Dharmasthala case: Complainant Chinnaiah records voluntary statement; 'admits to making false claims'

NEW DELHI: The voluntary statement of CN Chinnaiah, the complainant in the Dharmasthala mass burial case , was recorded on Saturday evening by the Additional Civil Judge and Judicial First Class Magistrate in Belthangady, officials said on Sunday.

The statement was taken under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), PTI reported, citing police sources.

According to the sources, Chinnaiah admitted in his statement that his earlier claims—including allegations of multiple rapes, murders, and burials in Dharmasthala over two decades—were "false" and made at the behest of "certain individuals." The police did not disclose the names of these individuals due to technical reasons.

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Chinnaiah had previously been arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on charges of perjury, for allegedly giving false statements during court proceedings on July 11. He also told the court that the skull he had presented as "evidence" on July 11 was handed to him by Vittala Gowda, the uncle of one of the alleged victims.

Meanwhile, Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday said the state government's only objective was to make people "aware of the facts" in connection with the case.

Shivakumar was responding to Dharmasthala temple Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade 's statement where he had expressed his gratitude to the government for constituting the SIT in the case, due to which the truth is coming out.

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"Let the report come. I have seen his (Veerendra Heggade) statement in the media. There is no point in speaking on the matter until the final report comes. People may speak politically, but I can't do it being a part of the government. Either home minister or chief minister will make an official statement after the report comes," Shivakumar said in response to a question.