The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has launched a preliminary investigation into allegations of illicit foreign funding fueling a contentious smear campaign against the revered Dharmasthala temple in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district, official sources revealed on Tuesday. The probe, initiated under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), is examining claims that dubious funds, channeled through certain NGOs and individuals, were used to stoke communal tensions and tarnish the temple’s reputation. The ED is collecting documents and scrutinizing entities involved, with further action promised if violations or illicit activities are confirmed.
The controversy erupted after C N Chinnaiah, a former sanitation worker, alleged that between 1995 and 2014, he was forced to bury numerous bodies, including those of women and minors showing signs of sexual assault, in Dharmasthala, implicating the temple’s administration. Chinnaiah’s claims, later deemed unsubstantiated, led to his arrest on perjury charges. The Karnataka government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations, which has since excavated sites along the Netravathi River, uncovering skeletal remains at two locations, though no direct link to the temple has been established.
The Karnataka BJP escalated the issue with its “Dharmasthala Chalo” rally on September 1, condemning what it calls a deliberate conspiracy to defame the sacred temple town. The party, led by figures like Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Kota Srinivas Poojary, has demanded a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe, accusing the Congress-led state government of mishandling the situation. Poojary, in a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alleged that certain YouTubers and groups, including a Muslim YouTuber, received foreign funds to spread content undermining Hindu religious beliefs, describing it as an “international conspiracy.”
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On Tuesday, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge intensified the political slugfest, alleging that activists Girish Mattannavar and Mahesh Shetty Thimarody, whose roles are under scrutiny, have ties to the RSS and BJP. The police have filed two separate cases against them for creating and circulating social media videos that allegedly disturbed communal harmony and offended public sentiments. The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has also demanded NIA and ED investigations, claiming that AI-generated visuals and crores in foreign funding, potentially linked to banned groups like the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its affiliate SDPI, were used to orchestrate the campaign.
As the ED digs deeper, the Dharmasthala row remains a flashpoint, with political parties trading accusations and the SIT continuing its probe. The controversy, rooted in unverified claims and amplified by social media, has raised concerns about communal harmony, with the ED’s findings potentially pivotal in uncovering the truth behind the alleged foreign-funded plot.
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