BANGALORE, October 22: The All-India Democratic Women’s Association took out a rally here on Monday seeking a CBI investigation into the October 2012 rape and murder of a minor girl in Ujire town near Dharmasthala.
A large number of women, many from Ujire, attempted to march to the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s residence. But the police stopped them near the Freedom Park. It resulted in some tense moments with the agitators attempting to defy the police blockade. However, the AIDWA leaders finally relented and agreed to take a smaller delegation to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
In a memorandum to Mr. Siddaramaiah, the AIDWA leaders took strong exception to the public statements made by senior members of the ruling party such as Vinay Kumar Sorake, Janardhan Poojary, Abhay Chandra Jain and B.L. Shankar. These leaders had defended D. Veerendra Heggade of Dharmasthala and had threatened activists and the public who were demanding that the role played by Mr. Heggade’s family members in the murder be properly investigated.
Addressing the agitation, K.S. Lakshmi, State general secretary of AIDWA, said: “When we expect the government to conduct an impartial investigation, how do some ruling party members explain their openly partisan stand in favour of the people who have been accused of murder by the family members?”
Separately, members of the Nyayakkagi Naavu also held a press conference where they too demanded a CBI inquiry into the rape and the murder of the minor girl.
Indudhara Honnapura of Nayayakkagi Naavu alleged that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) investigation was “very slow” to provide justice to the family of the dead girl.
CPI, State Council Member, Siddanagouda Patil, charged members of main political parties in Karnataka for giving a clean chit to the Dharmadikari of Sri Kshetra Dharmastala before the verdict was passed. He demanded a white paper into the incident.
