Dharmasthala, 1 Aug

The Special Investigation Team on Friday excavated the seventh identified location in the temple town of Dharmasthala, as part of its ongoing probe into allegations of mass burials, police said. A total of 15 locations have been identified for excavation, based on a complaint submitted anonymously by a former sanitation worker.

This development comes a day after skeletal remains were recovered during digging at the adjacent site, identified as Point No 6, on Thursday.

The SIT has intensified operations by deploying additional personnel, including excavation labourers and heavy machinery.

Police said further excavation would be carried out based on the forensic assessment of the remains found.

Forensic experts in Mangaluru noted that to establish the cause of death or confirm whether the burials were carried out with malicious intent, a complete or near-complete human skeleton would be required.

Isolated bones or partial remains may not offer sufficient evidence to draw legal conclusions, they added.

Officials from the Dharmasthala Grama Panchayat clarified that over 200 unclaimed or unidentified bodies have been buried in various parts of the village since 1995. In the absence of a formal burial ground, such burials reportedly took place along riverbanks, forest fringes, and government land, following legal procedures in cases where cremation was not possible.