Overview

• The SIT identified the masked whistleblower as CN Chinnaiah, a former sanitation worker, revoked his protection, and produced him before a Belthangady court that granted 10 days’ custody.
• Police said he was booked for providing false evidence and perjury after finding major contradictions in his statements and determining that a skull he handed over was male.
• Excavations at sites he flagged along the Netravathi river yielded skeletal remains at two locations, with DNA and other analyses ongoing at the Bengaluru Forensic Science Laboratory.
• Home minister G. Parameshwara confirmed the arrest and cautioned that no conclusions can be drawn until the SIT completes its probe, which will also look for any network behind the complainant.
• Political and public reactions intensified as the BJP accused the government of defaming the temple and sought action, a civil society forum urged protection of the probe, and witness Sujatha Bhat retracted her separate claims.