Dharmasthala case: Women activists seek Sonia Gandhi’s intervention, object to Cong leaders’ remarks

Bengaluru: Several women activists from Karnataka have sought the intervention of Congress veteran leader Sonia Gandhi in the Dharmasthala murders case and have written a letter to her.

They have objected to the statements of Congress leaders that “trivialise the lives lost in several decades”, and also “undermine” the SIT’s ability to function independently of political pressure.

It can be recalled that, including Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress President D.K. Shivakumar, several Congress leaders have stated that there is a conspiracy against the temple town of Dharmasthala. Shivakumar has also stated on the floor of the Assembly that those who conspired against the pilgrimage centre would be dealt with.

About 40 women social activists, including actress and activist Arundhati Nag and director and activist Kavita Lankesh, have signed the letter. They have launched a campaign, “Who killed women in Dhramasthala?”

“The primary concern of our campaign is to ensure that the entire inquiry focuses exclusively on delivering justice to women and other victims. And this focus cannot and should not be sacrificed, as always, at the altar of religious and political expediency. As one of the senior-most women leaders in the opposition and in the Congress party that is in power in our state, we reach out to you to enlist your support,” the activists stated.

“Ms. Gandhi, we would like to reiterate that this is not just about one town (Dharmasthala), one taluk (Belthangady) or one district (Mangaluru) – despite the violence there being the current focus. It is about whether the State can confront its systematic complicity in violence against women and whether women in Karnataka can believe that their lives truly matter. As a political leader who has tried to bring ethics and empathy to the centre of politics, we firmly believe that your intervention is critical-not only to secure justice for the women of Dharmasthala but also to restore our faith in the State Government of Karnataka and the law enforcement agencies that are meant to protect, not silence the vulnerable,” the activists stated.

They said, “We, the representatives and supporters of the recently launched campaign in Karnataka, ‘Who killed Women in Dharamsthala?’ write in deep distress regarding recent developments around ongoing investigations into a series of unsolved crimes in Mangaluru district that brought to focus the endemic issue of violence against women.”

“Many of us, as concerned citizens and activists who had been raising these issues from earlier, were hopeful that the constitution of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) would help to bring justice and healing for those families seeking answers to long-standing trauma and questions. Unfortunately, not even a few weeks into the investigation, the matter has become the subject of intense and often salacious media coverage and political grandstanding. As a result, what should have been a moment of truth and accountability has instead spiralled into intimidatory tactics and attempts to bury justice once again,” the letter stated.

“Amidst all this, remarks by the Congress ministers added to the furore and invite scepticism of a fair and just investigation. Statements by important Karnataka government functionaries even before the SIT has completed its investigation, trivialise the lives lost over several decades and undermine the SIT’s ability to function independent of political pressure,” the activists underlined.

The women activists have placed three demands. Firstly, “The focus of the SIT remains steadfastly on investigating the perplexing pattern of unnatural deaths and sexual assault cases in the region. RTI reports, as well as the Ugrappa Committee report in 2018, have pointed out these unnatural deaths and the lack of action and complicity by the local police and other authorities with regard to the same. Justice must be served to the victims, perpetrators booked and authorities who failed their duty held accountable.”

Secondly, state government leaders from the Congress party refrain from issuing statements that undermine the functioning of the SIT and a fair and just investigation. They must instead play a proactive role in bringing the focus back to the issue of justice for the victims and dismantling deep-seated structures that perpetuate such violence.

They further demanded action by the state government against the erring officials responsible for the bungled investigation in the Soujanya case in order to ensure accountability as per the ruling of the Karnataka High Court, in its judgement dated September 13, 2024.

IANS