Pramesh S Jain & Binish Thomas (Sub-Editor)
The POCSO case charging former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa come to fore after the Karnataka State Women’s Commission wrote to City Police Commissioner seeking detailed probe on the death of the victim’s mother under mysterious circumstances at a private hospital on May 27.
The 54-year-old woman succumbed late at night on May 26 due to lung complications at Nano Hospitals in Hulimavu police station limits .
Police sources had said that the woman was an advanced cancer patient.“She visited the hospital complaining of breathing issues and later succumbed,” the source added.
In a letter,Chairperson of the commission,Dr. Nagalakshmi Choudhary,sought a report on the cause of death and the burial of the woman under suspicious manner.
The deceased had complained that Yedyurappa had sexually assaulting 17-year-old daughter at his house in February this year .
Following which a case against him under POCSO has been registered at Sadashivanagar police station in March.
The deceased had even visited the women commission two days before she died.The doctors who treated her at the hospital had declared in the report that she had died due to lung cancer.Even the police officials who had registered a UDR case based on the complaint confirmed the cause of death as death due to her prolonged illness.
This is shocking as a person with lung cancer cannot die suddenly unless the death was due to cardiac or accidental death”,Ms.Choudhary, said.
The Akhila Bharata Janavadi Mahila Sanghatane had filed a complaint, stating that the post-mortem of the woman was not conducted even after her death nor the police followed the procedure which raised suspicion among the doctors.
Though the Hulimavu police based on the complaint registered a case of un-natural death no progress was made in the investigations.
Meanwhile probe which was handed over to the CID, filed a 750-page chargesheet on June 27.
Yediyurappa was charged under Section 8 (punishment for sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Sections 354A (sexual harassment), 204 (destruction of document or electronic record to prevent its production as evidence) and 214 (offering gift or restoration of property in consideration of screening offender) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Along with Yediyurappa,Arun YM,Rudresh M and G Ma
riswamy were named as accused two, three and four, respectively
However, citing alleged inaction by the police in the case, the victim’s brother filed a fresh petition in a court in June, demanding Yediyurappa be arrested and interrogated immediately.
