Mangaluru: More than five years after 17-year-old Sowjanya was found murdered after being raped in Ujire near Dharmasthala, her mother Kusumavathi Gowda on Monday pledged her support to those fighting sexual assaults against women.

“Five years have gone by since my daughter was murdered. Ever since the day her body was found, I have left no stone unturned to give her justice. I fear no more. I will support anybody who seeks my involvement in movements against such crimes,” she declared before a huge gathering that assembled near the district deputy commissioner’s office to take out a candlelight protest against the recent rapes and brutal murders of girl children across the country.

Sowjanya, then a 17-year-old student, was walking home from the bus stand when she went missing on October 9, 2012. Her body was found at a secluded area near the bus stand the next day. The investigators caught hold of a 40-year-old mentally challenged person and named him the accused.

Narendra Nayak, president, Federation of Indian Rationalist Association, called on mothers to teach their sons to respect women instead of imposing a dress code on their daughters. “Even sari and burkha clad women get raped. A woman is not an object. Unfortunately, a few women politicians in the district, too, favour male chauvinists,” he said, without taking any name.

Catholic Sabha Mangaluru and Dakshina Kannada Muslim League, too, have separately condemned the rapes and murders in various parts of the country.