Activists to hold ‘Dharmasthala chalo’ to seek justice in Sowjanya case

Sowjanya, a 17-year-old student, was raped and murdered in Dharmasthala in 2012. 
| Photo Credit: K. Bhagya Prakash

Several activists who met on Tuesday resolved to hold “Dharmasthala Chalo”, a march to the temple town to seek justice for Sowjanya, a 17-year-old who was raped and murdered in 2012. The culprits in the case remain untraced to this day, despite investigations by both the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

While the Bengaluru police had earlier disallowed holding of the meeting, the activists could go ahead with it after the Karnataka High Court said that it could not be stopped.

On March 8, the Kannada Sahitya Parishat had asked the organisers to cancel a similar meeting on its premises citing a legal notice they received. The event was slated to be held on March 9 at a hall run by the parishat.

The organisers then changed the venue to AITUC Hall and scheduled the event on March 18. The Sheshadripuram police had then issued notice to the organisers on March 17 asking them to not hold the event citing a court order. The organisers moved the HC against the notice following which event was conducted. Various rights and activist groups had decried “police high handedness” in not allowing a meeting to be held.

To be pursued legally

An organiser of the event, talking to The Hindu, said: “During the meeting, we decided to hold ‘Dharmasthala Chalo’. People from various districts will march towards the town seeking justice. We will also pursue matters legally.”