Dharmasthala case: Two petitions submitted to women’s commission

The Karnataka State Women’s Commission received two petitions on Friday related to the Dharmasthala case, one from the BJP and another from women’s rights activists.

The Opposition BJP petitioned against the alleged remarks by social activist Girish Mattannavar that women who get married at Dharmasthala are being sexually harassed.

Meanwhile, another petition was submitted by a delegation of women’s rights activists also who sought that “culprits behind the disappearance, rape and murders of women in Dharmasthala” should be brought to book. The collective also announced the launch of a statewide campaign demanding justice for women and girls who have alleged “disappeared” from the region over the past four decades.

The BJP delegation, led by its Bengaluru North vice-president Kaveri Kedarnath, on Friday appealed to the Commission to conduct an inquiry into the alleged statements of Mr. Mattannavar and direct the jurisdictional police to register a criminal case against him.

Mr. Mattananavar has publicly alleged that women who are married at Dharmasthala are subjected to sexual assault and heinous crimes. The BJP petition called Mr. Mattannavar’s statement baseless and malicious. “He has made sweeping claims suggesting that newlywed brides are exploited, which is an outrageous and unfounded allegation intended to sensationalize,” said Ms. Kedarnath in the petition.

On the other hand, the petition by the women’s rights activists expressed concern over several developments after the formation of the SIT to look into alleged mass burial cases in the region. Stating that “prejudicial public statements by senior Ministers and protests by political parties are undermining the neutrality of the SIT”, they demanded that it should “comprehensively investigate cases that have occurred over the past 20 years”.