Feminist Alliance urges Siddaramaiah to expand SIT probe into Dharmasthala sexual crimes

ALIFA also urged the formation of an independent support group of women’s rights experts to assist the SIT and ensure gender justice.

Amit Vasudev

Published Oct 29, 2025 | 4:44 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 29, 2025 | 4:44 PM

The letter warns that failure to deliver justice risks eroding public trust in the state’s commitment to women’s safety and constitutional values.

Synopsis: ALIFA urges Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah to expand SIT probe into decades of rapes, murders, and suspicious deaths of women in Dharmasthala. Endorsing “Kondavaru Yaaru” campaign, 43 feminists demand independent investigation, action against negligent officials, witness protection, and POSH committees in religious institutions. Justice delayed risks constitutional failure, warns letter.

The All-India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA), part of the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), has written to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah demanding a comprehensive, independent probe into decades of rapes, murders, and suspicious deaths of women in Dharmasthala, Dakshina Kannada district.

In a strongly worded letter dated October 25, 2025, 43 prominent feminists, activists, and academics from across India endorsed the statewide campaign ‘Kondavaru Yaaru? Who Killed Women in Dharmasthala?‘ and called for urgent action to address systemic failures, police negligence, and institutional cover-ups.

Despite complaints from victims’ families, many cases—including those of Soujanya, Padmalatha, and Yamuna/Narayana—were closed without justice. The mysterious deaths of key witnesses, such as Ravi Poojary and Gopalakrishna Gowda, remain uninvestigated.

Also Read: Dharmasthala case: Karnataka HC seeks information on petitioners’ claim of more burial sites

While the Karnataka government formed an SIT in July 2025 to probe “mass burial” cases, ALIFA insists the scope must expand to cover “all unresolved crimes“ over the past decades.

ALIFA Letter to Karnataka CM on Dharmasthala SIT and Crimes against Women

Following are group‘s demands:

1. Full independence and resources for the SIT, free from political, administrative, or religious pressure 
2. Re-investigation of closed cases and suspicious witness deaths 
3. Legal action against negligent officials, as directed by the Karnataka High Court (September 13, 2024) and Special CBI Court (June 16, 2023), under BNS Section 199 (formerly IPC 166A)
4. Protection, anonymity, and rehabilitation for complainants, witnesses, and victims’ families
5. Prosecution of anyone obstructing justice, regardless of influence
6. Mandatory POSH committees in all religious institutions with independent oversight
7. Implementation of of Ugrappa (2018) and Verma Committee reports on preventing violence against women 
8. Statewide safety measures: CCTV in public and religious spaces, women’s help desks, and awareness campaigns
9. Supreme Court-mandated healthy sex education promoting mutual respect

ALIFA also urged the formation of an independent support group of women’s rights experts to assist the SIT and ensure gender justice.

The ‘Kondavaru Yaaru‘ campaign has been mobilising statewide, with events planned through November, culminating in a major gathering on Human Rights Day, December 10, 2025.

Signatories include feminist historian J Devika, activist Gabriele Dietrich, journalist Geeta Seshu, PUCL’s Adv. Vertika Mani, and Adivasi rights defender Bhanumathi Kalluri, among others.

The letter warns that failure to deliver justice risks eroding public trust in the state’s commitment to women’s safety and constitutional values.

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