Girl's suicide sparks violence

By Our Staff Correspondent

MANDYA, NOV. 25. Police lobbed teargas shells and resorted to a lathicharge to disperse a violent mob which had gathered in front of the Mandya District General Hospital. The protesters were seeking action against a Deputy Superintendent of Police who, they alleged, was responsible for the death of a teenaged girl.

The protesters, including relatives of the deceased and villagers from surrounding areas, maintained that the DySP, Mr. Jawaharlal, was to blame for the death of Pratibha (17), who died in the hospital after consuming poison on Friday night. They also demanded the immediate arrest of the officer.

Police said they had to use teargas when the mob, which had confined the Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Athik, and the Superintendent of Police, Mr. Amar Kumar Pandey, in the hospital from this morning, turned violent.

Late in the evening, the local MLA, Mr. Atmananda, and the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha leaders, Mr. Boraiah and Mr. M. Srinivas, along with their supporters, staged a dharna in the hospital.

Sporadic incidents of violence were reported in Mandya town and adjacent areas after the girl's suicide. The situation grew tense when relatives of the girl blocked traffic on the Bangalore- Mysore Road, between Mandya and Maddur. The Mandya District General Hospital and a couple of buses were pelted with stones by the angry mob and business establishments closed down fearing more violence. Traffic on the State highway and a couple of roads in and around Mandya was disrupted. Mr. Jawaharlal was suspended this afternoon and an inquiry ordered into the circumstances leading to the suicide.

Prathibha, a resident of B Gowdanagere near here, reportedly committed suicide after a case was registered against her father and brother for allegedly assaulting a dalit youth, Naveen Kumar (23).

Naveen used to allegedly tease Pratibha daily on her way to college, which she brought to the notice of her father, Mr. Shivaramu, and brother, Mr. Madhu. The two allegedly assaulted Naveen. Later, the matter had come up before the gram panchayat on November 22 where it was decided to drop the case after a settlement between the leaders of the communities involved. But, the protesters alleged that the Dy.SP filed a non-bailable case against the girl's father and brother.

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Section  : Southern States
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