Soujanya Case: Karnataka SIT Begins Fresh Probe in Mangaluru

SIT members Intelligence SP Nisha James and CID SP Lokesh Jagalsar arrived in Mangaluru on Thursday morning and are scheduled to meet Mangaluru Police Commissioner C.H. Sudheer Kumar Reddy, who is also part of the team. The officers are expected to discuss the investigation strategy and the next course of action. A separate office is also being arranged for the SIT.

The fresh probe follows directions from the Supreme Court, which ordered a reinvestigation into the case and directed the Karnataka government to constitute a special team. The SIT has been given three months to complete the investigation and submit its report to the competent court.

The Karnataka government constituted the five-member SIT on September 24. The team is headed by IGP N. Shashikumar and includes Mangaluru City Police Commissioner C.H. Sudheer Kumar Reddy, Intelligence SP Nisha James, CID SP Lokesh Jagalsar and Bengaluru Rural ASP Venkatesh Prasanna.

Meanwhile, ASP Venkatesh Prasanna has sought to be relieved from the SIT after some social activists and members of Soujanya's family reportedly raised objections to his inclusion in the team.

State Home Minister Priyank Kharge said on Wednesday that the government was committed to ensuring justice in the case and would consider concerns raised by Soujanya's family and members of the public over the appointment of officers.

"The SIT was formed with the best intentions. We do not have any bad intentions or any intention to cause damage to anyone," Kharge said, adding that the government's objective was to establish the truth and ensure justice.

Kharge also said the government would not take a rigid position on the matter and would proceed in accordance with the Supreme Court's directions.

The case has remained under scrutiny following investigations by the Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department and the Central Bureau of Investigation. The accused named in the CBI case was acquitted by a court, prompting renewed demands from Soujanya's family and others for a fresh investigation.

The new SIT has now been tasked with examining the case afresh and completing its investigation within the three-month timeframe prescribed by the Supreme Court.