Dharmasthala case: Siddaramaiah says SIT chief will be replaced if he goes on Central govt duty

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday, July 31, said senior IPS officer Pronab Mohanty will be replaced as head of the SIT probing the alleged “mass burials” in Dharmasthala if he takes up central deputation. Even as Siddaramaiah said Pronab Mohanty will be replaced on taking central government duty, Home Minister G Parameshwara said the government has not taken any decision yet.

There has been speculation that Director General of Police (Internal Security Division) Pronab Mohanty, who has found a place in the list of empanelment of Director General-rank officers to serve in the Union government released by the Centre, will be replaced as the SIT chief.

When reporters questioned whether the SIT chief in the Dharmasthala case will be replaced, Siddaramaiah said, “Let's see. If he (Mohanty) goes to central government (he will be replaced)…”

Home Minister Parameshwara said, “There are a lot of misconceptions on this. As the government wanted a senior official of DG ranking to head the SIT, Mohanty was appointed. Meanwhile, Mohanty's name has come in the central government deputation list."

“We have not taken any decision in this regard, whether to send him on central government's deputation or not. It comes under Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) and the Chief Minister.”

When asked of SIT chief was being replaced to divert the attention from the case, he said, “What is the government's interest in this? Why would we have formed (SIT) if that was the case? The government only wants the truth to come out. So SIT was formed and once it submits the report after completing the probe the facts will come out. This is what we want. I think this is what people too want.”

The SIT was formed by the Congress-led Karnataka government after claims about alleged mass murders, rape and mass burials in Dharmasthala over the past 20 years.

The incident came to light when a sanitation worker claimed that he was forced to bury a number of bodies in Dharmasthala when he worked there between 1995 to 2014. He said he also buried bodies of women and children.

He had alleged that some of the bodies showed signs of sexual assault. He has also given a statement before a magistrate in this regard.

(With agency inputs)