Bizzare Twist In Dharmasthala Case: Sujatha Bhat Admits She Lied And Fabricated Story About Missing Daughter, Makes Another U-Turn Alleging Coercion By Media About Confession
In a stunning reversal, Sujatha Bhat, the Bengaluru-based woman who had captured public attention with her claims of a missing daughter named Ananya Bhatt, has now confessed that the entire story was a fabrication, allegedly concocted under the influence of others to stake a claim on a family property dispute.
The case, which has sparked widespread debate and a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), took a dramatic turn with Sujatha Bhat’s public confession and subsequent retraction, creating a web of confusion.
The Confession: A Story Fabricated for Property
In an interview with the YouTube channel ‘Insight Rush’, a remorseful Sujatha Bhat admitted to lying. “I lied because Girish Mattannavar and T. Jayant told me to. Please forgive me, I made a mistake,” she stated. “I apologize to Dharmasthala, to the people of Karnataka, and to the people of the country.”
She claimed her motivation was a long-standing dispute over her grandfather’s property in Dharmasthala, which she alleged was donated to a trust without her signature. “I did this for my grandfather’s property… I should have got a share,” she said, pleading to be freed from the controversy.
Throughout her statements, Sujatha Bhat maintained that her grievance was with her family’s decision to donate the property, not with the Dharmasthala temple or its head, Veerendra Hegde.
In her emotional apology, she said, “I have not hurt the feelings of the people of Dharmasthala… They provoked me to do so… Please, enough is enough, I will live my life.”
Family Denial
Sujatha Bhat’s claims had earlier been vehemently denied by her own family. In an exclusive interview, her brother disowned her, stating they had been out of contact since she left home in 1988-89. He dismissed her story saying, “Everything Sujatha says is a lie. We do not know if she has a daughter. She ran away from home in 1988-89, and we have had no contact with her since. Any claims regarding children or marriage are false. We cannot believe her.” He also clarified that the family had willingly parted with the land in question decades ago and had no ongoing claims. He stated that their grandfather’s land had been legally donated by Shanga Shringaramma to Anantha Padmanabha Upadhya and later handled by their family. “We gave up our desire for it, sold some portions, and built a house with the proceeds. There is no need for Sujatha Bhat to take signatures or claim anything,” he stated.
SIT Investigation
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged mass burials and related issues in Dharmasthala has now issued a notice to Sujatha Bhat. The SIT has directed her to appear at the Belthangady office and submit all documents pertaining to her daughter, Ananya Bhat. Investigators are also collecting relevant records from Shivamogga, Bengaluru, and Udupi to verify the claims.
The SIT had found no evidence of Ananya Bhatt’s existence. No school, college, or medical admission records under that name were found. The only “evidence” ever presented was a single passport-sized photograph, which Sujatha has now declared “fake.”
A Retraction of the Confession
Adding layers of confusion, Sujatha Bhat later told ‘United Media’ that her confession was made under duress. Speaking to Asianet Suvarna News, Sujatha alleged that she was forced to give an interview inside a car and pressured to name certain individuals, saying, “They forced me to do this. I will say that I never gave it; you took it by force.” She expressed frustration that her interview was broadcast before she had returned from appearing before the SIT, stating that the release damaged her reputation.
Sujatha also said, “I had given an interview. Why did they broadcast it on before I went to the SIT and came back? Why did they broadcast the interview on without permission? They threatened me and said that I will have to do it. I will say that they forced me to take the interview.”
She described the circumstances in detail: “They forced me to take a statement in a car, tell me the name of these people, they forced me to do this, I will say that.” Sujatha repeatedly emphasized that the interview was broadcast without her consent and expressed frustration over the way it was handled.
The SIT has issued her a formal notice to appear for questioning and submit any documents related to her daughter. Investigations have expanded to include Bengaluru, Udupi, and Shivamogga.
Latest video Sir pic.twitter.com/KlTZPqtHfp
— Nagendra Prasad (@Nagprasad63) August 22, 2025
The News Minute which was “championing the cause” of the women and especially Ananya Bhat, has gone silent. They have not reported about the masked man’s confession, nor have they said anything so far about Sujatha Bhat’s confession.
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SEP 2025: DMK’s Political Manifesto, Not An Education Policy
When the central government unveiled the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, it promised to reimagine Indian education for the future, a bold restructuring that sought to equip young Indians with 21st century skills, global competitiveness, and multidisciplinary learning. Across the country, even states that had reservations chose to adapt and align with it.
But Tamil Nadu, under the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), has taken a different path. With much fanfare, Chief Minister MK Stalin launched the Tamil Nadu State Education Policy 2025 (SEP) touted as a “people-centric” alternative to the NEP. In reality, it is less a roadmap for students and more a political manifesto disguised as policy.
Behind the glossy language of “equity” and “social justice,” the SEP reeks of Dravidian exceptionalism designed not to uplift students but to score political points against the Centre. Once again, DMK has shown that for them, education is not about preparing children for the world but, it is about preparing votes for elections.
Welfare Politics Over Real Learning
Tamil Nadu has a proud history of welfare in education: from Kamaraj’s midday meal scheme to later expansions under MGR and Jayalalithaa. These initiatives genuinely transformed literacy and access.
But what DMK has done with SEP is something else: populism dressed up as progress.
The policy repeatedly celebrates the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme, the Pudhumai Penn stipend for girls, and Vetri Palligal “Schools of Excellence.” These are not bad in themselves, no one denies the importance of nutrition or financial support. But when an education policy reads like a party election manifesto, the problem is obvious.
Instead of hard reforms in curriculum, teacher accountability, or measurable outcomes, SEP is obsessed with announcing schemes that feed, fund, and flatter but don’t really educate.
The Language Question: Politics Above Students
Perhaps the clearest proof of DMK’s political ego is the language policy.
The NEP 2020 envisions a three-language formula, encouraging multilingualism and ensuring Indian students can compete both nationally and globally. Tamil Nadu, however, clings to its two language formula (Tamil + English), dismissing the third language as “Hindi imposition.”
Let us be honest: this isn’t about protecting Tamil. Students can learn Tamil and another Indian language and English, millions of children across India manage multilingualism effortlessly as section 4.13 of NEP 2020 clearly states that “The three-language formula will continue to be implemented while keeping in mind the Constitutional provisions, aspirations of the people, regions, and the Union, and the need to promote multilingualism as well as promote national unity. However, there will be a greater flexibility in the three-language formula, and no language will be imposed on any State. The three languages learned by children will be the choices of States, regions, and of course the students themselves, so long as at least two of the three languages are native to India. In particular, students who wish to change one or more of the three languages they are studying may do so in Grade 6 or 7, as long as they are able to demonstrate basic proficiency in three languages (including one language of India at the literature level) by the end of secondary school”. This is about DMK’s 60-year-old anti-Hindi obsession.
By refusing to give Tamil Nadu students access to a third Indian language, the DMK is deliberately limiting their mobility and opportunities in a multilingual country. A child in Bihar, Maharashtra or Karnataka will leave school with knowledge of three languages. A child in Tamil Nadu will not. This is not equity. This is deliberate handicapping of Tamil Nadu students for political mileage.
The Dangerous No-Detention Policy
Another glaring flaw is DMK’s reaffirmation of the No-Detention Policy up to Class 8. On paper, this sounds progressive “don’t fail students, give them a chance”. In practice, it has become a disaster.
Teachers across Tamil Nadu whisper the truth: students are being pushed up year after year without mastering basic literacy or numeracy. By Class 9, many cannot even read fluently or solve basic arithmetic. That is the reason why the THIRAN initiative was launched by the state government to bridge the learning gap.
The NEP is clear-eyed on this: it makes foundational literacy and numeracy by Class 3 the top national priority. Tamil Nadu’s SEP talks about literacy too, but buries it under welfare schemes and “equity audits.” The hard truth is that DMK prefers a generation of dependent, under-skilled students who will thank the party for their meals, but will never question the quality of their education.
Digital Divide and Hollow Promises
SEP brags about “21st-century skills” AI, coding, robotics. It announces platforms like TN-SPARK, Kalvi TV, and Manarkeni App. But on the ground, the reality is starkly different.
What good is coding when half the students can’t get a stable internet connection in their village school?
This is classic DMK politics: announce a flashy scheme, hold a press conference, then quietly move on. The gap between promise and delivery is filled with propaganda.
Teachers: The Forgotten Soldiers
While the NEP envisions making teaching a respected, aspirational profession, the SEP tinkers around the edges with apps and “peer mentoring.” The real issues like irregular recruitment, lack of transparency, poor rural postings remain untouched in SEP 2025.
Why? Because teacher appointments in Tamil Nadu are deeply politicised. Union leaders aligned to ruling parties control transfers, promotions, and postings. Every teacher knows that to survive in the system, they need political backing. The SEP does nothing to dismantle this rot.
Once again, students pay the price for DMK’s unwillingness to offend its political ecosystem.
Community Engagement or Party Capture?
The SEP boasts about “community engagement” through the Namma School Namma Ooru Palli initiative through inviting alumni, CSR funds, and parents to support schools.
But let’s be blunt: in Tamil Nadu’s hyper-politicised environment, such initiatives risk becoming DMK-controlled patronage networks. Already, it has been observed that government school functions are used as stages for party propaganda, more often by the DMK regimes. “Community engagement” becomes a euphemism for party control of education spaces.
Equity Without Excellence is a Trap
Tamil Nadu loves to project itself as a pioneer of social justice in education but the “quality crisis” is undeniable.
Instead of addressing these realities, DMK’s SEP hides behind the rhetoric of “equity.” But equity without excellence is not empowerment, it is charity. A well-fed, under-skilled student will not compete in IIT, IIM, or the global job market. They will simply remain dependent on state welfare and loyal to the party that provides it. Which, of course, is exactly what DMK wants.
A Political Document, Not a Policy
The biggest problem with SEP 2025 is its short-termism. It promises to revise the policy every three years, an idea that sounds dynamic but actually reveals the truth that this is not a roadmap to 2040 like the NEP. This seems to be policy written for electoral cycles.
DMK is not planning for Tamil Nadu’s next generation but, it is planning for its next election.
Students Are Pawns To Soothe DMK’s Political Ego
The DMK claims SEP 2025 is a progressive alternative to the Centre’s NEP. In reality, it is a political ego trip and a refusal to align with national reforms simply because they come from Delhi. In the process, Tamil Nadu’s students are the losers.
Instead of giving them global competitiveness, multilingual skills, and rigorous academic standards, the DMK offers free meals, stipends, and slogans. Instead of preparing them for the future, it prepares them for dependency.
It is time to call this what it is “the DMK is playing with the lives of Tamil Nadu’s children for its political ego”
The NEP may not be perfect according to the DMK, but it at least has a vision while the SEP has none. Until Tamil Nadu realises that welfare is not a substitute for excellence, its students will remain trapped in the DMK’s self serving cycle of care without competence.
And the tragedy is that the rest of India will march ahead, while Tamil Nadu’s children will be left behind because one party chose politics over progress.
Karthik HP is an entrepreneur and ABVP activist.
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