Sujatha Bhatt, whose claim of a missing daughter intensified the ongoing investigation into alleged mass graves in Dharmasthala, has publicly admitted that her story was fabricated and sought forgiveness from devotees and authorities.
Bhatt, speaking to the media, said she would personally visit the Dharmasthala temple to apologise to Lord Manjunatha Swamy and Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade, the temple’s head. “I made a mistake by going with the Burude gang (the gang cuurently suspected to be behind the alleged conspiracy). That regret still haunts me,” she said. “So, I will go to Dharmasthala and apologise for my mistake.”
Her latest admission on Tuesday marked a dramatic reversal from the detailed account she had earlier provided to investigators about the alleged disappearance of her daughter, Ananya.
In a complaint filed with police, Bhatt had claimed that her daughter, Ananya Bhatt, an 18-year-old medical student, vanished during a visit to Dharmasthala in May 2003. She told officers that Ananya’s friends had gone shopping while she stayed near the temple complex, but when they returned, she was missing.
Bhatt also alleged that she was later abducted, tied up, and warned not to return to Dharmasthala or speak publicly about the incident. According to her earlier statement, she was assaulted, left unconscious, and treated in a private hospital in Bengaluru’s Wilson Garden before recovering weeks later.
On August 22, Bhatt said her story was untrue and had been influenced by others. “It is not true. There was never any daughter named Ananya Bhatt,” she said in an interview on a YouTube channel. “Some people told me to say it. I was asked to do it because of a property issue. That’s the only reason.”
However, she retracted this statement saying it was made under pressure. However, she has not made any clarifications on the statement made on Tuesday.
Bhatt had named Girish Mattannavar and T. Jayanti, both activists associated with the Dharmasthala controversy, as among those who pushed her to repeat the false account.
However, she denied receiving or offering money in exchange. “Nobody demanded money from me. I have never asked anyone for money either. What I questioned was how my grandfather’s property was given away without my signature,” she said. She also admitted that the photograph circulated online as proof of Ananya’s existence was fabricated. “It was all fake. Completely fake,” she said.
She denied any financial motive behind her earlier allegations. “I never needed money. I have lived independently all my life. I worked and I raised myself. I don’t want to live under anyone’s mercy. I am a self-respecting woman,” she said.
Investigators have already collected evidence from Bengaluru, Shivamogga, and Udupi, and officials said that more people linked to Bhatt’s earlier claims could soon be summoned.