Soujanya case: Karnataka SIT to begin fresh probe in Mangaluru from today

Mangaluru: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Karnataka government to reinvestigate the alleged 2012 Dharmasthala gang rape and murder of Soujanya will officially launch its probe on Thursday, with SIT members, Intelligence SP Nisha James and CID SP Lokesh Jagalsar, reaching Mangaluru and scheduled to meet Police Commissioner C.H. Sudheer Kumar Reddy to discuss the course of action.

The fresh investigation comes in compliance with the Supreme Court's directions to the Karnataka government to constitute an SIT and reinvestigate the case. The team has been given three months to complete the probe and submit its report to the competent court.

The two officers arrived in Mangaluru in the morning and are scheduled to meet Sudheer Kumar Reddy, who is also a member of the SIT. The officers are expected to discuss the investigation strategy and the next steps in the case. The SIT will have a separate office to facilitate the investigation.

It can be noted that the Karnataka government constituted the five-member SIT on September 24, following the Supreme Court's directions. The team is headed by IGP N. Shashikumar and includes Mangaluru City Police Commissioner C.H. Sudheer Kumar Reddy, Intelligence SP Nisha James, CID SP Lokesh Jagalsar and Bengaluru Rural ASP Venkatesh Prasanna.

Meanwhile, ASP Venkatesh Prasanna has written to the state government seeking to be relieved from the SIT after some social activists and members of Soujanya's family reportedly raised objections to his inclusion in the team.

State Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday said the government was committed to ensuring justice in the case and would consider concerns raised by the family and the public regarding the appointment of officers.

"The SIT was formed with the best intentions. We do not have any bad intentions or any intention to cause damage to anyone," Kharge said, adding that the government's objective was to establish the truth and ensure justice.

He said the government would not adopt a rigid stand on the issue and would act in accordance with the Supreme Court's directions.

The case has remained controversial following investigations by the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The main accused named by the CBI was acquitted by the court, leading to renewed questions and demands for a fresh investigation.

The SIT is now tasked with examining the case afresh and submitting its report within the three-month deadline set by the Supreme Court.

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