MANGALURU, Karnataka– The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged Dharmasthala murders case has summoned Kerala-based YouTuber Manaf for questioning in connection with a controversial skull presented earlier by the complainant, known as “mask man” Chinnaiah.
Police sources said Manaf, a lorry owner and YouTuber, had uploaded a video of the skull on July 11, the same day Chinnaiah was presented before the court and his statement recorded. In the video, Manaf claimed that “hundreds of such skulls” could be unearthed in and around Dharmasthala.
According to investigators, the skull submitted as evidence was reportedly retrieved from the Banglagudda region of Dharmasthala, near a tree with a saree hanging on it. Police say the skull was lifted using a sword before being packed in a bag, and the entire act was recorded on video. That video is suspected to be the one uploaded on Manaf’s channel.
Photographs have also surfaced of Manaf at the home of activist Mahesh Shetty Timarody, a vocal critic of temple authorities. Manaf has uploaded a series of videos about Dharmasthala, prompting police to believe he holds further information. The SIT has directed him to appear with his electronic devices and relevant documents.
Earlier, Manaf’s truck was washed away in Karwar district. The vehicle and the body of his driver, Arjun, were later recovered. Investigators now want to know how Manaf obtained the skull video before the official probe had even begun. Activist Jayanth is suspected of having been in contact with him.
Meanwhile, activist Girish Mattennanavar, who has been leading protests against temple authorities, appeared before SIT officials in Belthangady. Activist Jayanth remains in SIT custody, while YouTuber Abhisheik has been questioned for three days and is being held at the SIT station for security reasons, police said.
In parallel developments, complainant “mask man” Chinnaiah was taken to Belthangady taluk hospital for a medical examination. His SIT custody ends Saturday, and the court has ordered that he be produced on September 6. SIT Chief Pronab Mohanty also visited the SIT office, and the court is expected to remand Chinnaiah to judicial custody.
Separately, Karnataka police have registered an FIR against YouTuber Vasanth Giliyar, who has voiced support for temple authorities in the Dharmasthala case. The FIR was filed at Vijayanagara Police Station in Mysuru based on a complaint by K. V. Stanley of the Odanady Trust.
“Vasanth Giliyar is falsely claiming that I said the Dharmasthala pilgrimage centre should be destroyed in the same way a wild boar is hunted and killed. By doing so, he is creating communal hatred. He has also provoked religious sentiments and threatened my personal security,” Stanley said in his complaint.
The FIR has been registered under Sections 196(1)A and 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Stanley had earlier spoken out against the Murugha Mutt seer in Chitradurga, who is facing rape charges under the POCSO Act. (Source: IANS)
