Hubli’s Hasty Encounter vs. Mandya’s Masterful Justice: A Tale of Two Child Rape Cases | Opinion

synopsis

When a child is raped and killed, it breaks everyone’s heart. People want justice, and they want it fast. In Karnataka, two terrible cases—Malavalli in Mandya (2022) and Vijayanagara in Hubli (2025)—show two different ways police handled such crimes. In Mandya, then SP N. Yatish and his team worked hard and smart, sending the culprit to jail for life. In Hubli, Commissioner N. Shashikumar’s police shot the accused dead in an encounter, leaving many questions unanswered. Mandya gives hope; Hubli makes us worry. Let’s look at both and see what they tell us about protecting our kids.

Mandya: Justice That Stands Strong

In October 2022, Malavalli was in shock. A 10-year-old girl was raped and murdered by her 51-year-old tuition teacher, Kantharaju. He called her for a “tuition class,” attacked her, choked her with a plastic rope, and threw her body in a water tank. Led by then SP N. Yatish, Mandya police didn’t waste time. The law gave them 60 days to file a chargesheet, but they did it in just 14 days. Their 683-page report had everything—statements from four witnesses, CCTV videos, phone records showing Kantharaju called the girl a day before, and even proof he bought the rope from a shop in Mysuru. Three public prosecutors checked the report to make sure it was perfect.

Kantharaju tried to act innocent. He joined the search for the girl and blamed someone else. But Yatish’s team caught his lies. They found his phone calls and proved he planned the crime. The Chief Minister kept a close eye, and a Special Public Prosecutor was brought in for a quick trial, while ADGP (Law and Order) Alok Kumar oversaw the broader effort. On October 19, 2024, Special Pocso Court Judge Manjula Itti sentenced Kantharaju, a father of two, to stay in jail till he dies, plus a Rs 60,000 fine. This was proper justice—clear, careful, and giving peace to the girl’s family. It showed police can do things right when they focus on truth, not show.

Hubli: A Bullet, But No Answers

Now, let’s talk about Hubli in April 2025. In Vijayanagara, a five-year-old girl was raped and killed in an empty shed by Ritesh Kumar, a 35-year-old worker from Bihar. CCTV showed him tempting her with chocolates, and neighbors heard her screams. Under Commissioner Shashikumar, police acted super fast. Within hours, they found Ritesh. But when they took him to check his identity, things went wrong. Police say he threw stones at their vehicle. Sub-Inspector Annaporneshwari fired a warning shot, then shot him in the leg and back when he tried to run. Ritesh died in hospital. Shashikumar called it justice for the “helpless.”

People clapped—a bad man was gone. But something feels off. Unlike Mandya, Hubli’s case ended too quickly. There’s no chargesheet, no court case, no witnesses from outside the police to say what really happened. Was Ritesh so dangerous, or did police just want to calm the angry crowd? Annaporneshwari was brave, and three officers got hurt, no doubt. But bravery doesn’t tell us why a stranger could take a child in the middle of the day or why police weren’t patrolling to stop it. Mandya’s justice was tested and proved; Hubli’s looks like a half-told story.

Two Ways, One Lesson

Mandya and Hubli show police at their best and worst. In Mandya, then SP Yatish and his team moved fast but didn’t skip steps. They caught Kantharaju, proved his crime, and got him jailed till death. Every detail—witnesses, phone records, court—was open for all to see. The girl’s family got justice, and people felt the law worked. In Hubli, Shashikumar’s quick action stopped Ritesh, but it also stopped the truth. Was he working alone? Could another child be in danger? When you kill the accused, you close the case, but you don’t fix the fear.

Karnataka’s police have bigger problems. Some officers are said to misuse power for personal gain, protected by big names. These stories make Mandya’s good work look like a rare thing. Hubli’s encounter feels like police trying to look tough instead of fixing what’s broken.

Opinion: Hubli Must Learn from Mandya

Shashikumar’s team in Hubli showed courage—they risked their lives to catch a criminal. But courage isn’t enough. Mandya’s then SP Yatish showed justice means catching the bad guy and proving it in court, like Kantharaju’s lifetime in jail. Hubli’s encounter made people feel better for a day, but it left too many “what ifs.” No witnesses, no trial, no way to know if this can happen again. Shooting someone isn’t the same as solving a problem.

Karnataka needs police who act fast like Hubli but plan smart like Mandya. Cases should be open, with independent checks on encounters and no place for dirty officers. The shed in Hubli, where a little girl died, is a warning. Mandya answered it with a sentence that gave justice. Hubli needs to do more than pull triggers—it needs to build trust.

What’s Next

Every child we lose deserves more than tears or bullets. Karnataka needs police who are brave and honest—officers like Annaporneshwari backed by leaders who stay clean. Cameras on police, checks on their money, and patrols to keep kids safe—these aren’t just ideas, they’re needs. Mandya’s win, putting Kantharaju away forever, shows how it’s done. Hubli’s rush shows why we can’t relax. Let’s make justice something we can count on, not something that disappears like smoke.

(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)