B’luru: Over 60 organizations to stage massive protest, demand reinvestigation of Sowjanya Case
Bengaluru: In a significant development, “Pragatipara Sangatanegala Horata Samithi,” a coalition of more than 60 + organizations from Karnataka staged a massive protest at the freedom park on Friday, demanding a fair investigation by the SIT (Special Investigation Team) into the decade-old Sowjanya murder case which has now again resurfaced. The murder, which occurred more than a decade ago, is now being brought back into the spotlight, additionally with renewed hope for justice under the newly inducted Congress government in Karnataka.
The protesters have put forth several demands including, an SIT probe into the matter, secondly an action against Dr. Adam and Dr. Rashmi N, a Gynecologist of Belthangady medical hospital who did not give proper postmortem reports, The then SP, Abhishek Goyal, Investigating officer Yogeesh Kumar, Dr. Mahabala Shetty who examined Santosh Rao. Santhosh Rao and his family, who were victims of police brutality despite being innocent, should be compensated, were some of the demands from the protesting groups.
During the event, activist Mahesh Timarodi expressed outrage, condemning the government and police officers for their handling of Sowjanya's rape and murder case. He pointed out that the Special Court of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had acquitted the accused Santosh Rao, who had previously been detained during the initial investigation. However, he said that the flaws and discrepancies in the case's inquiry have necessitated a fresh investigation, preferably through a Special Investigation Team (SIT), to ensure a fair trial.
CAITU leader Prakash also addressed the gathering and raised concerns saying that “Problems beyond our measure surround Sowjanya's case. Following the implementation of the free travel scheme for women, the income of Dharmasthala has surged. The BJP made him a member of the Rajya Sabha. In addition, Dharmasthala's microfinance scheme has trapped women across the state in a debt trap. In the midst of such a political situation, we are looking for those responsible for Sowjanya’s tragic death," he said.
“We have strong hopes in the Congress government”
“There is a revival of hope after the Congress took power in the state since it is during the period of the BJP which had handed over the case to the CID gave a clean chit to accused Malik, Dheeraj, and Ujaya. The issue now is not picking up just because the Congress is back in power, it is after the arrested Santosh Rao was acquitted,” said Sathya, a former Journalist and a consultant speaking to the Vartha Bharathi.
Meanwhile, Janani Vatsala, a student of VVPuram law college, said “currently looking at the development, we don't trust any of the political parties. I urge the Chief Minister and Women and ld development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar to intervene and bring justice to the matter. Santosh Rao was jailed even though he was innocent. It is a matter of shame since it is a violation of human rights.”
She further urged the students to speak up against the atrocities in the country and also asked the youth from Karnataka to unite together against such cruelty.
Recapping Sowjanya’s case in detail
Sowjanya a 17-year-old Pre-University student at SDM College Ujire was brutally raped and murdered brutally in October 2012. Her body was found half naked with mud in her genitals concealing the evidence near the Nethravathi river. The incident brought the towns of Ujire and Dharmasthala under fire with many staging protests. The police were accused of protecting the actual culprits. Sowjanya's family alleges that the allegations were not thoroughly investigated. Meanwhile, Santhosh Rao, who had been arrested by the police and served six years in prison, has now been proven innocent.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
