Dharamsthala Horror Whistleblower Alleges Mass Burials, Rape & Murder

今日印度原標(biāo)題：達(dá)摩斯塔拉恐怖事件：舉報人指控大規(guī)模掩埋、強(qiáng)奸與謀殺

Warning: This story contains references to murder and sexual assault which some readers may find disturbing.

警告：本文內(nèi)容涉及謀殺與性侵相關(guān)描述，部分讀者可能會感到不適。

Allegations concerning mass burials in the pilgrimage town of Dharamsthala, Karnataka, have emerged. A former sanitation worker has claimed he was forced to bury or burn hundreds of bodies, mostly of women and girls, between 1995 and 2014. In a statement recorded before a magistrate on July 11th, the whistleblower alleged he disposed of the bodies on the orders of the temple administration. He stated that, "while cleaning the Netravati river area, he started finding bodies, mostly women, some of whom appeared to have been allegedly raped and murdered." Following these revelations, the mother of a medical student, Sujata, who went missing in 2003, has approached the police. An FIR has been registered based on the whistleblower's complaint, but police are awaiting the magistrate's instructions to begin the investigation.
 
卡納塔克邦朝圣小鎮(zhèn)達(dá)摩斯塔拉傳出大規(guī)模埋葬指控。一名前環(huán)衛(wèi)工人聲稱，他于1995 至 2014 年間被迫掩埋或焚燒數(shù)百具尸體，其中多為婦女和女童。7 月 11 日該舉報人在治安法官面前錄制的證詞中指控，他是按寺廟管理方指令處理尸體的。他陳述道："在清理內(nèi)特拉瓦提河區(qū)域時，開始發(fā)現(xiàn)尸體——主要是女性，其中部分似乎曾遭強(qiáng)奸和謀殺。"這些揭露后，2003 年失蹤的醫(yī)學(xué)生蘇加塔的母親已聯(lián)系警方。根據(jù)舉報人投訴已登記立案，但警方正等待治安法官指示以啟動調(diào)查。

How an Indian temple town is at the centre of hundreds of alleged murders

印度寺廟小鎮(zhèn)如何成為數(shù)百起謀殺指控的中心

An ex-worker at Karnataka’s Dharmasthala temple says he was forced to bury hundreds of bodies, including children.

卡納塔克邦達(dá)爾馬斯塔拉神廟的一名前雇員稱，他被迫掩埋了數(shù)百具尸體，其中包括兒童。

New Delhi, India – After spending three decades racked with guilt, scared on sleepless nights, and often changing cities, a 48-year-old Dalit man appeared in Karnataka with information about one of the most horrific alleged crimes in India.

印度新德里——一名 48 歲的達(dá)利特男子在經(jīng)歷三十年的內(nèi)疚折磨、無數(shù)不眠之夜的恐懼以及頻繁更換城市后，現(xiàn)身卡納塔克邦，揭露了印度最駭人聽聞的涉嫌犯罪案件之一。

Emerging from hiding after 12 years, the man, who once worked as a sanitation worker at the much-revered Dharmasthala temple, told police on July 3 that he was coming forward with “an extremely heavy heart and to recover from an insurmountable sense of guilt”. As a court-protected witness, the man’s identity cannot be revealed under the law.

這名曾在備受尊崇的達(dá)摩斯塔拉神廟擔(dān)任清潔工的男子，在隱匿 12 年后于 7 月 3 日向警方自首。他表示自己是"懷著極其沉重的心情前來，為擺脫無法承受的負(fù)罪感"。作為受法庭保護(hù)的證人，根據(jù)法律規(guī)定其身份不得公開。

“I can no longer bear the burden of memories of the murders I witnessed, the continuous death threats to bury the corpses I received,” he said in his statement, reviewed by Al Jazeera, “and the pain of beatings – that if I did not bury those corpses, I would be buried alongside them”.

"我再也無法承受目睹謀殺的記憶、持續(xù)收到的埋尸死亡威脅，"他在半島電視臺獲得的供述中表示，"還有那些毆打帶來的痛苦——他們威脅說如果我不處理尸體，就會把我一起埋掉。"

Now, the whistleblower wants to help in the exhumation of “hundreds of dead bodies” he buried between 1995 and 2014 – many of them women and girls, allegedly murdered after sexual assaults, but also destitute men whose murders he claims to have witnessed.

如今，這名舉報者希望協(xié)助挖掘 1995 至 2014 年間由他掩埋的"數(shù)百具尸體"——其中許多是遭受性侵后據(jù)稱被殺害的女性及女童，還包括他聲稱親眼目睹被謀殺的貧困男性。

After days of sustained pressure from activists and public outcry, the Karnataka government – ruled by the opposition Congress party – has created a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations of assault and murder.

在活動人士連日施壓及公眾強(qiáng)烈抗議下，由反對黨國大黨執(zhí)政的卡納塔克邦政府已成立特別調(diào)查組（SIT），對這些性侵謀殺指控展開調(diào)查。

So, what did the protected witness reveal in his complaint? Does the temple town have a history of rape and murder? Are more victims coming forward now?

那么，這位受保護(hù)的證人在投訴中揭露了什么？這座寺廟小鎮(zhèn)是否有強(qiáng)奸和謀殺的歷史？現(xiàn)在是否有更多受害者站出來？

‘Hundreds of bodies’: What’s in the complaint?

"數(shù)百具尸體"：投訴內(nèi)容是什么？

Situated on the scenic lower slopes of the Western Ghats, Dharmasthala, an 800-year-old pilgrimage village, is located on the banks of the Nethravathi River in the Belthangady area of the Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka state, where nearly 2,000 devotees visit daily.

位于西高止山脈風(fēng)景如畫的山麓地帶，有著 800 年歷史的朝圣村莊達(dá)爾馬斯特拉坐落在卡納塔克邦南卡納達(dá)縣貝爾坦加迪地區(qū)的內(nèi)特拉瓦蒂河畔，每天有近 2000 名信徒前來參拜。

On July 11, the man, fully draped in black clothing with only a transparent strip covering his eyes, appeared at a local court in Belthangady to record his statement.

7 月 11 日，這名全身裹著黑色衣物、僅眼部覆蓋透明條帶的男子出現(xiàn)在貝爾坦加迪地方法院錄口供。

The complainant, who belongs to the Dalit community – the least privileged and often persecuted group in India’s complex caste hierarchy – joined the temple in 1995 as a sanitation worker.

這名來自達(dá)利特社區(qū)的投訴者——印度復(fù)雜種姓制度中最弱勢且常受迫害的群體——于 1995 年以清潔工身份加入該寺廟。

At the beginning of his employment, he said in the complaint, he noticed dead bodies appearing near the river. “Many female corpses were found without clothes or undergarments. Some corpses showed clear signs of sexual assault and violence; injuries or strangulation marks indicating violence were visible on those bodies,” he noted.

他在投訴中稱，入職初期就注意到河邊頻繁出現(xiàn)尸體。"許多女性尸體被發(fā)現(xiàn)時赤身裸體或沒有內(nèi)衣。部分尸體明顯有性侵和暴力痕跡；可見施暴造成的傷痕或勒痕，"他特別指出。

However, instead of reporting this to authorities at the time, the man said he was forced to “dispose of these bodies” after his supervisors beat him up and threatened him, saying, “We will cut you into pieces; we will sacrifice all your family members.”

然而，這名男子表示當(dāng)時并未向當(dāng)局舉報此事，而是在遭到主管毆打威脅后被迫"處理這些尸體"。據(jù)他回憶，對方曾恐嚇道："我們會把你大卸八塊，把你全家都獻(xiàn)祭了。"

The supervisors, he claimed, would call him to specific locations where there were dead bodies. “Many times, these bodies were of minor girls. The absence of undergarments, torn clothes, and injuries to their private parts indicated brutal sexual assault on them,” he said. “Some bodies also had acid burn marks.”

他聲稱，主管會將他叫到發(fā)現(xiàn)尸體的特定地點。"很多時候，這些尸體都是未成年女孩。沒有內(nèi)衣、衣服被撕破以及私密部位受傷的痕跡，表明她們遭受了殘忍的性侵，"他說，"有些尸體上還有酸液灼傷的痕跡。"

The man has told the police and the court that he is ready to undergo any tests, including brain-mapping and a polygraph, and is willing to identify the spots of mass burials. Some sites are likely to be exhumed in the coming days.

該男子已向警方和法庭表示，他愿意接受包括腦部測繪和測謊儀在內(nèi)的任何檢測，并準(zhǔn)備指認(rèn)集體埋葬地點。部分墓穴可能在未來數(shù)日內(nèi)進(jìn)行開掘。

In the nearly 20 years he worked at the temple, the man said he “buried dead bodies in several locations throughout the Dharmasthala area”.

這名男子表示，在寺廟工作的近 20 年間，他"在達(dá)爾馬斯特拉地區(qū)多處地點掩埋過尸體"。

Sometimes, as instructed, he burned dead bodies using diesel. “They would instruct me to burn them completely so that no trace would be found. The dead bodies disposed of in this manner numbered in the hundreds,” he said.

有時，按照指示，他會用柴油焚燒尸體。"他們會命令我把尸體徹底燒毀，不留任何痕跡。以這種方式處理的尸體數(shù)量多達(dá)數(shù)百具，"他說道。

Why did he go into hiding?

他為何要躲藏起來？

By 2014, having worked there for 20 years, he said, “The mental torture I was experiencing had become unbearable.”

到 2014 年，他在那里工作了 20 年后表示："我所承受的精神折磨已變得無法忍受。"

Then, a girl from his own family was sexually harassed by a person connected to the supervisors at the temple, leading to a realisation that the family needed “to escape from there immediately”. In December 2014, he fled Dharmasthala with his family and informed no one of his whereabouts.

隨后，他家族中的一名女孩遭到與寺廟管理者有關(guān)聯(lián)者的性騷擾，這使他意識到全家必須"立即逃離此地"。2014 年 12 月，他帶著家人秘密逃離達(dá)爾馬斯特拉，未向任何人透露去向。

Since then, the family has been living in hiding in a neighbouring state, and changing residences, he said.

他說，自那以后，這家人一直躲藏在鄰邦，并不斷更換住所。

“However, I am still living under the burden of guilt that does not subside,” he said. “But my conscience no longer allows me to continue this silence.”

"然而，我仍背負(fù)著無法消散的負(fù)罪感生活，"他說。"但我的良知已不允許我繼續(xù)沉默。"

To back his claims, the man recently visited a burial site and exhumed a skeleton; he submitted the skeleton and its photograph during exhumation to the police and the court via his lawyers.

為證實自己的說法，這名男子近日前往一處墓地挖出了一具骸骨；他通過律師向警方和法院提交了骸骨及其挖掘過程的照片。

Today, the actual number of dead bodies is not what matters to the former sanitation worker, a person closely associated with the case told Al Jazeera. They requested anonymity to speak.

一位與該案關(guān)系密切的消息人士向半島電視臺透露，對于這位前環(huán)衛(wèi)工人而言，如今尸體的確切數(shù)量已無關(guān)緊要。因討論敏感信息，該人士要求匿名發(fā)言。

“Even if it was just two or three women, and not hundreds, their lives matter,” they said, reflecting on why the whistleblower came forward. “If there is a chance at justice, their bodies getting proper rituals, we want to take it.”

"即便只有兩三位女性，而非數(shù)百人，她們的生命同樣重要，"他們說道，思索著舉報人挺身而出的動機(jī)。"只要存在伸張正義的可能，讓她們的遺體得到應(yīng)有的儀式，我們就要抓住這個機(jī)會。"

Did he identify the victims?

他指認(rèn)受害者了嗎？

No, he did not identify them by name. However, he detailed some of the burials in his statement to the police.

不，他并未指名道姓。但在向警方提供的陳述中，他詳細(xì)描述了幾處埋尸地點。

He recalled that in 2010 he was sent to a location about 500 metres (1,640ft) from a petrol pump in Kalleri, nearly 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Dharmasthala. There, he found the body of a teenage girl.

他回憶道，2010 年曾被派往距 Dharmasthala 約 30 公里（19 英里）的 Kalleri 地區(qū)，在一處距離加油站約 500 米（1640 英尺）的地點發(fā)現(xiàn)了一具少女尸體。

“Her age could be estimated between 12 to 15 years. She was wearing a school uniform shirt. However, her skirt and undergarments were missing. Her body showed clear signs of sexual assault. There were strangulation marks on her neck,” he noted in his statement. “They instructed me to dig a pit and bury her along with her school bag. That scene remains disturbing to this day.”

"她的年齡估計在 12 至 15 歲之間。穿著校服襯衫，但裙子和內(nèi)衣都不見了。尸體有明顯性侵痕跡，頸部有勒痕，"他在陳述中寫道。"他們命令我挖坑把她連同書包一起埋了。那個場景至今仍令人不安。"

He detailed another “disturbing incident” of burying a woman’s body in her 20s. “Her face had been burned with acid. That body was covered with a newspaper. Instead of burying her body, the supervisors instructed me to collect her footwear and all her belongings and burn them with her,” he recalled.

他詳細(xì)講述了另一起"令人不安的事件"——掩埋一名 20 多歲女性的尸體。"她的臉被酸液灼燒過。那具尸體用報紙蓋著。主管們沒有讓我埋葬她，而是命令我收集她的鞋子和所有隨身物品，連同尸體一起燒掉，"他回憶道。

Have similar crimes been lixed to Dharmasthala in the past?

過去是否有類似犯罪案件與達(dá)爾馬斯塔拉有關(guān)？

Yes. There have been repeated protests over the years regarding the discovery of bodies of rape-and-murder victims in and around Dharmasthala, dating back to the 1980s.

是的。多年來，圍繞達(dá)爾馬斯塔拉及周邊地區(qū)發(fā)現(xiàn)的強(qiáng)奸謀殺案受害者遺體，抗議活動屢屢發(fā)生，最早可追溯至 20 世紀(jì) 80 年代。

These protests have been sporadic but persistent, often led by local groups, families and political organisations.

這些抗議活動雖零星但持續(xù)不斷，通常由當(dāng)?shù)貓F(tuán)體、受害者家屬及政治組織發(fā)起。

In 1987, marches were organised in the town to protest the rape and murder of 17-year-old Padmalata. The demonstrations exposed alleged cover-ups by influential figures but were reportedly quashed through intimidation and legal pressure.

1987 年，該鎮(zhèn)曾組織游行示威，抗議 17 歲少女帕德瑪拉塔遭強(qiáng)奸殺害案。示威活動揭露了權(quán)勢人物涉嫌掩蓋罪行的行為，但據(jù)報道遭到恐嚇和法律施壓的壓制。

The town saw protests flare again in 2012 with the “Justice for Sowjanya” movement, after another teenager was raped and murdered. That case remains unsolved.

2012 年，隨著"為索賈尼亞伸張正義"運動的爆發(fā)，這座小鎮(zhèn)再次爆發(fā)抗議活動，起因是又一名少女遭強(qiáng)奸謀殺。該案件至今仍未偵破。

Over the decades, families and local political groups have held demonstrations and submitted memorandums to authorities, lixing cases such as the 2003 disappearance of medical student Ananya Bhat to larger allegations of mass graves and unnatural deaths.

數(shù)十年來，遇害者家屬和地方政治團(tuán)體不斷舉行示威并向當(dāng)局提交請愿書，將 2003 年醫(yī)學(xué)生阿南婭·巴特失蹤案等案件與大規(guī)模亂葬崗及非正常死亡的更廣泛指控聯(lián)系起來。

S Balan, a senior lawyer in the Karnataka High Court and a human rights activist, told Al Jazeera that the killings and mysterious disappearances in Dharmasthala date back to 1979.

卡納塔克邦高等法院資深律師兼人權(quán)活動家 S·巴蘭向半島電視臺透露，達(dá)爾馬斯特拉的殺戮和神秘失蹤事件可追溯至 1979 年。

“The souls of young girls are crying for justice; hundreds of girls who disappeared were abducted, were raped, and were killed,” Balan told Al Jazeera. “India has never seen this gravity of offence in its republic after independence.”

"年輕女孩的靈魂在哭泣著尋求正義；數(shù)百名失蹤少女遭遇綁架、強(qiáng)奸和謀殺，"巴蘭對半島電視臺表示，"印度獨立后的共和國歷史上從未出現(xiàn)過如此嚴(yán)重的罪行。"

Balan also met the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah last Wednesday with a delegation of lawyers, urging him to form the SIT to probe the alleged mass rapes and murders.

巴拉蘭上周三還與卡納塔克邦首席部長悉達(dá)拉馬亞會面，帶領(lǐng)律師代表團(tuán)敦促其成立特別調(diào)查組，以調(diào)查涉嫌的大規(guī)模強(qiáng)奸和謀殺案件。

“The chief minister was serious about it. He told us that he will talk to the police and do [what’s needed],” said Balan.

“首席部長對此事非常重視。他告訴我們，他會與警方溝通并采取[必要措施]，”巴蘭說道。

How have the temple authorities reacted?

寺廟當(dāng)局作何反應(yīng)？

The administration of the Dharmasthala temple has long been controlled by the powerful Heggade family, with Veerendra Heggade serving as the 21st Dharmadhikari, or hereditary head, since 1968.

達(dá)爾馬斯塔拉寺廟的管理權(quán)長期由顯赫的赫加德家族掌控，自 1968 年起，維倫德拉·赫加德作為第 21 世世襲住持執(zhí)掌廟務(wù)。

Heggade, a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award, is a member of the parliament’s upper house. He was nominated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2022.

赫加德是印度第二高平民榮譽(yù)"蓮花賜"勛章獲得者，現(xiàn)任聯(lián)邦院議員，由總理納倫德拉·莫迪領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的印度人民黨于 2022 年提名。

His family wields significant influence in the region, overseeing a wide network of institutions.

該家族在地區(qū)內(nèi)影響力深遠(yuǎn)，掌管著龐大的機(jī)構(gòu)網(wǎng)絡(luò)。

In 2012, the family came under public scrutiny following the rape and murder of 17-year-old Sowjanya, a resident of Dharmasthala. Her body was discovered in a wooded area bearing signs of sexual assault and brutal violence. Sowjanya’s family has consistently alleged that the perpetrators had ties to the temple’s leadership.

2012 年，17 歲少女索賈尼亞在達(dá)瑪斯塔拉鎮(zhèn)遭強(qiáng)奸謀殺后，其家人開始受到公眾關(guān)注。受害者的遺體在一處林地被發(fā)現(xiàn)，尸體顯示出遭受性侵和野蠻暴力的痕跡。索賈尼亞家人始終指控兇手與當(dāng)?shù)厮聫R管理層存在關(guān)聯(lián)。

In a statement shared on Sunday, July 20, the temple authorities expressed support for a “fair and transparent” investigation and expressed hope that the investigation would uncover the truth.

7 月 20 日周日，寺廟管理方在一份聲明中表示支持"公正透明"的調(diào)查，并期待調(diào)查能揭露真相。

K Parshwanath Jain, the official spokesperson for Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala, said the whistleblower’s complaint has “triggered widespread public debate and confusion across the country”.

斯里·克謝特拉·達(dá)爾馬斯塔拉官方發(fā)言人 K·帕什瓦納特·耆那表示，舉報人的投訴"在全國范圍內(nèi)引發(fā)了廣泛的公眾討論和困惑"。

“In light of public demand for accountability, we understand that the state government has handed over the case to a Special Investigation Team,” he said. “Truth and belief form the foundation of a society’s ethics and values. We sincerely hope and strongly urge the SIT to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation and bring the true facts to light.”

"鑒于公眾對問責(zé)的要求，我們了解到邦政府已將案件移交給特別調(diào)查小組，"他說。"真相與信仰構(gòu)成社會道德與價值觀的基石。我們誠摯希望并強(qiáng)烈敦促特別調(diào)查小組進(jìn)行徹底公正的調(diào)查，讓事實真相水落石出。"

Have the families of missing people come forward?

失蹤人員的家屬是否已經(jīng)站出來發(fā)聲？

Yes. Sujatha Bhat, the mother of Ananya Bhat, who disappeared in 2003, has responded publicly to the whistleblower’s shocking revelations about alleged mass burials in Dharmasthala.

是的。2003 年失蹤的安雅娜·巴特的母親蘇加莎·巴特，已就舉報人揭露達(dá)摩斯塔拉涉嫌大規(guī)模埋尸的驚人指控作出公開回應(yīng)。

The 60-year-old retired CBI stenographer said she has lived in fear for more than two decades but was motivated by media reports of the worker’s testimony and the discovery of skeletal remains. She filed a new complaint with the police last Tuesday.

這位 60 歲的退休中央調(diào)查局速記員表示，二十多年來她一直生活在恐懼中，但媒體關(guān)于工人證詞及骸骨發(fā)現(xiàn)的報道給了她勇氣。她于上周二向警方提交了新的申訴。

Bhat said she believes her daughter may have been among the many women who faced abuse and met a violent end, only to be buried without a trace.

巴特認(rèn)為，她的女兒很可能與許多遭受虐待后慘遭殺害、最終被悄無聲息掩埋的女性一樣遭遇不測。

She recalled that she was discouraged from pursuing the case further. “They told us to stop asking questions,” she reportedly said, emphasising the climate of fear and silence that surrounded Dharmasthala for decades.

她回憶說，當(dāng)時有人勸阻她繼續(xù)追查此案。"他們叫我們別再追問了，"據(jù)報道她這樣說道，強(qiáng)調(diào)達(dá)摩斯塔拉地區(qū)數(shù)十年來籠罩著恐懼與沉默的氛圍。

Speaking with reporters after filing the complaint, Bhat appealed: “Please find my daughter’s skeletal remains and allow me to perform the funeral rites with honour.”

在提交投訴后與記者交談時，巴特懇求道："請找到我女兒的遺骸，讓我能體面地為她舉行葬禮。"

She said she wants to “give peace to Ananya’s soul, and let me spend my final days in peace”.

她說想"讓阿南婭的靈魂安息，也讓我平靜地度過余生"。