Narayana Swamy
Daijiworld Media Network

Koppal, Jun 26: In a democracy sitting for dharna is a common way of protest. When high-profile people sit on dharna or fast or utter even a word of protest, hundreds of cameras focus on them, and the news appears in the front pages of newspapers. At the same time, if the poor protest the same way no one listens - forget about media, not even the neighbour cares.

In a rare case reported from Koppal district of Yalaburga, Karnataka last week, a mother decided to fight for her only daughter who had been betrayed by her lover. The youth is from a well-to-do family, and was courting the daughter, Dhyama, for the last three years, fuelling hopes of marriage in both the daughter and her mother Shantha Jirala.

But when the matter was raised by the mother, the boy, Hosagowda, fled away from the village! Upset with this, Dhyama lost the interest in life, but Shantha consoled her and decided to fight for her. She sat on dharna in front of the boy's house to seek justice for her daughter.

50-year-old Shantha's dharna for her daughter's love, for justice, was a shout in a no man's land, heard by none. No politicians, no police, no social worker, no media....in fact no one heard of her for more than a month.

But Shantha did not give up. Fighting for her daughter's cause, she lost her life sitting on dharna, perhaps out of the deep pain that struck her heart seeing her daughter's plight.  She passed away last week outside Hosagowda's house.

Hearing the news of Shantha's death, the boy's parents fled from the village, and police and politicians entered the scene! But it was too late. A precious life was lost pleading justice for her daughter.

Now, Bevooru police station PSI Sunil Kumar has initiated enquiry into the case. A case has been filed in the police station against boy's family for torture and murder.

But people of the village have little hopes of getting justice for Shantha as well as her daughter Dhyama.