Roopa

WHRD and social activist

Mysore, Karnataka

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on September 17, 2021, regarding the death of WHRD and social activist Ms. Roopa P in Mysore after filing a complaint of rape against a policeman from Karnataka police.

Ms. Roopa was working as a volunteer with various human rights organizations and worked on issues concerning the rights of Dalits, children, and women.

In 2014, Mr. Roopa went to the Hunsoor police station in Mysore for conducting an inquiry on a rape case of a minor girl. Here she got introduced to Sub Inspector P Lokesh. After this, she met SI Lokesh while enquiring about various cases. On one such meeting, he convinced her that he will settle her father’s ancestral agricultural property case which was pending in the civil court.

On March 16, 2021, SI Lokesh called her to the Bettadapura police quarters to discuss the ancestral land dispute and forcibly dragged her to a room, and raped her. After this incident, he continuously visited her mother’s house and gave her assurance that he will marry her. When she forced him to marry her in early July 2021, she was threatened by SI Lokesh’s second wife and first wife, and her brother.

On July 16, 2021, she filed a complaint against SI Lokesh under section 376,417,506 and r/w 34 IPC at the Mysuru Women’s Police station and received three notices from the police for cooperating in the investigation process, which she did. On August 12, 2021, she was admitted to the Mysore government hospital for being weak and mentally stressed. She was fine with proper medication along with proper food. However, she was shifted to the ICU and declared critical. At that time the police team regularly visited the hospital and kept eye on her. On August 20, 2021, she died and the doctor declared that it happened due to anemia. Her body was handed over to her family as they requested not to conduct post mortem. 

It shows WHRD Ms. Roopa died in extremely suspicious circumstances after filing a complaint of rape against the policeman. There was sheer negligence on part of Mysore police in an investigation regarding her death.