MANGALURU: In a renewed appeal for justice in the 2012 rape and murder case of 17-year-old Soujanya in Dharmasthala, the victim's mother, Kusumavati, has submitted a formal request to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) chief Pranab Mohanty, urging that the witness-complainant in the Dharmasthala mass burial case be subjected to a narco-analysis test.
Soujanya, a student from Pangala near Dharmasthala, was found brutally assaulted and murdered on October 9, 2012. Despite over a decade having passed, her family says the real perpetrators are yet to be identified and punished.
In her letter to the SIT, Kusumavati points out that the complainant, currently under SIT custody, has not disclosed crucial information he is allegedly aware of. She referred to statements made by the complainant's sister, during a National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) hearing held in Ujire earlier this month.
According to Kusumavati, Ratna testified that in 2014, the complainant fled Dharmasthala after facing life threats from a prominent individual connected to the temple over his knowledge of Soujanya's assault and murder. Ratna reportedly stated that this individual warned the complainant that if he ever revealed the names of those involved, he would be hunted down and killed, no matter where he went.
Further, Kusumavati cited a recent televised interview aired on August 24, in which the complainant claimed that one Ravi Poojary had disclosed to him the names of those responsible for Soujanya's rape and murder. "He also alleged that Ravi Poojary was later killed by the same individuals after they bribed him and feared exposure. He (complainant) revealed that the location where Soujanya's body was found—Mannasanka—was a place where he had previously buried multiple bodies. This raises serious suspicion that there may have been an attempt to conceal her body as part of a broader criminal cover-up," says the petition.
The family insists that a narco-analysis test on the complainant could reveal the full truth behind the incident and potentially expose others involved.
"We still believe that the Karnataka government and SIT will ensure justice is done," said Kusumavati, expressing hope that the long fight for justice for Soujanya will finally move forward.
