In a major twist to the ongoing Dharmasthala controversy, Sujatha Bhat—the woman whose claims sparked allegations of mass burials, sexual assault, and disappearances—has admitted she fabricated the story about her daughter’s disappearance due to a long-standing property dispute with the Dharmasthala temple authorities.
Speaking to a YouTube channel, Sujatha revealed that she was influenced by certain individuals to make the allegations, which she now says were untrue.
“Some people told me to say it. I was asked to do it because of the property issue. That’s the only reason,” she confessed.
The dispute involves land allegedly owned by her grandfather, which Sujatha claims was transferred by the temple without her consent. She named two activists, Girish Mattannavar and T Jayanti, as those who encouraged her to go public with the story. However, she clarified that no money was exchanged and her only concern was the handling of her family’s property.
“I never asked for money, and no one demanded any. My only question was how my grandfather’s property was taken without my signature,” she said.
Sujatha’s original allegations—made earlier this year—had claimed that her daughter Ananya, an 18-year-old medical student, went missing during a 2003 visit to Dharmasthala. She also alleged she was abducted, assaulted, and left in a coma after trying to investigate her daughter’s disappearance.
The shocking story triggered public outrage and led to the Karnataka government forming a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged mass graves and abuse linked to the temple. With Sujatha now retracting her claims, the credibility of the entire case has come under question.
