Daujarnya Virodha Sowjanya! Karnataka Rashtra Samithi (KRS) party will hold a 330km padayatra from Belthangady to Bengaluru as part of a protest to seek justice for Sowjanya, who was raped and murdered in 2012
Mangaluru: Briefing the media persons during a press meet held at Mangaluru Press Club, Karnataka Rashtra Samithi (KRS) party state vice-president Linge Gowda said a 330km padayatra from Belthangady to Bengaluru will be flagged off on 26 August 2023, as part of a protest to seek justice for Sowjanya, who was raped and murdered in 2012. The 14 day-padayatra, which will be inaugurated by party president Ravi Krishna Reddy, will reach the Vidhana Soudha on 8 September.
“It’s sad to note that no one has been convicted in the Sowjanya murder case. The court found no evidence to prove Santhosh Rao, who was booked in the case, guilty. People across the state have been expressing their anger over the police investigation. The accused should be brought before the law to ensure justice for the victim’s family. The padayatra will be held to demand the state government to consider Sowjanya murder as a special case and order a reinvestigation and that a special investigation team (SIT) should be formed for the same,” added Gowda.
Gowda added saying “Fast-track courts should be set up in the state to expedite cases related to sexual assault on women and children. To help the survivors of sexual assault and help their families, the government should establish Sowjanya Women’s Safety Commission, a quasi-judicial body in the state. A special police force along the lines of CID should be set up exclusively to prevent sexual assault on women and children. Low conviction rate could be a major reason for the increase in crime against women and children,” he noted”
“The information obtained through RTI shows that the conviction rate in cases pertaining to violence and harassment against women between 2013 and 2023 in the state is just 1.18%. Of the 41,382 cases registered under IPC Sections 354, 498A and 376 in the state in the last 10 years, the accused were convicted only in 488 cases. While 988 cases were registered during the period in Dakshina Kannada, the accused were convicted only in 22 (2.23%) cases. There is a need for the government to set up a committee headed by a high court judge,” he said.
Other KRS party members who were present during the press meeting were-Raghupathy Bhat- Joint secretary; Praveen Pereira- DK district President; Ms Yashoda- DK District Secretary; Ms Sunitha- Secretary; Gerard Towers- DK district Vice President; and members-Sali and Dayanand, all of KRS party.
