When Power Hides Crime, Only The Media Can Tear The Curtain

In the shadow of the  Dharmasthala shrine, a sinister truth may be festering — one that not only shames the land but tests the very soul of this nation. Allegations of serial rapes, suspicious deaths, clandestine burials, and a full-blown cover-up involving police officers and powerful political figures are now surfacing with disturbing regularity. Yet, instead of full transparency and accountability, what we are witnessing is a chilling crackdown on the media — the only institution still asking questions.

The Superintendent of Police of Dakshina Kannada seems more preoccupied with issuing warnings to the press and clamping cases on them, than with answering the questions raised by the people. Every time a disturbing new revelation appears, the response is not an honest investigation — it’s a press note threatening “legal action” for “defamation” and “misinformation.”

But let us not forget: the same police force stands indicted by a CBI court in the infamous Soujanya rape and murder case. The court didn’t mince words — it clearly said the case was mishandled, and even ordered the government to initiate disciplinary action against the erring officers. Not a single senior cop has faced consequences. So, when this very police leadership now tells the media to shut up and "report responsibly," it rings hollow — more like self-preservation than public service.

We have seen this pattern before — remember Asaram Bapu? Gurmeet Ram Rahim? Both godmen with immense wealth, political clout, and armies of blind devotees. For years, victims were silenced, and journalists were threatened. And yet, only because of sustained media pressure did their crimes come to light and justice get delivered.

In the Dharmasthala case, the allegations are, if anything, more terrifying. There is talk of a pattern — multiple assaults, suspicious deaths, and now, unreported burials, with at least one complainant producing skeletal remains in court. This isn’t the stuff of imagination — this is real, recorded, and being heard in judicial chambers. The only reason the country isn’t in uproar is because a deep machinery of fear, influence, and religious sanctity is suffocating the truth.

If the media doesn’t step in now, it never will.

Yes, some reporting may occasionally border on speculation. That’s inevitable in any climate where truth is deliberately buried. But when powerful institutions, law enforcement, and political interests come together to hush up crimes against women — in the name of god, no less — the real crime is silence. The real offence is inaction.

Let the SP warn all he wants. Let the politicians look the other way. But the duty of the press is not to serve power — it is to confront it, especially when that power shields monsters behind dhoti and khaki uniforms.

The dead in Dharmasthala cry for justice. If the police won't deliver it, the media must at least demand it — no matter the cost. The pursuit of truth cannot be paused simply because it makes those in uniform or in mundas and dhoti uncomfortable. Democracy cannot be reduced to staged silence while evil walks free in sacred places.