Lawyer urges government to set up SIT helpline for Dharmasthala complaint victims
Mangaluru: Advocate Manjunath N, representing Sujatha Bhat in the Dharmasthala missing persons case, has urged the government to immediately establish a public helpline for victims and their families to file complaints directly with the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
In a late-night press statement on Monday, the lawyer emphasised the need for an accessible communication channel in light of the SIT’s ongoing probe into the alleged mass burial incident in Dharmasthala. He noted that while several families have attempted to approach local police stations with their complaints, they have reportedly faced significant difficulties and hesitation in doing so.
Manjunath stated that many relatives of victims have contacted him personally, expressing their fear and the challenges they encounter when trying to file official complaints.
He further urged the government to take steps to publicise the SIT helpline widely so that people can come forward without fear or procedural hurdles. According to him, since the scope of the SIT investigation is wide, an easy and transparent method for the public to submit information is crucial.
Additionally, Manjunath requested the government to grant the SIT office an official status equivalent to that of a police station. This, he said, would help prevent the accused from exploiting legal loopholes to obtain court-issued restraining orders, a practice reportedly occurring in cases where the SIT does not hold formal police station powers.
The SIT is currently handling both the mass burial investigation and the disappearance case of Ananya Bhat, a first-year MBBS student who went missing during a 2003–2004 visit to the Dharmasthala temple. Her mother, Sujatha Bhat, is the primary complainant in the case.
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Niqab incident: Nitish Kumar perhaps revealing his true colours, says J-K CM
Srinagar (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday criticised his Bihar counterpart over the niqab incident and said that Nitish Kumar might be slowly revealing his true nature.
"Nitish Kumar, who was once considered a secular leader, may be slowly showing his true colours," Abdullah told reporters here on the sidelines of a function.
Abdullah said Kumar removing the face veil of a Muslim woman doctor was wrong and cannot be justified by any means.
"We have seen this kind of incident here several years ago. Have you forgotten how Mehbooba Mufti removed the burqa of a legitimate voter inside a polling station? That act was wrong, and this act (of Kumar) is also wrong.
"If the (Bihar) chief minister did not want to hand over the order to her (Muslim woman), they could have kept her aside. However, to humiliate her like this is totally wrong," the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said.
Kumar stirred a huge controversy after he removed the face veil of a Muslim woman at a function earlier this week.
