Congress’s moral test in Dharmasthala

 The unfolding horror in Dharmasthala has become more than a local tragedy. It has grown into a test of moral authority for the Congress party and, in particular, for the Sonia Gandhi family.

Women’s organisations in Karnataka, representing ten different bodies and forty signatories, recently wrote to Sonia Gandhi urging her to intervene. Their demand was simple: ensure that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) does its work without bias, secures justice for victims, punishes culprits regardless of status, and holds negligent officials accountable. That such groups felt compelled to write directly to the party’s national president speaks volumes about their lack of faith in the state leadership.

The roots of this distrust go back to the Soujanya rape and murder case. When the trial court acquitted the main accused, Santosh Rao, it did not stop there. It pointed a finger at the police and prosecution for mishandling the case and went so far as to recommend an “acquittal committee” to hold officials accountable. The Siddaramaiah government ignored that extraordinary judicial recommendation, never explaining why. That abdication of responsibility continues to fuel public anger.

What makes matters worse is the dismissive posture of senior leaders. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar declared that the accusations of rape and murder were part of a conspiracy to tarnish the Heggade family, custodians of the Dharmasthala temple. Home Minister G. Parameshwara echoed similar views. Such statements send an unmistakable signal: the SIT is not meant to uncover the truth but to protect the powerful.

This is where Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra cannot afford to remain silent. Both are widely regarded as strong women leaders, with Priyanka herself now a Member of Parliament. Observers rightly ask: why should it take a letter from women’s groups to draw their attention to crimes that have already scarred Karnataka and shamed India? Nobody can plausibly claim ignorance. Reports of Dharmasthala rapes, murders, and a disturbing pattern of institutional cover-ups have circulated widely in national and international media. In such a climate, silence is not neutrality; it is complicity.

 If women in positions of great power fail to stand with vulnerable women, what hope remains for those who seek justice?

The Gandhis now face a clear choice. They can continue to look the other way, thereby eroding whatever credibility Congress retains on women’s rights. Or they can act—by ensuring an impartial probe, insisting that no one, however wealthy or influential, is beyond the reach of justice, and reaffirming that women’s safety and dignity matter more than protecting entrenched elites.

If they choose silence, the message to civil society will be unmistakable: Congress is no different from the BJP, which it denounces as anti-human and anti-woman. But if they choose to act, the Gandhis can still redeem lost time and send a message of hope. The moral burden is theirs to carry.