Bengaluru, 29 Aug  

The Karnataka State Commission for Women (KSCW) has appealed to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the rape, murder, and missing persons cases in Dharmasthala to grant immediate protection for Sujata Bhat, the complainant and mother of allegedly missing student Ananya Bhat.

In an official letter to SIT officials, the Commission slammed the media’s relentless harassment of Sujata Bhat. 

Reporters have allegedly chased, humiliated, and coerced her into giving conflicting statements, even going so far as to enter her home late at night for intrusive video recordings, the letter said.

"This isn’t journalism; it’s intimidation," the letter said. The Commission fears that the mental and physical toll on Sujata Bhat could silence a critical voice in the high-profile case.

The SIT was formed following widespread public outcry and media reports on sexual violence and disappearances of women and students in Dharmasthala. 

Sujata Bhat, who initially filed a missing persons complaint about her daughter, has since given conflicting statements, even claiming that she never had a daughter. However, she later retracted that statement.  

The KSCW urged the SIT to provide immediate physical protection to Sujata Bhat and ensure safe and private channels for victims and whistleblowers to give testimony and maintain confidentiality of complainants’ identities .

The Commission emphasised that no woman should suffer a second time simply for seeking justice.