Press Release
We would like to express our grave concern over the heinous crimes in Srikhetra Dharmasthala Manjunatha Swami temple premises and adjacent areas in Karnataka, which have recently made headlines in the newspapers and other media.
Following the complaint lodged by a former cleaning staff of the temple, the president of the local village Panchayat gave a statement that the Panchayat staff were instructed by the local police to bury or burn several unclaimed bodies, mostly of women who were victims of brutal torture and rape, on the banks of the river Netrabati. As a matter of fact, no state governments of political parties bothered to pay any attention or investigate many incidents of rape, mass murder and missing bodies of victims during 1994-2014 in these areas.
The panel formed in 2016 chaired by the former MP Ugarappa for investigating an alarming rise of crimes against women in Karnataka mentioned the extraordinary high number of missing women in the Dharmasthala district in their report submitted in 2018. However, this report was not made public until very recently. The complaint of the former staff of the temple and its aftermath put a lot of pressure on the state government of Karnataka, leading to the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incidents related to the Manjunathaswami temple.
The Trust of the temple is a very powerful and influential body. It is expected that just like the incidents of Unnao, Hathras and RG Kar (Abhaya case), the Manjunathaswami Temple Trust will try to use their political clout to muffle and suppress any voice of protest. The police has already filed a case of false allegation against the whistle blower former cleaner staff and arrested him. A lot of false propaganda is being spread against S. Balan, senior advocate of the Karnataka High Court and a well-known human rights activist, staunch critic of fascism and a relentless fighter for the cause of the working class, who is leading the legal battle for proper investigation of the Manjunathaswami temple case. Efforts are also being made to paint the incident with a communal shade to shield the real perpetrators.
The Abhaya Mancha calls upon all the democratic and women’s organizations to build public awareness about this grave incident and mobilise mass protest across the country demanding justice and proper investigation. The Mancha also demands that the state government and the court ensure security of the family members of the missing women, lawyers representing their cases and witnesses. The Abhaya Mancha was formed to seek justice for Abhaya and it is committed to ensure safety and security of women everywhere in West Bengal and in India.
August 26, 2025
Dr Punyabrata Gun
Dr Tamonas Choudhury
Manisha Adak
Convenors
Abhaya Mancha
