A four-member team from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has begun investigating shocking allegations of mass secret burials in Dharmasthala, Belthangady taluk. The probe, launched by the NHRC on its own, started on Tuesday with visits to key local institutions, including the Gram Panchayat office, the local police station, the Dharmasthala temple premises, and the Special Investigation Team (SIT) office. Led by senior superintendent of Police Yuvaraj, the team has already collected decades’ worth of records on unnatural death cases. Sanitation workers and other relevant individuals have given statements as part of the investigation. According to the police, the inquiry is expected to continue for four to five days. One witness, a former sanitation worker, claimed he was forced to bury numerous bodies, many of them women and minors, over several years.