Mahesh Shetty Thimarody writes to NHRC; alleges police excess, political targeting
Mangaluru: Social worker and activist Mahesh Shetty Thimarody has filed a complaint before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) alleging gross police excess, political targeting, and violation of his fundamental rights. In a letter dated September 13, 2025, he sought an independent inquiry into a series of FIRs registered against him and his supporters, accusing the police of intimidation, fabrication of cases, and acting under political pressure.
Thimarody, who is the founder of Rāhstriya Hindu Jagravedike and Praja Prabhuthva Vedike, said that while he has faced harassment for decades due to his activism, the incidents of the last month represent a direct assault on dissent, freedom of speech, and lawful protest. He reminded the Commission that he has been consistently fighting for justice in the Sowjanya gang rape and murder case for the last 13 years, during which time he has endured threats, harassment, and false cases, all meant to silence him.
According to him, the present chain of events began when he questioned how a temple in Dharmasthala, long regarded as a Hindu spiritual centre, was transferred to private individuals who now describe it as a Jain institution while enjoying political support from BJP leaders. He said his remarks, given in a byte to a YouTube news channel, were based on facts and constitutional concerns. However, instead of public debate, the police registered a case against him. On August 16, 2025, an FIR (Crime No. 177/2025) was filed at Brahmavara Police Station, accusing him of making defamatory remarks against BJP leader B.L. Santosh. Thimarody said the complainant had no direct involvement in the issue and alleged that the state machinery was misused to target him.
He recalled that soon after the FIR, notices were served at his house. When he sought 15 days’ time to appear before the authorities, no reply came. Instead, on August 21, 2025, seven police jeeps, two vans, and a civil vehicle carrying senior officers and media crews stormed his residence. The move, he said, was designed not to uphold the law but to publicly humiliate him. Villagers and family members pleaded with the police but the officers insisted on arresting him. To avoid escalation, he declared he would appear voluntarily. Along the way from Ujire to Brahmavara, people lined the roads raising slogans of “Justice for Sowjanya.”
Thimarody alleged that even then harassment continued. A vehicle carrying three of his young supporters accidentally collided with the vehicle of the ASP. Instead of treating it as a minor mishap, police exaggerated it as an intentional attack. The youths, aged 18, 21, and 25, were detained at Karkala Station, and senior officers were allegedly pressured to frame them under attempt-to-murder charges. He said probationary ASP Harsha Priyamvada was even heard instructing officials to book the youths under IPC 307, exposing the casual and dangerous misuse of penal provisions.
He further stated that despite his critical blood pressure levels, doctors’ recommendations for hospital custody were ignored. He was denied both regular and interim bail on the grounds of past cases, most of which he claimed were already closed or politically motivated. Villagers and supporters who had gathered at his residence during the police action were booked in FIR No. 94/2025 for obstructing police duty. Others who appeared at Belthangady Police Station, including a human rights activist, were booked in FIR No. 100/2025. He said he was also named in this FIR even though he was already in judicial custody, calling it a clear fabrication.
Thimarody recounted another incident where his nephew overheard a PSI from Brahmavara telling a Circle Inspector that there was “high-level pressure to arrest Mahesh Shetty and block his bail.” On realising he had been overheard, the Inspector hurriedly shifted the conversation into his chamber. According to him, this was evidence of political orchestration behind the police actions.
He said his supporters, most of them daily wage workers, are now facing multiple false cases, repeated summons, court hearings, and unbearable legal costs. Their only role, he claimed, was standing with him in demanding justice for Sowjanya and questioning the misuse of religious institutions. He added that there has been pressure on the Assistant Commissioner to extern him from Dakshina Kannada district by falsely linking him to communal unrest, even though he has no communal history. Out of 24 FIRs against him, he said 16 have already been dismissed and the remaining eight are baseless and directly connected to his activism on the Sowjanya case and the mass burial discoveries in Dharmasthala.
In his petition, Thimarody appealed to the NHRC to conduct an independent inquiry into the cases registered against him and his supporters, declare them fabricated and politically motivated, and recommend their withdrawal. He also sought disciplinary and criminal action against officers whom he named, protection for himself, his family, and supporters, and reforms to prevent misuse of criminal law to silence activists and dissenters.
Concluding his appeal, he said this was not just one man’s fight but a larger struggle for democratic rights. “I write this letter not as one man’s plea, but as the cry of hundreds who lined the roads chanting ‘Justice for Sowjanya.’ If the state machinery can treat an activist like me this way, what happens to the voiceless poor?” he wrote, adding that if the Commission does not act now, the message will be that constitutional rights are mere illusions and dissent is a punishable offence.
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India moving towards becoming global economic powerhouse: Kovind
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Amritsar (PTI): Former president Ram Nath Kovind on Friday said that with digital transformation, economic reforms and a strong focus on the ease of doing business, India is moving towards becoming a global economic powerhouse.
He was speaking after inaugurating the 19th edition of the Punjab International Trade Expo (PITEX) in Amritsar.
The former president said that this 19th edition of PITEX is being organised at a time when India is recognised as one of the fastest-growing large economies in the world.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the event organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) the former president, while referring to Punjab, said the state is a living example of courage, sacrifice and enterprise.
"The spiritual light of Sri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) inspires peace and humanity across the world. The heritage of Punjab is deep and inspiring," Kovind said, according to a statement issued by the PITEX.
The former president congratulated the PHDCCI for hosting the 19th edition of PITEX and suggested that the chamber should expand PITEX outside Punjab.
He proposed that a similar event should also be held in New Delhi.
