BENGALURU: The Karnataka State Women’s Commission has written to the chief of the Special Investigation Team probing the Dharmasthala alleged mass burial case, seeking protection for Sujatha Bhat, who claimed that she is the mother of one Ananya Bhat who went missing in Dharmasthala in 2003.
In the letter, commission chairperson Nagalakshmi Chaudhary stated that for the past two weeks, a few media houses have been continuously following Sujatha and pressuring her to give statements, causing her severe mental distress. She was also defamed and subjected to late-night visits to her residence for video recordings, where she was allegedly made to give contradictory statements. These were later broadcast in a manner that misleads the investigation and further adds to her distress.
The commission urged the SIT to immediately provide security to Sujatha, ensure appropriate arrangements for her to submit her complaint without fear, and send a report to it.