Let Me Explain: How police lapses derail investigations and fail victims

In 2012, the rape and murder of 17-year-old Sowjanya in Karnataka’s temple town of Dharmasthala led to widespread outrage and several protests across the state. Yet, thirteen years later, the perpetrators of the crime have not been brought to justice. Reason: The police allegedly botched up the investigation. 

Despite allegations of manipulating evidence, tampering with medical reports, and derailing the case, and the court reprimanding the police for bungling the investigation, the cops involved in the case faced no consequences. 

Unfortunately, this is not the only case where the police have failed victims of violent crimes. 

Over the years, the same story but with different uniforms has played out from Karnataka to Kerala to Telangana. 

In this episode of Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna opens up the Sowjanya case, recently in news again, and sheds light on all the lapses the police have been accused of. She also looks at other cases derailed allegedly by shoddy police investigation, and how police probes can be made more efficient.

Watch.

We have a new Sena project to report on police excesses across at least eight states in India, and how these impact everyday Indians. Click here to contribute.