(Image source from: news.mb.com.ph)

On April 15, the 23-year-old engineering student in Karnataka’s Raichur district was found hanging from a tree and five days after the death of their daughter, the parents of the girl addressed the media in a press conference in Raichur on Saturday.

The woman, who went missing on April 13, was found hanging from a tree and the body was burnt at a farm located behind the Husukina Hanumantha temple near Manik Prabhu Layout in Raichur on April 15.

The woman’s parents alleged that their daughter was harassed by a man named Sudarshan Yadav for the last six months.

Although the police alleged that the victim was in a relationship with Sudarshan Yadav, her parents completely denied it.

“My daughter became friends with Sudarshan when she was in PU (pre-university) college. Six months ago, they had a falling out and she stopped talking to him. Ever since Sudarshan began harassing my daughter. He would keep following her all the time. Her father had to always be with her and drop her to college on several occasions to make sure that Sudarshan does not trouble her. We know what our daughter went through and how miserable she had become because of him,” the woman’s mother said.

The woman’s parents alleged that when their daughter did not come home on April 13, they had rushed to the Sadar Bazaar Police Station at around 7 pm to file a complaint. But the police did not take their complaint seriously.

"When we went to file the complaint, no one took us seriously. When they informed us later that our daughter was dead, we refused to believe it. Her birthday was on April 16 and we got a cake and cut it hoping she would come home,” the woman’s mother said, as she broke down. 

“There is a station writer at the Sadar Bazaar Police Station named Anjaneya. He is Sudarshan Yadav’s uncle and he was the one who influenced the other police officers present at the station to not take our complaint seriously,” the woman’s mother added.

Her parents alleged that her scooter, a white color Honda Activa was found parked inside the college campus near the library and that her phone had been switched off since the night of April 13. They also stated that Anjaneya had their daughter’s phone, which the police later recovered.

The Netaji Nagar Police had found a death note next to the woman's body. The note stated that the woman was taking her own life as she had backlogs in a few subjects. The victim’s parents stated that the handwriting on the death note was their daughter’s, but they alleged that Sudarshan may have forced her to.

The woman’s death triggered protests across the nation demanding justice. Acquaintances of the woman contended that the suicide note was fake and that it was a clear case of murder. 

Faced with massive protests, police officials who had maintained that it was a case of suicide, were forced to register a case of rape and murder on Thursday.

Sudarshan Yadav was arrested by the Netaji Nagar Police on the night of April 18 after the victim's parents filed a complaint against him. A case of rape and murder has been filed against him.

By Sowmya Sangam