Dharmasthala case: Youths should not be deviated from faith, says Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade

Bengaluru, Aug 19 (IANS) Dharmadhikari of the famous Dharmasthala temple and BJP Rajya Sabha member Veerendra Heggade on Tuesday reacted to the ongoing developments surrounding the mass grave allegations, stating that there is an attempt to divert youths from faith.

Speaking to the media about the alleged Dharmasthala murders case, Heggade said, “Any inquiry conducted is welcome to us. But the wrong methods of communication through social media have created much confusion, especially among youngsters.”

“They wanted youngsters to be diverted from faith. Because of such messages, the youths were disturbed. I feel this is a very wrong thing that is happening,” he pointed out.

“Even today, we have a function related to the youth, but attempts were made to keep them away from the temple and religious practices. This has polluted the minds of youngsters, which is not right,” Heggade said.

On the alleged Sowjanya gang rape and murder case, he said, “This girl was never connected with us. It was our staff members who came running on the same day. I immediately informed the government to find the culprit. We have nothing to do with it apart from informing the police. Yet, allegations were made against our family members, who were not even here—they were abroad.”

“When they were abroad, the allegations were made that they committed this crime. They had gone there for education. The claims are totally baseless, yet somehow we have been dragged into it. They say there are some people involved, and we have heard some names from others, but we can’t prove it. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) must reveal these names and prove who is responsible for polluting the institution,” he said.

“This is the responsibility of the SIT. We are also closely observing the SIT’s results. Yesterday, interim orders were issued, and now we await the final order, where we expect the report to come out clearly. We have done everything possible within our limits to remain transparent and have said, ‘Go ahead, conduct any type of inquiry—we are open to it,’” Heggade concluded.

In a major development, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara had stated that until the chemical and DNA analysis reports are available, the investigation into the mass grave case will remain on hold. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has taken this decision, he added.

He made the statement on the floor of the Legislative Assembly on Monday while replying to BJP members on the matter. Responding to a question on how long the SIT investigation would continue, Parameshwara said, "So far, only exhumation work has been undertaken. The collected samples have been sent for DNA and soil analysis. Once the reports come, the investigation will proceed on that basis."

Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), continuing its attack on the Congress-led government over the mass grave case, stated on Tuesday that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe Dharmasthala is a conspiracy by the Congress party.

The Leader of the Opposition, R. Ashoka, stated in Bengaluru that, "Dharmasthala SIT is a Congress conspiracy. It is scripted by ultra-leftists and executed by the Siddaramaiah government."

He further slammed, "The so-called Dharmasthala investigation is nothing but a manufactured conspiracy by the Congress high command - scripted and directed by ultra-leftists and urban naxals. These forces, closely aligned with CM Siddaramaiah, are the ones dictating and guiding the government."

--IANS

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