Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 31 : Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of its planned Dharmasthala Chalo rally, accusing the opposition of politicising religious issues.
In a post on X, CM Siddaramaiah wrote, "The BJP people are weaving a new strategy of a religious pilgrimage to Dharmasthala. They politicize everything. Let them go on the yatra if they want. The formation of the SIT has been welcomed by Shri Kshetra's Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade himself. The SIT has been formed for the reason that the truth must come out. Otherwise, there would always have been a controversy regarding Dharmasthala. The SIT has been formed to dispel this doubt."
Siddaramaiah said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) was set up following demands from several organisations and was even welcomed by the BJP earlier.
"The complainants have gone before the court and given statements under 164. Many organisations had demanded the formation of the SIT. The BJP people had also welcomed this. Now, they are politicising it. They don't even know the interpretation of religion. Is there a need to hand over the Dharmasthala case to a higher-level investigation? When the BJP was in power, which case did they hand over to the CBI? Full independence has been given to the SIT, and it has been instructed to complete the investigation and submit the report. I feel that no other investigation is needed at present," he said.
Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister ruled out a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the alleged mass burial case at Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala, stressing the SIT was already investigating the matter.
The BJP, however, has demanded that the probe be handed over to the NIA and has announced a state-wide mobilisation. Earlier, Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra said a 'Dharmasthala Chalo' rally would be held on September 1, urging people to visit temples, offer prayers, and participate in processions before heading to Dharmasthala. A public meeting is scheduled there at 2:00 PM.
"The government's handling of the Dharmasthala issue has tarnished its reputation, and a thorough investigation by the NIA is essential to uncover the organisations and malicious forces behind the controversy," Vijayendra said at a press conference in Bengaluru.
He warned that such forces could conspire against other Hindu temples in a similar manner.
Vijayendra questioned the Chief Minister's 'haste' in addressing the Dharmasthala issue, pointing out that the government should have gathered information about the individual who made allegations and the organisations backing them. He suggested that the state intelligence or police should have conducted a preliminary investigation before any decisions were made.
Drawing parallels with the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede incident, where 11 innocent lives were lost and 30-40 people were seriously injured due to the government's publicity-driven actions, Vijayendra accused the Chief Minister of making hasty decisions in the Dharmasthala matter.
Earlier on Saturday, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara said the government would not interfere with the SIT's work. "If the investigation into the Dharmasthala case has to be completed quickly, that is the SIT's own decision. The SIT is already conducting the investigation, and until it is completed, they will not disclose any information. We will not interfere or give them any instructions," he said.
The complainant, who alleged that he had been forced to bury multiple bodies in Dharamsthala, was arrested by the SIT after forensic analysis showed the bones he produced were of a man and not a woman, as he had claimed. He has been remanded in custody for 10 days.