Several skeletons recovered in Dharwar in Karnataka

DHARWAR - Around 60 to 75 human skeletons were recovered from the outskirts of Annagiri town in Karanataka’s Dharwar District.

The first 20 skeletons were discovered on Saturday when municipal corporation workers were digging the area for widening the drainage system.

The skeletons were buried in a very systematic manner.

“On the northern side, one can see only the systematic burial of the heads, and in the southern side you can see the burial of large number of them in a single layer, the legs and hands, and other parts of the body,” said S. Shreya, a professor of archaeology in Karnataka University.

The skeletons had been dismembered at the time of burial, as all the skulls were recovered from one site whereas the other parts of the skeletons were found buried at a nearby spot adjacent to the drainage system.

A retired Geologist T. Shetty suspects that the skeletons were buried following a battle fought during the British period.

“Such groups of heads joined in one place are very rare in south India. This is only possible, when there is a small war or some fight between two groups. Those are the possibilities. After DNA (testing), we will come to know the age. If you come to know the age, then we can decide whether it has occurred during the British period,” said Shetty.

Local police have sought the assistance of the Anthropology-Genetics section of Karnataka University as well as the Archaeological Survey of India to unravel the intricacies of the case.

Experts who visited the spot on Tuesday felt that it could also be a matter of organized crime.

Local people say that the area used to be a burial ground and the mass burial have taken place after a war or famine.

The site has been cordoned off to prevent people from entering the area. Police have sent the skeletons to the forensic lab for further investigation. By Jaipal Sharma (ANI)