The high-profile Dharmasthala “mass burial” case investigation that has been amplified by leftist news portals like The News Minute and Al Jazeera has taken a dramatic turn, with a series of revelations from Suvarna News casting serious doubt on the credibility of key complainant Sujatha Bhat.
Bhat, who had alleged that her daughter Ananya Bhat was raped and murdered in Dharmasthala in 2003 and buried on temple premises, became the trigger point for the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) ₹50-lakh, 15-day excavation operation. The search, which ran from July 28 to August 13, recovered only one skull and a few bones despite targeting 13 sites allegedly identified by a “masked witness.”
Now, televised investigative reports have unearthed multiple inconsistencies in Sujatha Bhat’s account.
Key Findings From Suvarna News Investigation
Kannada news channel Suvarna News has been reporting on the issue regularly and their investigation has revealed startling details about Sujatha Bhat.
No Record of CBI Employment
Although Bhat has claimed she was working as a stenographer with the CBI in Kolkata in 2003, Suvarna News reports that a verification with the CBI and relevant authorities in West Bengal found no record of any Sujatha Bhat employed as a stenographer in Kolkata or anywhere in the state.
No Record of Daughter’s Medical College Admission
Bhat’s claim that her daughter was studying MBBS at Kasturba Medical College (Manipal) in 2003 has been contradicted by the institution’s records. Police inquiries covering the period from 1998 to 2005 reportedly found no student named “Ananya Bhat, daughter of Anil Bhat” enrolled in MBBS at either KMC Manipal or KMC Mangaluru.
No Documentary Proof of Daughter’s Existence
The complainant has failed to produce even a single photograph of Ananya Bhat or supporting documents such as SSLC or PUC marks cards, college admission letters, or identity records. Bhat has claimed these were destroyed in a house fire years ago.
No Marriage Record With “Anil Bhat”
While Sujatha has presented herself as the mother of Ananya Bhat, alleged to be the daughter of one Anil Bhat, there is no documentary proof of such a marriage.
Background: Suvarna News Alleges “Hidden Past”
In a string of investigative segments, the channel traced Bhat’s movements between 1999 and 2005 and claimed she was in a live-in relationship in Ripponpet, Shivamogga, with a man named Prabhakar Baliga. Neighbours interviewed on camera asserted the couple was childless and treated their dogs as “family members.” A 2003 article in a local magazine featuring their photograph corroborates these accounts.
These findings directly contradict Bhat’s timeline of working in Kolkata in 2003 and being a CBI staffer at the time.
Huge twist in #DharmasthalaCase, Suvarana News exposes shocking facts of Sujatha Bhat
– No Sujatha Bhat has ever worked as CBI stenographer in Kolkata or West Bengal
– No student named Ananya Bhat has studied in Manipal for MBBS
– No document of marriage of Sujatha Bhat with… pic.twitter.com/s79q3IhFq5— Ganesh (@me_ganesh14) August 13, 2025
Police Doubts and SIT Frustration
According to police sources cited in the reports, Bhat’s complaint raised several red flags:
Why wait 22 years to file a missing persons report, especially if working in a central investigative agency?
Why not approach other police stations or the courts if the local station refused to file a case in 2003?
Why is there total absence of corroborative evidence for the daughter’s existence, from school records to identity documents?
The SIT is also reportedly perplexed that despite her serious allegations against Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade and his brother Harshendra Heggade, Bhat has since been non-cooperative with investigators and could not be contacted for a period of time.
Sujatha Bhat’s Video Statement: “I Am Not Missing”
Amid reports that she was untraceable, Sujatha Bhat released a video message from an undisclosed location, denying she was missing and reiterating her demand for the remains of her alleged daughter: “All I am asking is that if you find my daughter’s remains and there is a DNA match, give them to me so I can perform her last rites according to Hindu tradition,” she said.
Sujatha Bhat has now released a video countering Suvarna news allegations that she has fled the #Dharmasthala. She’s yet to answer on other parts including personal ones which her alleged brother in law revealed. #DharmasthalaCase #DharmasthalaFiles #DharmasthalaMassBurial pic.twitter.com/BL9jRYsyzb
— Ganesh (@me_ganesh14) August 13, 2025
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