Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MH)

Mangaluru, Jun 22: The Soujanya Horata Samithi, led by Mahesh Shetty Thimarodi, launched a scathing attack on the Congress and BJP, accusing them of shielding the perpetrators of Soujanya's rape and murder, and mishandling the investigation.

At a press conference held on Saturday, June 22, Thimarodi condemned the inaction of political parties over the past 13 years. "Neither the Congress, BJP, nor JDS have made any effort to secure justice for Soujanya and her mother. We have been pleading for justice for years, but the government remains indifferent. Instead, they support the rapists, protecting them. Due to a corrupt political system and the lack of interest from political leaders across all major parties, these crimes have not been addressed. What we are asking for is justice for the pain we have suffered. Politicians only think about their families, not about the public. They want to serve the rich and powerful instead of helping those in need," Thimarodi asserted.

Thimarodi also addressed the issues of exorbitant interest rates and loan sharking. "When people ask for justice, the authorities accuse us of speaking ill of the government and lacking faith in our constitution instead of addressing the issues. I urge poor families: if anyone comes to your house demanding interest, inform us, and we will contact the Udupi SP. With honest officers like these, we have hope for development," he said.

Further addressing the media, Girish Mattanna discussed the discrepancies in the Soujanya case and the failed attempt to frame Santosh Rao as the murderer. “In the Soujanya case, the attempt to frame Santosh Rao as the murderer has failed, and the court has proven his innocence. A new report concerning the double murder of Narayana and Yamuna, which occurred 21 days before Soujanya's murder, has revealed some shocking details. Despite some claims that Santosh Rao is still guilty, there are significant contradictions in the investigation. When the report was finally obtained from the court, which the police refused to give, it was discovered that investigators had attempted to accuse Santosh Rao of the double murder as well,” he said.

Mattanna elaborated on the contradictions and said, "The double murder investigation claims Santosh Rao was present at the scene, but the Soujanya investigation by the same officer states he was in Sringeri and arrived in Dharmasthala the morning Soujanya was killed. These contradictory statements cast doubt on the case. Furthermore, Santosh Rao's blood sample, collected after his arrest for Soujanya's case, was used to frame him for the double murder. Narayana's wife had doubts about Harshendra Kumar, but nothing was done by the authorities. The investigating officer claimed to have interrogated Harshendra Kumar, but there's no evidence of this. The real culprits remain at large, and the accused have not been thoroughly investigated."

Thammanna Shetty, Jayanth T, Santosh Kumar Shetty, Ravindra Shetty and others were present.