On September 29 the Director General of Police and Inspector General Dr M A Saleem issued an order that 16 police personnel will serve as assistants to the Special Investigation Team probing the Sowjanya murder case in Dharmasthala, following the Supreme Court directive for a fresh inquiry.
The SIT, originally formed on September 24, is headed by IPS officer N Shashikumar, Inspector General of Police. Its core members include Commissioner C H Sudheer Kumar Reddy of Mangalore City, intelligence officer Nisha James of Bengaluru State Intelligence, Superintendent Lokesh Jagalasar of Bengaluru CID, and Additional Superintendent Venkatesh Prasanna of Bengaluru Rural District.
The newly appointed assistants comprise senior officers and staff from various districts. Among them are Assistant Commissioners of Police Manoj Kumar Nayak (Mangalore City CCB) and Ramachandra B (Bengaluru CCB), CID Inspector Deepak, Inspectors Mohan D Patil and Ishwari of Madiwala Traffic Police, Police Sub Inspectors Puneeth Gavankar (Konaje), Pradeep (South Traffic), Anita Nikam (Kankanady), and several constables and support staff such as Pradeep Kumar Rai, Govardhan, Dinesh N, Radhakrishna K K, Reji V M, Rajendra Prasad V P, and woman staff member Pramila of Kankanady.
Each assistant has been instructed to report immediately to the SIT headquarters in Bengaluru after being relieved of duties at their respective stations. The reinforcement aims to accelerate the re‑investigation, gather fresh evidence and address procedural gaps identified by the higher court.
The Sowjanya murder, which took place in the pilgrimage town of Dharmasthala, has attracted sustained public attention. The expanded team reflects the state government’s commitment to ensuring a thorough and transparent probe, as mandated by the Supreme Court.
Image: varthabharati.in
📰 Source: Vartha Bharati DK