MYSURU: After being cheated and humiliated by relatives and upset over alleged inaction by Hunsur rural police against, a 42-year-old widow and her 24-year-old son have approached ADC Venkatesh, appealing for permission for mercy killing.
The duo Shantha (name changed), wife of late Govindegowda from Thattekere village Hunsur taluk, and her son Raju (name changed) have sought the permission.
Shantha told Deccan Chronicle, “It was 23 years ago, when my son was just 11 months old, I lost my husband. I have studied till class 9. I have one acre of agricultural land and eking out a living by tailoring. My son has studied till PUC and is working. My father-in-law had given a house in our village, which was divided between my brother-in-law Nataraj.”
However, recently Nataraj sold off his portion of the house to their relative Shobhavathi, a nurse in Mysuru. “When I had been to my sister’s place in Mysuru, they had demolished my brother-in-law’s portion and also damaged my house, making it completely unfit to live. When I approached Shobhavathi, she along with her brothers Subramanya, Diwakar, sisters-in-law Shobha, Sumithra and their mother Janakamma assaulted me on December 21, 2017,” she said. Shantha then lodged a complaint with Hunsur rural police but they advised her to go for a compromise, directing the accused to give Rs 2 lakh. But when she approached her relatives for compensation on December 22, they disrobed and assaulted her.
The neighbours came to her rescue by providing clothes and taking her to hospital. Though she reported the incident to the police, they lodged FIR only at a later stage and not initiated any action against the accused. She added, “Being a widow leading life was not easy for me. Yet I have faced life strongly. But I have not been able to take this humiliation and tolerate police apathy.” Shantha has not gone back to the village after the incident as she fears for her life.
Instead of getting killed by those who humiliated me, mercy killing is a better option, Shantha said.
When Deccan Chronicle contacted Mysuru SP Ravi D Channannanavar, he said, “If the victim approaches us with a complaint we will take necessary action.”
