New twist in Soujanya rape and murder: Court summons 3 from Dharmasthala

[email protected] (CD Network)
November 20, 2016

Mangaluru, Nov 20: In a new twist to the 2012 Soujanya rape and murder case, a Special CBI Court has summoned three persons from Dharmasthala not named by the investigation agency in its charge sheet.

Soujanya

Soujanya, who was then a 17-year-girl and II PUC student of SDM college, Ujire was raped and murdered while returning home after finishing classes on October 10, 2012. This had triggered widespread protests in Dakshina Kannada.

The 50th Additional Sessions Court on Saturday issued summons to Mallik Jain, Uday Jain and Dheeraj Jain of Dharmasthala. The judge directed the trio to appear before the court and face the trial.

The summons were issued based on the petition filed by Soujanya's father Chandrappa Gouda pleading before the court to consider the trio as accused, saying they are involved in the murder.

The trial of the case is in progress. Witness statements by two doctors who conducted post-mortem on the body have given a new twist to the case. During cross examination, they testified that the crime was committed by more than one person.

While issuing the summons under Section 319 of CrPC, the court observed that Santosh Rao, given his mental ailments, couldn't have committed the crime alone. It relied on the doctor's statements for issuing the summons to Jain trio, sources said.

The CID had arrested Santosh Rao, who suffers from depression and other mental ailments, in connection with the murder. Now, the Special CBI Court has summoned the three others, based on new information presented during the trial. Till date, Public Prosecutor Shivananda Perla has examined 15 witnesses, including the two doctors. 

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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News Network
November 29,2025

DKSsiddu.jpg

New Delhi: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah and deputy CM DK Shivakumar on Saturday put up a dramatic display of unity at a closely watched joint press briefing, firmly dismissing weeks of speculation about a power-sharing tussle within the Congress. With the high command nudging both leaders to sit together and settle the dust, the meeting became a political spectacle, ending with the duo declaring that there was “no confusion, no differences.”

Calling the reports of a rift “manufactured confusion,” Siddaramaiah said the talks had gone smoothly, even joking about their breakfast. “Breakfast was very good. All three of us enjoyed it,” he said. “We want to end this confusion once and for all. For local elections and for 2028, our mission is clear — Congress must return to power. There is no difference between me and DKS, not now, not before.”

He blamed the media for fuelling rumours and reiterated absolute adherence to the party leadership. “From tomorrow, let there be no confusion. What the high command says, we will follow.”

Siddaramaiah also assured that the Assembly session starting December 8 would run smoothly and vowed that Congress would take on the BJP and JD(S) “together.”

Shivakumar echoed the chief minister word for word, stressing loyalty and discipline. “People have given us a massive mandate. It is our duty to deliver,” he said. “This government was formed under Siddaramaiah’s leadership. We both have complete trust in the high command. If they tell me to wait, I will wait.”

He added that the two leaders had discussed strategy for the 2028 Assembly elections. “Whatever the CM says, I agree. We are loyal soldiers of the party. The party may be facing challenges nationally, but we will keep it strong in Karnataka.”

Shivakumar also said Siddaramaiah would soon visit his home for lunch or dinner — another symbolic gesture meant to underline their unity.

Both leaders later posted on social media describing the breakfast meeting as “productive” and focused on “Karnataka’s priorities.”

The BJP, however, rejected the show of camaraderie as “pure bunkum,” accusing Congress of trying to paper over an internal power struggle. But Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar insisted their united front would continue — and that there was “no confusion” within the state leadership.

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