Bengaluru, 21 Oct 

A delegation of prominent women's rights activists, writers, and social leaders submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah urging him to expedite the implementation of the Ugrappa Committee report and ensure justice for victims of sexual assault and murder in the Dharmasthala case.

The demand comes as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the State government is probing the alleged disappearance of women in the temple town of Dharmasthala.

The delegation, representing the "Who Are the Culprits?" movement, launched in August, submitted a memorandum to Siddaramaiah. 

The activists demanded that the SIT function independently and without interference, reinvestigate closed cases, including those of Soujanya, Padmalatha, and Yamuna/Narayana, and probe the suspicious deaths of witnesses such as Ravi Poojary, Gopalakrishna Gowda, Dinesh Gowda, Warij Acharya, and Harish Madivala.

Other key demands included setting up an independent Gender Justice Support Group, ensuring witness protection and victim rehabilitation, and initiating criminal action against those attempting to obstruct the investigation through political or social influence.

The memorandum also urged the government to establish Internal Committees under the POSH Act in all religious institutions, and expedite both the Ugrappa and Justice Verma Committee reports as part of a long-term strategy.

The 40-member delegation included noted personalities such as Arundhati Nag, Akkai Padmashali, Kavitha Lankesh, Sabiha Bhoomigowda, D Suman Kittur, Padmavati Rao, and Roopa Hasan, among others.