Subhechcha Ganguly 
In a dramatic turn in the Dharmasthala controversy, complainant Sujata Bhat has retracted her sensational claims of her daughter’s disappearance and linked the allegations to a property dispute with the temple authorities.
Speaking to a YouTube channel on Friday, Sujata admitted that her 2003 account of her daughter Ananya going missing during a temple visit — which had sparked allegations of mass burials, sexual assault, and disappearances of women in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district — was fabricated.
“Some people told me to say it. I was asked to do it because of the property issue. That’s the only reason,” she revealed, adding that the dispute involved land owned by her grandfather, allegedly taken by the temple.
Sujata further claimed that activists Girish Mattannavar and T. Jayanti had pressured her into making the allegations, though she denied any financial transaction. “Nobody demanded money from me. I have never asked anyone for money either,” she clarified.
Her earlier complaint had accused temple authorities of abduction, assault, and intimidation, leading to the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) by the Karnataka government. The case stirred widespread outrage at the time, fueling allegations of cover-ups in Dharmasthala.
With her retraction, Sujata has sought forgiveness for the claims, while Mattannavar and Jayanti are yet to respond to her accusations.
