Body of missing Mandya school teacher found buried near a temple
Mandya, Jan 23: The body of a 28-year-old teacher of a private school was found buried under the ground near a temple in Melukote area of Mandya district, two days after she went missing, police said on Tuesday.
Deepika V Gowda, a resident of Manikyahalli village of Pandavapura taluk, is survived by her husband and a seven-year-old son, they said.
According to the police, the victim left home as usual around 9 am for school on her two-wheeler on Saturday. When she did not return home at the expected time, her husband tried to contact her on her mobile phone which was found to be switched off. When her husband could not find her anywhere, he approached the police on Saturday evening following which a missing complaint was lodged.
During a search operation, the police found the victim's two-wheeler near the temple ground. On Monday, when the family members started combing the surrounding area, they sensed a foul smell emanating from a particular area which led them to the body. They removed the sand underneath and found her dress. They immediately alerted the police who then recovered the body which was buried under the ground, a senior police officer said.
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"No injury marks were visible on the body and as soon as we recovered the body, we shifted it to the nearest hospital for post-mortem. The exact cause of death would be ascertained only after we receive the post-mortem report which is awaited," he said.
"Based on the circumstances under which the body was found, we have registered a case of murder under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code," he added.
The victim's family has accused an acquaintance of being behind her killing, police said, adding, teams have been formed to nab the suspect based on the investigation.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
