SHIVAMOGGA: The suspicious death of a minor girl in Tirthahalli is taking curious twists and turns. On Monday, the police produced a letter from her bag, calling it her “death note”, but did not disclose where the bag was found.
The girl’s father Krishnamurthy, however, denied that the letter was written by his daughter. “It has been written in red ink pen, which she never used. The culprits might have forcibly made her write the letter.
The police are trying to now prove that it is the death note, as they are under intense political pressure,” he said.
The girls’ parents, in their complaint to the police, have ruled out sexual assault, but have stated that she was kidnapped and murdered.
The girl, who was allegedly kidnapped on October 29, was reportedly found weak and tired near Anandagiri Hills near the town. Some local women saw her and took her home.
But soon after, she started vomiting. She was rushed to the Tirthahalli Government Hospital and from there to the District Governent Hospital in Shivamogga. She was treated for more than nine hours before being shifted to KMC Hospital in Manipal, where she died.
The girl reportedly told her mother that a youth from another community kidnapped and raped her. But the doctors who treated the girl ruled out sexual assault and the police too confirmed it.
The girl’s death has led to communal tension in the town and various parties are trying to politicise the issue.
Meanwhile Bandh total, in Tirthahalli, Koppa and Mastikatte
A bandh called to protest against the mysterious death of a minor girl was total in Tirthahalli and Mastikatte in Hosanagar taluk and Koppa of Chikkamagalur district on Monday. The Hindu organisations have called for a bandh in Sringeri on Tuesday.
Shops, schools, colleges and business establishments downed the shutters in response to the bandh, called by various organisations including the BJP.
The protesters stopped buses plying from Shivamogga to Udupi and Mangaluru for several hours. Buses on mofussil routes were suspended for the day.
Meanwhile, ban orders under Section 144 of the Cr.PC will continue till November 10 and have been extended up to the 5 km radius of Tirthahalli town.
The situation remained tense throughout the day. Members from the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike and hundreds of students, led by the ABVP, took out a procession in Shivamogga and demanded the resignation of District in-charge Minister Kimmane Rathnakar and demanded Rs 50 lakh to the family of the deceased.
Protesters, who violated the prohibitory orders, threw stones on police vehicles at Koppa Circle in Tirthahalli. The police resorted to a lathicharge at Ranjadakatte village on the outskirts of the town to disperse the mob which violated the ban orders.
According to the police, nearly 50 people were arrested and 20 people were injured in the incident.
Additional police personnel were summoned from Haveri and Belgaum districts. Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate V.P. Ikkeri and SP Kaushalendra Kumar are camping in Tirthahalli.
