Karnataka 24December 25*Thousands of Women Converge in Belthangady, Demand Truth and Justice for Dharmasthala Victims*

Karnataka 24December 25*Thousands of Women Converge in Belthangady, Demand Truth and Justice for Dharmasthala Victims*

Belthangady, Dakshina Kannada | December 16
Thousands of women from across Karnataka gathered to walk through the streets of Belthangady in a silent rally with black masks, culminating in a Women’s Justice Convention, demanding truth, justice, and accountability for the rape, disappearance, and unnatural deaths of women and girls reported over several decades in and around Dharmasthala. The mobilisation saw the participation of women, men, members of the trans community, and citizens from diverse social backgrounds across the State.
The rally and convention were organised by “Kondavaru Yaaru – Who Killed the Women of Dharmasthala”, a statewide movement launched in August this year at the time of setting up of a SIT to look into these crimes. Standing with the families of victims seeking justice for the loss of their loved ones, the movement has demanded accountability from the State through protests, advocacy, and public dialogue. It has also sought to challenge the entrenched culture of silence, fear, complicity, and impunity that has shielded perpetrators and denied justice in hundreds of cases. It is a proven fact that many have been killed but in the light of the perpetrators not being identified the question still remains as to “Who Killed the Women?”
In a powerful display of women’s collective strength, solidarity and wisdom, speakers at the rally and convention, including families of those who lost loved ones, articulated what justice means to those who have lived through decades of denial and systemic violence that is often justified and condoned using religion, caste, community and political power.
In her opening remarks, Mallige Sirimane of the Kondavaru Yaaru movement said that holding the rally and convention on December 16—Nirbhaya Day—located the struggle in Dharmasthala within a nationwide continuum of women’s movements, from Hathras to Hassan and Bijapur to Belthangady. She stated that the struggle is for not only known victims such as Vedavalli, Padmalatha, and Soujanya, but also for countless unnamed women whose deaths were never even came into public discourse.
She stressed that the concept of justice that the movement promotes includes not only punishment and accountability but also a deep social transformation rooted in dignity, equality, and coexistence.
Jyothi A, another key member of Kondavaru Yaaru, recalled how nationwide protests following the Nirbhaya case led to swift identification of perpetrators and landmark legal reforms recommended by the Justice Verma Committee. Questioning the absence of similar accountability in Dharmasthala, she asked whether impunity persists because perpetrators here are protected by power and influence. Drawing from her experience on the Ugrappa Committee in 2016, she noted that senior police officials acknowledged over 100 unnatural deaths annually in the region but failed to explain why.
Soundarya, sister of Soujanya—raped and murdered in 2012—said, “Justice is that after my sister’s murder, the deaths of women have reduced and more girls are able to walk these streets without fear.”

Sashikala Shetty of the Justice for Soujanya movement said, “Justice is that today thousands of people have come together to ask who has killed these women and why justice has been delayed for so long.”
In a powerful performance, Dalit poet, writer, and activist Du Saraswathi said, “We are asking not only for the buried bodies to be recovered, but also for the truth buried with them. We will keep asking because we are alive, and the breath of those who died lives within us. We will keep asking and asking and asking and asking till we get answers and the truth.”
The others speakers included Kusumavathy, mother of Soujanya, Indiravathi, sister of Padmalata, writers BM Rohini and Dr Sunandamma, Anasuyamma, a senior activist from the Raitha Sangha, Prasanna Ravi, a well-known activist from the Justice for Soujanaya campaign and Vidya Naik, a women’s rights activist from Belthangady.
The programme that began with the reading of the preamble of the Constitution by Bharathi Prashanth and reading out of the demands of Kondavaru Yaaru by Gowramma, concluded with the submission of memorandums to the Tahsildar at Convention and to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) by a delegation comprising victims’ family members and activists. The memorandums raised serious concerns about unresolved cases, alleged misconduct by investigating officials, and systemic failures that have denied justice to families.
Key demands include ensuring an independent and transparent SIT, comprehensive investigation of all past and unresolved cases, protection of complainants and witnesses under the Witness Protection Scheme, action against officials guilty of negligence, stronger safety measures for women in public and religious spaces, mandatory Internal Complaints Committees in all religious institutions, activation of local committees at the taluk level, and strict action against online abuse and harassment of women seeking justice.
The movement urged the Government of Karnataka, the SIT, and statutory authorities to act with urgency and seriousness to restore public confidence and ensure that justice is neither delayed nor denied.