Mangaluru: Thousands of devotees from Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala gathered in Ujire to stage a large-scale protest against the malicious campaigns surrounding the Sowjanya case. Under the banner of Akhila Karnataka Sri Manjunatha Swamy Bhakta Vrinda, they voiced their demand for the immediate arrest of those responsible for the Sowjanya murder.
Addressing the assembly, Belthangady MLA Harish Poonja from the BJP stated that the protest aimed to bring the real culprits of the Sowjanya case to justice. Following the CBI court’s acquittal of the accused, Poonja and MLC Prathap Simha Nayak met with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, urging him to initiate a re-investigation to apprehend the true perpetrators within three months.
Poonja expressed confidence in the Chief Minister’s commitment to the rule of law and expressed concern about attempts by vested interests to tarnish the image of Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala, a prominent Hindu pilgrimage center. He pledged to submit a memorandum from the devotees to the CM, reaffirming their support for justice.
MLC Prathap Simha Nayak highlighted the role of Dharmadhikari D Veerendra Heggade, who immediately sought justice for Sowjanya from the government when she was murdered 11 years ago. He emphasized that Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala has an 800-year history as a seat of justice, and it was due to Hegde’s strong demand that the Sowjanya case was handed over to the CBI. The protestors unitedly called for justice for Sowjanya while ensuring that the issue should not be exploited to target the Dharmasthala temple.
Former minister Vinay Kumar Sorake, K Abhaychandra Jain, and District Congress Committee president K Harish Kumar also addressed the gathering, expressing their solidarity with the devotees’ demand for justice in the Sowjanya case.
