Bengaluru: The ruling Congress on Monday turned down the opposition BJP’s demand for a NIA probe intoDharmasthala case and requested the saffron party not to politicise the matter. The BJP state unit also announced holding one more ‘Dharmasthala Chalo’ on September 1. This will be apart from the one carried out on Monday by a few party legislators and leaders.

A controversy erupted after a complainant, later identified as C N Chinnaiah and arrested on charges of perjury, claimed burying a number of bodies, including those of women with signs of sexual assault, in Dharmasthala over a period of time, with the implications pointing towards the administrators of the local temple.

Following a statement by the complainant, the Karnataka government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT), about a month ago. The SIT dug up several locations in Dharmasthala, which Chinnaiah had identified as locations where the bodies were buried.

According to state Home Minister G Parameshwara, a skeleton, said to be of a man, was found at one location and a few bones in another place. On Monday, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra announced launching a statewide ‘Dharmasthala Chalo’ campaign on September 1.

The ‘march to Dharmasthala’ (Dharmasthala Chalo) will be taken out from all the 224 constituencies, he said in a press conference here. “The chief minister should hand over the investigation into the Dharmasthala episode to the National Investigation Agency, which will instill faith in the state government among people, especially the devotees of Manjunatha Swamy,” the Shikaripura MLA said.