worker. If all that wasn't bad enough, the Police has shown no urgency until yesterday to actually verify the whistle-blower's claims by collecting evidences at the alleged burial sites. All these have left even the judge seething in frustration.
It's a testimony to influences of the powers involved in this very dark case that it's scantly discussed in the state and national media even a week after it broke. However, what's most shocking and infuriating is the deafening silence of the citizens of this nation. Unlike in the case of Nirbhaya or the RG Kar lady doctor, there are no mass protests or candle light vigils. Why this selective outrage? How do we ensure justice for any women in this country, much less Nirbhaya or the doctor, if the crime on an unimaginable industrial scale is not even challenged? Aren't the murder and burial of more than 250 humans considered the material for war crime movies? People, you need to understand! This is a crime of horrifying proportions at an international scale. Yet, why do we carry on with our daily lives so apathetically? Why aren't there serious debates and vociferous protests in demand for swift justice? If they so callously disappeared and enjoyed themselves on the agony of 400 women, what guarantee is that the next won't be you or your dear one? Is that all what a human life and dignity is worth? Crimes of this scale is a challenge to the rule of law in our nation. CITIZENS, OUR COUNTRY IS UNDER ATTACK! These criminals are killing her inch by inch. Don't you see the damage this rape culture has already caused us? YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO STAY SILENT! There is no one else to save us from this atrocity. We are a democratic republic - we the people are the ultimate authority and the guardians of this nation. This won't stop until you put your foot down with courage and determination. Cabals waging war against the nation must be punished in an exemplary manner, lest this heart breaking slow-motion barbarity continue or repeat elsewhere. Especially so for the complicit parties in power, for the betrayal of trust in the authority that were bestowed upon them. How many lives do we sacrifice before we say enough is enough? DON'T LET THIS NEWS BE HUSHED UP AND SWEPT UNDER THE RUG! SPEAK UP, MAKE NOISE, DEMAND JUSTICE!"
