Truth that refuses to die: Dharmasthala cases

 For decades the Dharmasthala rape and murder cases have been wrapped in silence, distortions, and systematic cover-ups. Political forces across the spectrum—the BJP, JD(S), and Congress—have all, in their own ways, contributed to burying the truth. Their narratives have varied, but their common goal has been the same: to shield the powerful interests of the Dharmasthala syndicate. Yet, the truth, however long delayed, refuses to die.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the government was expected to be the final resting place of these cases—a technical exercise to pacify public anger while ensuring that no damaging evidence emerged. But that calculation is now under serious threat. New and dramatic developments are breathing life into the long-buried tragedy of Soujanya, whose brutal kidnapping, rape, and murder remain one of the darkest chapters in Karnataka’s recent history.

A woman from Mandya has come forward before the SIT claiming that she and her friend were eyewitnesses to Soujanya’s abduction thirteen years ago. This testimony alone threatens to destabilise the carefully constructed narrative of denial. If her account holds, it is not just evidence—it is a crack in the wall of silence that the political class has been defending for over a decade.

Alongside this, whistleblower Chinnayya has publicly stated once again that he possessed information on the crime. His version is harrowing: his close friend, Ravi Poojary, had directly witnessed the rape and murder and confided in him. But that friend paid the ultimate price—he was killed, Chinnayya claims, by the very gang that committed the crime, eliminating a key witness forever.

These two narratives—the eyewitness account and the whistleblower’s testimony—have lit a fire across social media. Independent voices, YouTubers, and citizen journalists have amplified what mainstream media has worked so hard to suppress. The effect has been profound: the carefully choreographed campaign of the pro-Dharmasthala lobby in television channels and print media has been shattered.

Mainstream newsrooms, once brimming with manufactured denials, now find themselves on the defensive. Their silence is deafening, their credibility further eroded. And what of the political class? Leaders across the BJP, JD(S), and Congress—so quick to shed tears over selective tragedies—are suddenly struck dumb. They had roared against killings of Hindus in Kashmir or Bangladesh, but when it comes to Hindu girls murdered in their own backyard, they have chosen loyalty to the Dharmasthala syndicate over loyalty to justice.

This silence is more than complicity; it is a betrayal of public trust. The people of Karnataka can see it. They can see that power, money, and influence still outweigh truth and justice in our political culture. But they can also see something else: that truth has an uncanny ability to survive, to reappear, and to haunt those who seek to erase it.

The Dharmasthala case has become more than a criminal investigation. It is now a test of Karnataka’s conscience, a test of whether ordinary people, aided by social media and collective memory, can force open the gates of truth against the strongest bastions of power.

The case reminds us of an old truth: crimes may be buried, witnesses may be silenced, and political parties may conspire—but history has a way of remembering. And Soujanya’s story will not go away.