Mandya, Aug 24: C N Chinnayya, the Mandya native who shot into the spotlight as the key witness and complainant in the sensational Dharmasthala mass burial case, is now facing serious allegations from his ex-wife and villagers, who have described him as a “habitual liar” willing to do anything for money.
Rathnamma, a civic worker from Nagamangala and Chinnayya’s divorced wife, went public on Sunday, dismissing his claims as fabricated. “He has always been a liar. Even in court during our divorce proceedings, he falsely claimed he was unemployed to avoid paying alimony,” she said.
Married in 1999, the couple had two children before divorcing in 2006. Rathnamma alleged that she endured harassment and assault during the marriage. “I never got justice. My mother raised me, and later my children supported me,” she said.
She added that Chinnayya, also known as ‘Bheema’, never once mentioned incidents of rape, murder, or mass burials during their marriage. “I suspect he created a controversy just to make some money,” she said.
Villagers in Chikkaballi, his native place, echoed similar doubts. Chikkaballi Balu, a former schoolmate, recalled that after his father’s death, Chinnayya’s elder brother took him to Dharmasthala in 1994, where he started working as a sweeper.
According to locals, Chinnayya married thrice during his stay in Dharmasthala, but none of the marriages lasted. Despite this, he remained well-known in the area for helping visitors from his village arrange darshan at the temple.
“Chinnayya has always been ready to do anything for money. So, when we heard about his claims of mass burials, we were convinced they were baseless,” another villager said.
Chinnayya, who was recently arrested by the Special Investigation Team probing the case, had reportedly claimed that he was forced to secretly bury hundreds of bodies in Dharmasthala. Backed by a group of lawyers, he projected himself as the key witness and complainant. But as contradictions began surfacing in his account, the SIT took him into custody. With his own ex-wife and villagers now discrediting him, Chinnayya’s credibility in the Dharmasthala mass burial case has come under sharp scrutiny.
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