CM orders CID probe into Nandita death; Thirthahalli returns to normalcy

Mysore/Thirthahalli, Nov 5: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday ordered a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe into the mysterious death of a schoolgirl in Thirthahalli of Shimoga district recently.

In Thirthahalli town, life returned to normal after Monday's violence and bandh in protest against the death of the 14-year-old girl. However, prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC will be in force till November 5, the police said.

The Department of Public Instruction has ordered schools and colleges closed on November 5 as well.

Asked about the autopsy report which states that the girl was not raped, the parents, Vimala and T G Krishnappa, said, “We have not mentioned rape in the complaint. We only said they tried to rape her. Some local women, who had gone to Anandagiri hill near Tunga college, where the girl was taken by three young men, rescued our daughter. The intention of the men was clear. Seeing the women, they fled the scene.”

The parents rejected the CID probe saying, “We have no faith in it. The case should be probed by CBI. In spite of naming the accused, police have not arrested them so far.”

Leaders of various political parties visited the house of the girl and consoled the parents.

BJP MP and former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to refer the case to the CBI. Speaking to media persons after visiting the girl's house, he said police had failed to conduct a fair probe.

Meanwhile, the death of the girl took a new twist with the police discovering a death note from her school bag. However, parents of the girl when contacted by Deccan Herald, said: “The death note is a cooked-up story by the police and district in-charge minister Kimmane Ratnakar with the intention of protecting the culprits.

The handwriting in the note does not match our daughter's. Besides, her name is K B Nandita and not K G Nandita as written at the bottom, which is unusual. Nobody writes the name at the end of the letter. Generally, people put their signature. Above all, the letter is addressed to her sister, who is just 11 months old. Why would she write to an infant?”

In the death note, the girl is reported to have said that she was committing a mistake (of dying) because she was poor in studies. She apologized to her parents and asked her sister to fulfill their dreams.