Mangaluru: Chinnaiah Lodges Complaint With SIT Over Calls To Relatives
The caller also allegedly sought Chinna’s mobile phone number and details about his family members: Reports
Mangaluru: Chinnaiah alias Chinna CN, who has approached the Karnataka High Court seeking directions for expediting the investigation in connection with the Dharmasthala case, on Monday lodged a complaint with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) alleging attempts to influence witnesses and interfere with the ongoing probe.
Last year, Chinnaiah had alleged the existence of burials of women who were allegedly sexually assaulted in Dharmasthala. He was arrested for perjury. However, he later told a trial court that the allegations were untrue and said he had made the statements at the behest of a group of activists.
In a complaint submitted to the SIT on June 15, he alleged that certain persons had contacted his relatives after he filed a Writ Petition before the High Court on June 6. In the petition, he has sought directions to expedite the investigation and submission of the final report of the inquiry conducted by the SIT and has also sought action against Mahesh Shetty Timarody, Girish Mattannavar, Vittal Gowda, Jayanth T, Sujatha Bhat and certain YouTube channels and other individuals.
According to his complaint, the High Court, while hearing the petition, issued notices to the State government and the SIT and directed them to furnish a report on the progress of the investigation.
Giving details, Chinna alleged that on the night of June 12, a person identified as Abhishek, said to be associated with a YouTube channel, contacted his relative Purushotham through WhatsApp and questioned him about the writ petition.
He alleged that the caller repeatedly sought to know who was behind the petition, who was assisting him, and what had prompted the legal action. The caller also allegedly sought Chinna’s mobile phone number and details about his family members.
The complainant further alleged that around the same time, Girish Mattannavar contacted Ravi, his wife's nephew, and sought information about him and the reasons for filing the writ petition. According to the complaint, both callers attempted to gather information about his family and spoke in a manner that created fear and exerted indirect pressure.
Chinnaiah stated that Purushotham and Ravi later informed him about the calls and expressed concern over their safety.
“After I filed the writ petition before the High Court, efforts are now being made to contact my family members, gather information about me, and influence me. I strongly suspect that these actions form part of a conspiracy designed to pressure me into withdrawing the writ petition that I have filed before the High Court,” he stated.
“These incidents have caused fear and anxiety among my family members. They have expressed serious concerns about their safety and security. As a result, unnecessary mental stress and an atmosphere of fear have been created within our family,” he added.
The complaint noted that both Purushotham and Ravi had earlier been questioned by the SIT in connection with the Dharmasthala case and could be important witnesses in the case.
“The persons who contacted them appear to have attempted to threaten them, influence the investigation, and obstruct the judicial process. Hence, appropriate legal action should be taken against all those responsible,” he sought.
He also demanded protection for himself and his family.