Udupi: One Year Gone – No Headway in Padmapriya Case
by Rajesh S.
Daijiworld Media Network- Mangalore (RS)
Mangalore / Udupi, June 11: It is one year since Udupi MLA Raghupathi Bhat’s wife Padmapriya incident surfaced and her subsequent death under mysterious circumstances. But the reasons for her death are still shrouded in mystery. The case has been handed over of Corps of Detectives (CoD) and is investigation is on.
But even after one year the CoD has failed to file the charge sheet or enquiry report to the government. The CoD had initially surprised the district court by submitting that they have not received the post mortem report on Padmapriya. While nothing is known about the developments after that the Chief Judicial Magistrate Cour in Udupi has fixed June 24, 2009 for submitting the charge sheet on Athul Rao, who is arrested for allegedly kidnapping Padmapriya and abetting her suicide.
Home Minister of the state V S Acharya's involvement in the suicide case had raised many eyebrows and unanswered questions, is also tightlipped about the progress made by the CoD. V S Acharya’s contradictory statements had created lot of confusion following Padmapriya’s death under mysterious circumstance.
According to a source Padmapriya’s family has lost complete faith in the enquiry. The family has suffered silently ever since her tragic death of their daughter. Now the family has nothing but the sweet memories of her childhood, marriage and her visits to home after marriage. Everything else that followed is nothing but a nightmare from which the family is yet to come to terms with.
Police officials are also taciturn when it comes to divulging information about Padmapriya’s death. They are only willing to reveal that the case is under investigation by COD following Raghupathi Bhat’s complaint about the kidnapping and subsequent death of his wife. In the complaint Raghupathi Bhat had named his childhood friend and contractor Athul Rao as the main suspect in her kidnap and subsequent death. In this connection Manipal police had arrested Athul Rao on June 23, 2008 and was subsequently released on bail on 3rd September, 2009.
It may be recalled here that Raghupathi Bhat had filed complaint about his missing wife after finding her car near Kunjaragiri hills near Katapady on June 13, 2008. Padmapriya had disappeared from her home from June 10, and she was found hanging in an apartment in Dwaraka Sector near Delhi on June 15, 2008. The incident was a big jolt to the BJP government which had assumed power in Karnataka in May 2008. Following foul play and demand from the opposition parties the government finally relented to hand over the case to CoD.
Athul who is in Udupi is facing trial and is appearing in the police station as per court orders. Refusing to give any details about the case he says he believes in the Indian judiciary and the court will decide about the guilty.
In the meanwhile in a complete new twist to the case Athul’s lawyer Naushad Khashimji was gunned down in Mangalore under mysterious circumstances. Naushed firmly believed that Padmapriya’s death was murder and not suicide. The murder of Naushad also has left many questions unanswered. Now the case is handled by senior advocate Purushotham Poojary.
Social activist Shrirama Divan believes that it was a clear case of murder. An enquiry means Ragupathi Bhat will be the accused and being a MLA belonging to the ruling party one wonders whether justice would be done and whether the guilty would be punished. Diwan says “the case is almost as good as closed considering the involvement of ruling party MLA.
With pressure from women’s organizations and opposition political parties the government had agreed for a CoD inquiry. The matter also came in for discussion in the state assembly with members expressing their apprehensions. The opposition members exclaimed saying if this is the fate that awaits a MLA’s life, one can just comprehend the fate of common people when it comes to protecting their lives.
Public memory is short and with the passage of time the case has lost its earlier sheen and vitality. But that should not happen as public money was involved in her search and people want to know the real cause of her death. Moreover Raghupathi Bhat is a public person, a political representative of the people. He is certainly answerable to the people who have reposed their trust in him by electing him to the state assembly. Justice delayed is justice denied. It is the duty of the government to speed up the investigation and punish the guilty responsible for her death.
When Daijiworld tried contacting Raghupathi Bhat he refused to comment saying the matter is under investigation by CoD.
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