Mysuru: When the Fast-Track Special Court constituted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in Mysuru yesterday sentenced Karthik – 32 to death for the rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl during last year’s Dasara festivities, the courtroom was packed with lawyers, most of them women.  

As Judge Anand P. Hoogade pronounced the verdict, several women advocates folded their hands in a gesture of respect and gratitude to the judiciary. 

The rape and murder of the girl, who had come to Mysuru with her parents during Dasara to sell balloons, had shocked the city and triggered widespread outrage. 

Public anger was intense, with many questioning why the accused had not been shot in the chest or head when he tried to escape during a spot inspection. Sub-Inspector Jaikeerthi of Vijayanagar Police Station had shot him in the leg during the escape attempt. 

Reward for Cops 

Soon after the verdict, Mysuru City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar announced rewards for the Police personnel who investigated the case. The Police arrested the accused within 24 hours, completed the investigation and filed the charge sheet within the stipulated time.  

The investigation was led by ACP K. Rajendra of Devaraja Sub-Division, assisted by ACPs Ravi Prasad of Vijayanagar Sub-Division, Shivashankar of Traffic Sub-Division and K.T. Mathews Thomas of Narasimharaja Sub-Division. 

The Inspectors were Mahadevaswamy, C. Nandeesh Kumar, P.I. Ashok and Swarna. The Sub-Inspectors were N. Anil Kumar (CCB), M.L. Siddesh (NR Traffic Station), Jaikeerthi (Vijayanagar Station), Nataraju (Nazarbad Station) and Doddaiah. ASI D. Srinivas Prasad also assisted in the investigation. 

The Head Constables were R.S. Krishna, Vasanth, H.D. Gopal, Satish Kumar, M.A. Manjunath, Niranjan, Kumar, Shashidhar Aradhya, Jayalakshmi, Nagendra and Prakash. 

The Constables were Praveen, Nandeesh, Mohammad Ismail, Srinivasamurthy, Sunil, Mahesh, Umesh, Devaraju, Honappa, Nandeesh, Vinod Rathod, Kiran Rathod, Chethan, Shivarajappa, Gangadhar, Venkatesh, Sanju and Sandesh Kumar. 

Drivers Dinesh, Praveen, Neelakanth Rao and Manjunath also supported the operation. The Forensic/Scene of Crime (SOCO) team, comprising Pallavi and Manu, assisted in collecting evidence. The team’s collective effort ensured a watertight case.