Mangaluru: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is expected to step in to probe alleged foreign funding of two NGOs—Odanadi and Samvada—believed to be linked to campaigns against Dharmasthala. Senior sources said police have already shared documents with the agency.

Investigators suspect violations of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) in funds received by the NGOs, which may have been channelled into activities portraying Dharmasthala in a negative light. The ED is likely to scrutinise their financial models and overseas connections. Letters have been sent to SBI and other banks seeking five years of records, PAN details and account statements. The controversy, which has taken on political dimensions, saw the BJP organise a “Dharmasthala Chalo” rally demanding an NIA probe and accusing the Congress government of mishandling the issue. BJP MP Kota Srinivas Poojary also wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah urging an ED inquiry into allegations that YouTubers were paid from abroad to circulate negative content about the temple.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah dismissed the BJP’s charges, saying he was unaware of any foreign funding angle. He maintained that the SIT investigation would reveal the truth, accusing the opposition of politicising the matter.

The dispute traces back to allegations made by former sanitation worker C.N. Chinnayya, who claimed women’s bodies showing signs of abuse were buried in Dharmasthala over the past two decades. He was later arrested for providing false testimony. The SIT has since carried out excavations along the Netravati river, recovering skeletal remains at two sites. The matter has now moved beyond the state’s borders, with central agencies being brought into the frame.