Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade dismissed the mass burial allegations as “baseless,” saying the charges have distressed devotees who trust the institution.
Dharmasthala
Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade on Tuesday described the allegations of mass burials at the temple town as “baseless” and said he was deeply hurt by the charges levelled against him and the institution.
Heggade said the allegations had caused distress among devotees who have reposed faith in him and the Dharmasthala Kshetra for decades. “These issues were baseless. I was really hurt by this type of allegation on me because my devotees have immense faith in me. They were really hurt by the way it was presented. It was not a moral way to fight with us,” he said.
Clarifying his family’s role in managing the institutions of Dharmasthala, Heggade explained that his brothers oversee different aspects. “My second brother, based in Bengaluru, takes care of educational institutions. My third brother here handles administrative aspects in my absence — arrangements at Dharmasthala, food, rooms, cleanliness, and Yakshagana. The other two brothers are independent. My sister is married, and her husband is Vice-Chancellor of Dharwad Medical College,” he said.
On the state government’s decision to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT), Heggade remarked: “We welcomed it on the very first day. Many doubts and confusion were created in the minds of our devotees. If a proper investigation clears those doubts, it is a good decision of the government.”
The SIT is investigating allegations made by a former sanitation worker, who claimed he was forced to bury several bodies in Dharmasthala, including those of women and girls who appeared to have been sexually assaulted. Police have so far recovered skeletal remains at two of the 17 sites identified for excavation
