In an explosive and wide-ranging exclusive interview with Asianet Suvarna News, Sujatha Bhat, a central figure in the controversial Dharmasthala case, has come forward to claim she was used as a “pawn” by a political gang, asserting she has no connection to the ‘Burude’ gang and was misled into making false allegations.
Bhat stated that her entry into the national spotlight was orchestrated by individuals including Girish Mattanna and Jayanti T, who contacted her after seeing an older YouTube interview where she discussed a property dispute. She claims they manipulated her personal grievance into a larger, fabricated narrative.
A Web Of Deception: From Delhi To The Supreme Court
Bhat detailed a sequence of events where she was allegedly manipulated. She recounted being taken to Delhi in May with no clear explanation, told only to bring clothes and her Aadhaar card. There, she was taken to the Supreme Court premises but was made to wait outside, completely unaware of the contents of the petition being filed or the purpose of her presence.
“The gang of thieves will come. Another one will come. They will put me in this pit,” Bhat stated, emphasizing her ignorance of the plans being executed around her. She identified Girish Mattanna as the primary point of contact who directed her actions, including instructing her to cry and claim that a missing daughter’s last rites should be performed as per Sanatan Dharma—a story she now says was entirely fabricated.
The Fictional Character of “Ananya Bhat”
A key revelation in the interview was the admission that “Ananya Bhat,” presented as her missing daughter, was a complete fiction. Bhat claimed this character was created by a man named Shivshankar for a YouTube channel interview a year prior, related to her property dispute. She alleged that Girish Mattanna and others later co-opted this fictional character to build their case.
She also admitted to providing an edited photo, removing Ranga Prasad from a picture to support the false narrative, an act she now regrets, stating she did not foresee the consequences.
Financial Struggles And Denial Of Monetary Motive
Forcefully denying any financial gain from her involvement, Bhat stated, “I haven’t taken a single rupee from anyone.” She revealed her current bank balance is a mere 5,000 rupees and described her previous livelihood of selling soup and juice in a park, a profession she can no longer sustain due to public notoriety.
“I was making soup… I used to work up to 500 a day,” she said, contrasting her past simple life with her current predicament where people “look at me like someone committed a murder.”
A Life Of Loneliness And A Plea For Livelihood
The interview painted a picture of a profoundly isolated individual. Bhat spoke of being abandoned by friends and the gang that used her. Following the death of her companion Ranga Prasad in January, she stated she is now “completely alone,” unsure of how she will survive.
Her final plea was not for money but for an opportunity to work and regain her dignity. “They don’t want me to bring lakhs of lakhs to you and keep it in your hand,” she said. “They are saying, ‘Give me a shop or something and I will work and eat there’.”
In another undated video clipping, she is seen saying, “I just want to say this publicly to society: it was my mistake, please forgive me. People might say in other ways that I killed someone, or I stole something, or that I took money, but I have no money with me. I am not someone who would kill anyone. I have no connection at all with that person. I have nothing to do with it in any way. This is my personal matter. Because of someone’s words, I got confused and did what I did. And for that, I bow my head in front of society and ask for forgiveness.”
“In the recent #Dharmasthala case, Sujatha Bhutt herself has come forward, confessed, and apologized publicly. Truth has its own way of coming out, and this video makes it clear. Let’s not allow lies to divide society facts must speak louder than rumour’s.#DharmasthalaTemple pic.twitter.com/THH4dkeUUb
— Lalaji Naik (@lalaji_naik_) October 3, 2025
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