Mangaluru: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday offered cautious optimism to a delegation of Swamijis pressing for a central agency probe into the Dharmasthala scandal, in which an accused dubbed “Mask Man Chinnayya” allegedly confessed to burying hundreds of bodies. Meeting the Heads of Panchamasali Peetha and Gurupura (Mangaluru taluk) Vajradehi Math in Delhi, Shah said he was monitoring developments personally and would convene a Cabinet meeting to chart the next course of action. Whether to refer the case to the NIA remains under consideration.

Shah also announced an impending piece of legislation aimed at curbing falsehoods and defamation targeting religious institutions, requesting that leaders help counter misinformation among followers.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate has initiated a preliminary investigation into allegations of foreign funding for YouTubers spreading distorted narratives. Several individuals have already been interrogated by the SIT for propagating these claims.

Chinnayya remains in SIT custody following a three-day extension granted by the court; his next appearance is set for September 6. In parallel, a “religious awareness meeting” in Dharmasthala has been organized to counteract the impact of misleading stories on social media.