Bengaluru, Aug 15 (NationPress) The Congress-led Karnataka government has announced that the determination to cease the excavation of suspected burial sites linked to the mass grave situation in Dharmasthala, located in Karnataka's Mangaluru district, will be made by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

During a press briefing in Bengaluru on Thursday, Home Minister G. Parameshwara stated, "The excavation process is not perpetual. It will conclude. I will defer to the SIT for their decision. They are managing the investigation, and I cannot make a decision from here. They will determine when to stop based on the validity of the information received."

In response to the SIT's inability to uncover anything after probing 17 sites, he remarked, "We have not set a timeline for the investigation. When evidence was brought forward, we acted to verify it as requested by the complainant. If we had not conducted the excavations, what would have been said about the government? When nothing is discovered, the narrative changes. The appropriate measures will follow the receipt of the report."

Addressing the BJP's criticisms regarding the Congress-led government's approach to the mass grave situation, Parameshwara noted that the BJP has suddenly shown interest in the case.

"Initially, they (BJP) were silent. We will take their observations into account," he added.

When queried about the BJP's insistence that no evidence was found during the excavation, he responded, "I am unaware of that. Perhaps the BJP intended to raise the issue in the Assembly session. They may have believed that discussing the matter there would elicit a response from the government. We will consider their input and make decisions based on that."

He also stated that the SIT will evaluate the seriousness of any new allegations when they arise.

"They can assess the situation," Minister Parameshwara said.

When asked about the case concerning the disappearance of medical student Ananya Bhat, who is rumored to be non-existent, Parameshwara replied, "Neither I nor CM Siddaramaiah can make a determination on this. How did this issue come to light? Now it is claimed that the woman alleging to be Ananya Bhat's mother has never been married and has no children. How was this information discovered? The facts emerged locally, and this news reached Bengaluru. I cannot comment on these developments from Vidhana Soudha."

Meanwhile, the masked individual, who is also the unidentified complainant, asserted in a television interview that all burial instructions originated from the temple's information center, with no involvement from police or other officials.

He claimed a small team, including himself, buried women's bodies in forests, along old roads, and on riverbanks.

He alleged that at burial site number 13 alone, he disposed of 70 to 80 bodies.

"One woman's body was interred on the renowned Bahubali Hills, and about 70 bodies were buried at the Nethravati bathing ghat."

Many bodies, he asserted, exhibited clear signs of sexual assault and violence.

In total, he alleged that he buried around 100 bodies, primarily women, along with children and elderly victims.

He maintained that his accusations are truthful and that he is assisting the SIT team based on his recollections, despite changes in the landscape necessitating more extensive excavations at the burial sites.

He also claimed that on the night of the 2012 Sowjanya murder case, he received a call and was reprimanded for being on leave.

He discovered Sowjanya's body the following day.

The masked man expressed his desire to uncover the truth, stating that he dreams of skeletons. He denied allegations of stealing gold or valuables from the deceased and expressed a wish to reunite with his family after revealing the truth.