Bengaluru: Women’s rights groups, activists, and human rights organizations gathered at Gandhi Bhavana under the banner “Kondavaru Yaaru? (Who Killed the Women in Dharmasthala?)” to demand justice for women allegedly raped, murdered, or disappeared in villages around Dharmasthala, Dakshina Kannada.
Speakers said these incidents reflect systemic failures of the police, judiciary, and government. Activist Madhu Bhushan argued that justice has been repeatedly denied due to negligence and institutional collapse. Other speakers, including Mallige Sirimane, K.S. Vimala, A. Jyothi, Du Saraswati, and Dr. R. Sunandamma, recalled landmark struggles such as the Nirbhaya and Bilkis Banu cases, noting that justice was achieved only through persistent public pressure.
The campaign announced five demands: granting full independence to the Special Investigation Team (SIT), acting against erring officials in the Soujanya case, creating an independent SIT monitoring committee, strengthening safety measures in public and religious spaces, and implementing recommendations of the Ugrappa and Justice Verma Committees. Dr. Sunandamma called repeated “accidents” near the same river “obviously unnatural.”
Lawyer Mohit Kumar cited the 2010 Sharavati Lodge case, where a woman’s body was hurriedly cremated, and questioned the official version of the Santhosh Rao case. Activist-lawyer Poorna criticized political interference in the SIT’s work and called for stronger roles for women’s commissions and ethical media guidelines.
The event also featured cultural resistance through songs by artist Mayarao. Organizers pledged to mobilize communities, work with women leaders across parties, and collaborate with independent media. The campaign ended with a message: justice delayed is justice denied, and women’s safety cannot be compromised.
