BENGALURU, MANGALURU: A Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to probe the rape and murder of Sowjanya is unlikely to bring the case to a logical conclusion, said Amruthesh, an advocate at the High Court of Karnataka in Bengaluru on Tuesday. He alleged that a conspiracy is on to malign the temple and demanded that the report on the alleged mass burial case be made public.
Speaking at a press conference organised by the Voice of Public, Amruthesh questioned the feasibility of completing the fresh investigation within three months, saying the evidence dating back to 14 years might no longer be available. He also demanded that the investigation into the rape and murder of Sowjanya must examine all relevant evidence. Amruthesh said some individuals and multiple groups had approached the Supreme Court by concealing facts.
He said the court had directed a fresh investigation by an SIT but argued that the three-month deadline would make it difficult to reach a logical conclusion. He also accused them of exploiting the Sowjanya case for financial gain while targeting the temple. Making allegations against Sowjanya’s parents, he claimed that they had also benefited financially from the case.
Amruthesh said the family had initially demanded justice and held a press conference following the incident. However, he questioned why they remained silent for a year before holding another press conference. “Why did they remain silent for a year? Shouldn’t we find out what happened during that period?” he asked.
Amruthesh demanded that the final report on the alleged mass burial case be made public, pointing out that the government had spent public money on the investigation.
Meanwhile, the SIT, led by N Shashi Kumar, conducted a meeting at its office set up at the old DCs office in Mangaluru on Tuesday. SIT members and city police commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy, investigating officer Lokesh Jagalasar, SP Nisha James and ACP Manoj Naik attended the meeting.