The case of secret burials in Dharmasthala gained attention after the whistleblower filed a complaint at the local police station earlier this month. (Photo: X/@PvinaykumarA)The Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Temple at Dharmasthala Sunday welcomed the formation of a Special Investigation (SIT) Team by the Karnataka government to probe the allegation of mass secret burial of unidentified bodies in the pilgrimage centre.In a release, K Parshwanath Jain, a spokesperson for the Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Temple, said, “It is our sincere hope and earnest demand that the SIT conducts the highest level of investigation in this case and brings out the true facts to light.”The government constituted the SIT on Saturday following demands by the civil society to conduct a thorough probe into the allegations made by a whistleblower that he had buried several bodies of women, which had signs of sexual assault, between 1998 and 2014 at Dharmasthala in the Dakshina Kannada district.In the release, Jain said a case registered at the Dharmasthala police station has “sparked widespread debate, speculations, and confusion at the national level in recent days”.“In light of our expectations, as well as that of the general public, for a fair and transparent investigation, it is understood that the State Government has transferred the case to a Special Investigation Team (SIT). Truth and belief are the strongest foundation for a society’s ethics and faith,” he added.The case of secret burials in Dharmasthala gained attention after the whistleblower filed a complaint at the local police station earlier this month. The police filed an FIR based on his complaint, and then a woman from Bengaluru alleged that her daughter had gone missing when she visited the temple town in 2003. She levelled allegations against a BJP MP and sought the help of the police to exhume her daughter’s remains so that she could give her a proper burial.Director General of Police (DGP) Pronab Mohanty heads the SIT, which has Deputy Inspector General (DIG) M N Anucheth, and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers SK Sowmylatha and Jitendra Kumar Dayama as other members.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd