NEW DELHI — Several national women’s organisations expressed deep anguish over what they described as “abysmal negligence” by the Karnataka government and police authorities in the wake of horrifying allegations of serial rapes and murders of young girls and women in Dharamsthala.
The case, which first surfaced publicly on June 22 following explosive revelations by a former sanitation worker, allegedly involves the rape, murder, and secret burial or cremation of hundreds of victims over nearly three decades, dating back to 1995. The whistleblower, who claims to have buried many of the victims under duress, has recorded a sworn confession before a judicial magistrate, describing in chilling detail the acts of sexual violence, killings, and covert disposal of bodies.
In a joint statement released on Tuesday, women bodies said that despite the gravity of the allegations, the Karnataka government only constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on July 14 — a delay that has drawn strong criticism from rights groups and civil society.
“Some parents had approached the Dharamsthala police with missing complaints over the years, but no serious action was taken. This suggests not just administrative failure, but a pattern of complicity and suppression,” the women’s organisations said in their statement. They alleged that the local police’s inaction points to the “undue influence of the powerful Dharamsthala temple trust” and its close ties with political circles.
The women’s groups — including the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA), and others — issued a list of demands to ensure justice for the victims and accountability from the state:
Immediate exhumation of alleged burial sites to prevent destruction of evidence.
Full protection for the whistleblower and his family.
A time-bound, impartial investigation by the SIT, free from political interference.
Security for the lawyers representing the victims and whistleblower.
Protection and support for families of missing women who come forward to testify.
A status report of all missing persons reported in the Dharamsthala police station to be made public.
The organisations warned that this case follows a disturbing pattern, citing the recent Hassan sexual assault cases as another example of systemic failure to protect women in Karnataka. “The state must act decisively. Justice delayed in such a case would not only embolden perpetrators but signal to the entire country that women’s lives in Karnataka are expendable,” the statement read.
The women’s bodies called on the Karnataka government to uphold its constitutional duty, ensure the perpetrators — “however powerful they may be” — are brought to justice, and take concrete steps to make the state safer for women.
