The Karnataka government has appointed Bengaluru CID Inspector General of Police Chetan Singh Rathore as the new chief of the SIT (Special Investigation Team) constituted to reinvestigate the controversial Soujanya rape and murder case. This comes at a time when public attention has again been drawn towards the case, which dates back to 2012, and people want answers. The government gave an order on today, after the previous SIT chief requested them to relieve him of his responsibility.
IGP N. Shashikumar, who was heading the SIT, had reportedly written to the state government seeking relief from the assignment and the government appointed Chetan Singh Rathore in charge of the investigation team. The change of guard comes at a time when the SIT has started collecting evidence and examining aspects of the case as part of a fresh probe ordered by the Supreme Court.
The SIT leadership had been questioned, and allegations were made against them by some people who felt the investigation was not being done properly. Allegations were also made that Shashikumar was close to Dharmasthala temple administration. Corruption allegations were reportedly levelled against him during his stint as Mangaluru City Police Commissioner. These are allegations and cannot be treated as findings of fact. The government has not said that a change in leadership amounts to any finding of misconduct.
There have been changes in the SIT too. Additional Superintendent of Police Venkatesh Prasanna had reportedly asked for a change of posting and was replaced by Hassan Additional Superintendent of Police Srinidhi as a new member of the SIT. DIG C.H. Sudhir Kumar Reddy, Nisha James (Bengaluru Intelligence Division) and Bengaluru CID Superintendent of Police Lokesh Jagalasara, among others, are part of the revised team besides other officers.
The SIT has already taken several steps. As part of the fresh probe, investigators have collected a blood sample from Kusumavathi (mother of Soujanya) for DNA testing; they have summoned police officers who were part of the preliminary investigation after the incident in 2012; their statements and details of the earlier investigation are expected to be looked into as the SIT re-assesses evidence and finds gaps that need to be examined further.
On September 21, the Supreme Court ordered a fresh investigation into the case, which has been a matter of public debate for nearly 14 years now about the rape and murder of Soujanya (17), a student of SDM College in Ujire in Belthangady taluk of Dakshina Kannada district.
Soujanya went missing on 9 October 2012 while returning home from college. Her body was found the next day in a forest near the Netravathi River in Dharmasthala. Post-mortem revealed that she had been sexually assaulted before being murdered. The outrage and demand for a probe and justice for the victim were widespread.
The case was investigated by the Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and later the CBI. But the earlier investigations did not lead to a conviction that identified the person who committed the crime. Santhosh Rao, the sole accused in the case, was acquitted by trial court in June 2023. The acquittal raised questions about the investigation and evidence before the court.
The new SIT investigation will look into the records available, revisit earlier findings and see if there is more evidence or investigative leads that need to be followed up. So the appointment of Chetan Singh Rathore as team chief for the next phase of the probe is important.
The case is still in the news across Karnataka; the victim’s family and some sections of people want answers and accountability. SIT will now have to carry out a fair, evidence-based investigation while following all legal procedures. How the fresh probe turns out will be watched by the public as the demand for justice in the Soujanya case continues.
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