SIT Launches Probe into Alleged Illegal Burial of Girl’s Body by Police in Dharmasthala

Quick Summary

• Director-general and Inspector-General of Police M.A. Saleem has directed the SIT to investigate a complaint alleging improper burial procedures by the police in Dharmasthala village.
• The complaint, filed by T.jayant, claims the body of a 15-year-old girl was found on a roadside around 2002-2003 but was buried by police without registering a case or conducting mandatory post-mortem procedures.
• Police had reportedly claimed at the time that it was the body of a 40-year-old woman who committed suicide.
• Jayant initially approached SIT with his complaint on august 2 but was advised to take it to Dharmasthala police; following this,Mr. Saleem ordered its transfer back to SIT for investigation.
• Separately, skeletal remains unearthed from burial site no. 6 were identified as part of an earlier exhumation effort overseen by SIT starting July 29. A former sanitation worker directed officials to examine multiple burial sites in the area.
• Sites no. 11 and no. 12 near Banglagudde bathing ghat were excavated on Tuesday but yielded no findings; excavation at site no. 13 is scheduled for Wednesday.

indian Opinion Analysis

This ongoing investigation highlights potential procedural lapses in past police handling of death cases in rural India, where allegations like improper burials without legal protocols can undermine public trust if proven true.The involvement of SIT demonstrates institutional accountability amid scrutiny over such incidents and broader syst