Will Hubli's Encounter Cloud Mandya’s Clarity or Appease Our Grief? Opinion

When a child is cruelly taken, it wounds us all—but what happens when confusion clouds justice? Two Karnataka cases—Mandya in 2022 and Hubli in 2025—show starkly different paths. Mandya’s police, led by SP N. Yatish, delivered undeniable truth in a child’s rape and murder case, earning trust. Hubli’s gunfire left a five-year-old’s killing mired in doubt. Could unconfirmed rumors of rape have derailed justice in Hubli? What must India do to protect our children with clarity, not chaos?

Mandya: A Standard of Truth

In October 2022, Malavalli, Mandya, faced horror. A 10-year-old girl was raped and murdered by her 51-year-old tuition teacher, Kantharaju. The Investigating Officer, under SP Yatish and overseen by then-ADGP Law and Order Alok Kumar, built a 683-page chargesheet in 14 days. Phone records, CCTV, a rope receipt, and witness accounts left no room for lies. Kantharaju joined the search, feigning innocence, but the evidence exposed his planned crime, down to a call made a day earlier. By October 2024, Judge Manjula Itti sentenced him to life with a Rs 60,000 fine. The family gained closure, and Mandya grew safer. This was justice laid bare—transparent, solid, a beacon for trust.

Hubli: Rumors Over Reason?

On April 13, 2025, Vijayanagara, Hubli, lost a five-year-old girl in a shed, allegedly to Ritesh Kumar, a 35-year-old worker. CCTV captured him luring her with chocolates—but does it tell the whole story? Commissioner N. Shashikumar’s team tracked him fast, but what happened next? They claim Ritesh threw stones, prompting Sub-Inspector Annaporneshwari to fire—a warning shot, then bullets to his leg and back. He died before a hospital. Was this the only path to stop him? Did it silence the truth?

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No tape was involved, yet strangulation was confirmed—why did rape rumors spread? Police suspected it, but with post-mortem reports pending, how did this assumption catch fire? Did whispers of rape, unproven, ignite the crowd’s fury, as some believe? Locals cheered Ritesh’s death, but what was answered? Was he alone? Why was a child at risk in daylight? Without a trial, how can the family find peace? Are Hubli’s streets safer, or gripped by fear? Did rumors rush justice into a dead end?

Opinion: Clarity as the Goal

Mandya’s Investigating Officer, guided by Yatish, set a gold standard. The 683-page chargesheet was a promise: truth for all to see. It proved Kantharaju’s guilt, offering a town a foundation to heal. Trust came from openness, like daylight on a scar. Can Hubli rise to this?

Hubli’s encounter feels like a haze. Shashikumar’s team acted boldly—but was it enough? CCTV showed Ritesh’s act, yet his death left voids. Why did unconfirmed rape claims, lacking post-mortem proof, drive public rage? Could a trial have clarified—strangulation alone, or more? Why end a case with questions open? Was crowd anger a hidden force? Shouldn’t justice answer fears, not amplify them?

India needs Mandya’s way. Yatish’s 2022 leadership showed police can deliver facts over frenzy. Hubli’s gunfire stopped one man, but did it stop the problem? Could a court have revealed how to protect kids—more patrols, safer spaces? Why settle for a spark when clarity builds shields? Don’t rumors, unchecked, risk more than they solve?

A Call for Our Children

Every lost child is a debt unpaid. Mandya settled it with proof that Kantharaju would harm no more, honoring the victim. Hubli left us guessing: was justice done, or just a crowd appeased? Why let unproven rape rumors shape the story? Could body cams, open records, or court reviews ensure truth prevails? That Hubli shed is more than a tragedy—it’s a challenge. Mandya answered with light. Hubli, and India, must ask: how do we make justice a protector, not a question mark?

(The author Girish Linganna of this article is an award-winning Science Writer and a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach him, at: girishlinganna@gmail.com)