Davangere brothers exhume mother's body 79 days after burial, ride to hospital on bike demanding murder probe
Synopsis
Two Karnataka brothers dug up their mother's decomposed body 79 days after burial and rode through the night on a motorcycle to demand a murder probe — only for the bike to topple near Shamanur Road, alerting passers-by and police. The case exposes a family's desperate bid for justice against what they allege was a staged suicide, and raises pointed questions about the adequacy of the original post-mortem.
Key Takeaways
Manjunath and Venkatesh of Adapur village, Harihar taluk allegedly exhumed their mother Eeramma's (58) body on the night of 20 July , 79 days after her burial.
Eeramma was found hanging at her residence on 29 April ; a post-mortem at Malebennur Hospital reportedly ruled the death a suicide.
The brothers allege she was assaulted and murdered by 10–11 individuals involved in a local dispute before her death was staged as a suicide.
The motorcycle carrying the remains reportedly lost balance near Shamanur Road , alerting passers-by and police around midnight.
An FIR has been registered against the brothers for unauthorised exhumation; DNA testing has been ordered to confirm the identity of the remains.
Investigators are now examining both Eeramma's death and the illegal exhumation; the body is currently in the mortuary at Davangere District Hospital .
Two brothers in Karnataka's Davangere district allegedly dug up their mother's decomposed body 79 days after her burial and transported the remains on a motorcycle to Davangere District Hospital late on Sunday night, 20 July, demanding a fresh post-mortem examination and a murder investigation. Police have since registered an FIR against the brothers for exhuming the body without legal authorisation.
How the Incident Unfolded
The brothers, Manjunath and Venkatesh, are residents of Adapur village in Harihar taluk, Davangere. Their mother, Eeramma (58), was found hanging at her residence on 29 April. A preliminary post-mortem conducted at Malebennur Hospital reportedly concluded the death was a suicide, after which the family performed her last rites.
Doubts about the cause of death, however, persisted. The brothers allege that Eeramma had been embroiled in a dispute over the construction of a box drain involving several relatives, including individuals identified as Kariyappa, Bhadra, Shakunthala, and others. They have accused approximately 10 to 11 individuals of assaulting and killing Eeramma before staging the hanging to disguise the death as suicide.
The Brothers' Allegations
Manjunath and Venkatesh claim that visible injury marks were present on Eeramma's body — marks they say are inconsistent with death by hanging. They allege the initial post-mortem was conducted hastily and that police failed to act adequately on their complaints. Manjunath had reportedly filed a formal complaint against 11 individuals at Malebennur Police Station before resorting to the exhumation.
'We have several unanswered questions about our mother's death. If she had died by hanging, there should not have been injuries on her body. We believe only a fresh medical examination can reveal the truth,' the brothers told reporters.
Midnight Discovery Near Shamanur Road
Fearing resistance if they acted in daylight, the brothers allegedly dug up the grave late on Sunday night, wrapped the decomposed remains in a bedsheet, and set out for Davangere District Hospital on a motorcycle. The matter came to police attention around midnight when the motorcycle reportedly lost balance near Shamanur Road on the outskirts of Davangere. Passers-by who rushed to assist were stunned to find that the bundle the brothers were carrying contained human remains.
Police arrived at the scene and shifted the body to the mortuary at Davangere District Hospital, where it is currently being kept. The brothers were seen in tears outside the mortuary, continuing to insist their mother was murdered.
Legal Action and Investigation
Authorities have registered an FIR against Manjunath and Venkatesh for exhuming the body without prior approval from a court or the Tahsildar, as required under law. Police have also initiated procedures for DNA testing to confirm the identity of the remains.
Investigators are now examining both the circumstances surrounding Eeramma's death and the allegations made by her sons, while simultaneously probing the unauthorised exhumation. The case has drawn widespread attention across Karnataka, raising questions about the adequacy of the initial investigation into Eeramma's death. Further investigation is underway.
Point of View
79 days after burial — speak to a breakdown in institutional trust more than any individual act of desperation. When families feel that police complaints go nowhere and post-mortems are perfunctory, extrajudicial action fills the vacuum. The case demands scrutiny not just of the brothers' conduct but of whether the original investigation into Eeramma's death was adequate — particularly given the family's documented complaint against 11 named individuals at Malebennur Police Station. The DNA testing and fresh examination now ordered are what should have been prompted by that complaint months ago.
NationPress
21 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the Davangere brothers exhume their mother's body?
Manjunath and Venkatesh alleged that their mother Eeramma (58) was murdered by relatives involved in a local dispute and that her death was staged to look like a suicide. Unsatisfied with the initial post-mortem conclusion and claiming police had not acted on their complaint, they exhumed her body 79 days after burial to demand a second post-mortem examination.
What did the original post-mortem find?
A preliminary post-mortem conducted at Malebennur Hospital after Eeramma was found hanging on 29 April reportedly concluded that the death was a case of suicide. The brothers dispute this finding, claiming visible injury marks on her body were inconsistent with death by hanging.
What legal action has been taken against the brothers?
Police have registered an FIR against Manjunath and Venkatesh for exhuming the body without prior approval from a court or the Tahsildar, as required under law. They have not been formally arrested as of the latest reports, but investigations are ongoing.
What happens to Eeramma's remains now?
The body has been shifted to the mortuary at Davangere District Hospital. Authorities have initiated DNA testing to confirm the identity of the remains. Investigators are examining both the circumstances of Eeramma's death and the allegations of murder raised by her sons.
Who are the individuals accused by the brothers?
The brothers have accused approximately 10 to 11 individuals, including relatives identified as Kariyappa, Bhadra, and Shakunthala, of assaulting and killing Eeramma before staging her death as a suicide. Manjunath had reportedly filed a formal complaint against 11 individuals at Malebennur Police Station before resorting to the exhumation.
