On March 15, a full bench of the Karnataka High Court dismissed a batch of petitions filed by Muslim girls studying in pre-university colleges in Udupi seeking the right to wear hijabs in classrooms. (File Photo)Bengaluru Highlights: Girl students in many parts of Karnataka were denied entry into their respective educational institutions Saturday as they arrived in hijabs, despite a court order, as the issue showed no signs of abating after its flare-up about a fortnight ago that prompted the government to close down colleges and institutions for a couple of days.
In other news, Covid-19 cases in Karnataka further declined Saturday compared to the last two days, with the state recording 1,137 fresh infections and 20 fatalities. This took the cumulative cases and deaths to 39,35,585 and 39,777 respectively, the Health Department said.
Noted film actor Rajesh (82), who had earned the fame of ‘Kala Tapasvi’, passed away after age-related complications in a private hospital on Saturday. The actor was undergoing treatment in a private hospital for multiple ailments where he breathed his last, said his family sources.
Prof Venugopal said the initial intake of the course is 30 seats each for BA and BSc. (File)
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The Karnataka government will permit processions on Rajyotsava Day (November 1) only after getting consent from health experts overseeing the Covid-19 situation in the state, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Wednesday.
The CM's reaction came in Belagavi in response to several pro-Kannada organisations demanding the government's approval to conduct public processions on the state's formation day.
The organisations cited that such processions were not held since 2019 due to the pandemic and that the same could be conducted this time as Mysore Dasara and other celebrations were allowed to be held this time.
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After Karnataka BJP State president Nalin Kumar Kateel made disparaging comments against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently, former Chief Minister and BJP senior leader on Wednesday asked his Kateel to refrain from making such remarks against Rahul Gandhi.
Kateel on Tuesday had said that Rahul Gandhi is a "drug addict and a drug peddler". While speaking at an event in Hubballi, Kateel claimed his remarks on Rahul were based on media reports. Congress leaders had sharply condemned the statement, asking Kateel to resign from the post.
Yediyurappa, who is in Sindagi to campaign for the BJP candidate for the coming Assembly bypolls, said “ no one should speak in a derogatory way against a leader like Rahul Gandhi for whom my party workers have respect. I will talk to him(Kateel) to know what is the background behind such a statement. There was no need to speak that way.”
The Karnataka state technical advisory committee (TAC) on Covid-19 has advised the government to start vaccinating children aged 16-17 and those with comorbidities first once Covid vaccines for children are approved in the country.
However, government officials said that guidelines in this regard will have to first come from the Union government.
The recommendation is based on the premise that initially the vaccine availability will be limited and it would be prudent to prioritise vaccination based on age groups as it was in the case of vaccination for adults.
A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru has developed a novel computational model of eye movement that can predict a person’s ability to detect changes in their visual environment.
The model, according to the team from the Centre for Neuroscience and the Department of Computer Science and Automation, is expected to provide insights into understanding change blindness and help scientists better understand visual attention and its limitations.
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Taking strong objections on the alleged statement of the former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, over the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS), Karnataka home minister, Araga Jnanendra has said that "RSS is an organisation, founded by staunch patriotic Nationalists, and is in the service of building a strong nation".
Strongly refuting the remarks of the JD(S) leader, the minister told, " ever since the founding of the organisation, the RSS leaders and its members, are engaged in working, selflessly, for the cause of upholding the unity, integrity and the ethos of the nation".
Stating that both the Congress and the JD(S) leaders are indulged in maligning the RSS, the patriotic organization, he said that " both the JD(S) and the Congress leaders are competing each other with an eye on Minorities votes".
A forum of youth in Sringeri, a town in Karnataka's Chikkamagaluru district, has called for a voluntary bandh on Friday (October 22) demanding a 100-bed super-specialty hospital.
According to Sringeri Yuva Vedike (SYV), the forum, an appeal has been made to shopkeepers in the town not to operate their businesses in solidarity with the bandh. "People here have been forced to travel towards Mangaluru, Shivamogga, or Manipal during any health emergency. A government super-speciality hospital is a necessity here as we cannot afford to lose another life while on the way to hospitals in neighbouring districts," Praveen Hagadur, founder of SYV said in a statement.
Karnataka on Tuesday logged 349 new cases of COVID-19 and 14 deaths, taking the total number of infections to 29,84,022 and death toll to 37,967, the health department said.
The day also saw 399 discharges, pushing the total number of recoveries to 29,36,926. Bengaluru Urban accounted for 161 new cases, as the city saw 125 discharges and 5 deaths. Total number of active cases in the state is at 9,100.
Days after raising a vandalism complaint, the owner of a chicken shop in Belagavi, Karnataka, suffered injuries after his bike was rammed from behind in a hit-and-run incident.
Hasab Saab’s shop was vandalised allegedly by members of a right-wing group for keeping the business open till 11 am on October 8, the day temples reopened. While the Belagavi Police failed to register an FIR and held a 'compromise' meeting, Saab's wife Afsana Hasan Saab Khureshi claimed the couple was threatened and asked to leave the town. (Read more)
Bengaluru Central Crime Branch (CCB) police have booked a total of 20 cricket betting cases and seized Rs 78 lakhs, and arrested 27 accused in the recently concluded Indian Premier League match.
Central Crime Branch (CCB) officials have arrested a technical manager of a provate firm who allegedly create fake documents for high-end vehicles to help their owers to evade tax. The firm to which he worked supplies smartcards of vehicles to Regional Transport Offices (RTO) across the state.
The accused in the case is Girish who worked with the firm as technical manager. His arrest came after RTO filed a complaint with the police. CCB on Monday produced him before the court and have taken him to police custody for 10 days.
According to to the police sources,"there is a big racket which is facilitating owners to evade road tax for high-end vehicles. After getting a fake vehicle number of another state, they would apply for transfer of vehicle in Karnataka, claiming the lifetime road tax has been paid."
The preliminary probe has revealed that atleast 15 high-end cars and SUVs have been identified who has been evaded road tax.
Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Tuesday urged the voters from the minority community not to cast even a single vote to the JD(S) during the Hangal and Sindagi bypolls, as voting for the regional party means voting for the BJP.
The leader of opposition in the state assembly accused the JD(S) of deliberately fielding minority community candidates in both the constituencies to help the BJP.
"Though JD(S) has fielded its candidates, the straight fight is between the Congress and BJP. JD(S) has not fielded a candidate with an intention to win. They have fielded to help the BJP. I'm not saying this, people are saying this," Siddaramaiah said.
Addressing the campaign meeting at Sindagi constituency in Vijayapura, he said, Congress is always the target for JD(S), and pointed out that during the Basavakalyan bypolls held earlier this year, too the regional party fielded a Muslim candidate, who got about 8,000 votes, which resulted in Congress' loss. (PTI)
The Karnataka government has established a help desk to assist stranded people -- passengers, pilgrims, tourists and visitors from Karnataka -- at various places in Uttarakhand.
According to the Minister for Revenue R Ashoka, people who are stranded or their relatives can contact the help desk and provide information which will be intimated to Uttarakhand authorities for immediate action and quick response.
The Karnataka State Emergency Operation Center Numbers are 080 - 1070 (Toll Free) and 080 - 2234 0676. These numbers are active to receive any distress call and will function 24/7, an official press release said.
JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said he has nothing to learn from RSS 'Shakha' as he alleged that people who were trained there have indulged in watching "blue film" at the legislative Assembly, when the session was on.
The former Chief Minister was responding to state BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel's recent invitation to him to come to RSS Shakha and learn about the activities of the Sangh.
"...I don't want their (RSS) companionship. Haven't we seen what was taught in RSS Shakha? How to behave in the Vidhana Soudha....watching blue film while the assembly session is on. Isn't such a thing taught to them (BJP) at RSS Shakha? Do I have to go there (to RSS shakha) to learn this?" Kumaraswamy asked. (PTI)
A tweet by the Congress' Karnataka unit making alleged disparaging remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and deleted later, on Tuesday sparked a war of words between the ruling BJP and its rival Congress, though PCC president DK Shivakumar expressed regret over the comments and called for civility in political discourse. The tweet was deleted after Shivakumar expressed "regret" about it.
Addressing a party gathering here, state BJP chief Naleen Kumar Kateel made some sharp remarks against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, which faced flak from senior party leader Randeep Singh Surjewala and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
"I have always believed that civil and parliamentary language is a non-negotiable pre-requisite for political discourse. An uncivil tweet made by a novice social media manager through the Karnataka Congress official Twitter handle is regretted and stands withdrawn," Shivakumar wrote on the micro-blogging site.
Kateel, responding sharply to the deleted tweet, also trained his guns against Congress president Sonia Gandhi and referred to the 'G-23' controversy in the grand old party. (PTI)
A provision made by the Karnataka High Court during the Covid-19 crisis to expedite the process of trials in criminal cases by framing charges against accused individuals through video conferencing has helped sessions courts move several important cases towards a stage where a trial can commence.
The video conferencing provision, which bypasses the need for physical presence of suspects during key legal junctures ahead of a trial, has been able to move cases like that of the murders of journalist Gauri Lankesh in 2017, the Lingayat researcher and writer M M Kalburgi in 2015 – both by an alleged Right-wing extremist group — closer to the trial stage, as also a 2005 terrorist attack on the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru by an alleged LeT sleeper cell.
In the Kalburgi and the IISc terror attack cases, the trial courts in Karnataka framed charges against suspects located in remote prisons of the country through video conferencing in September this year while charges will be framed soon through video conferencing in the Gauri Lankesh case. Read More
A detailed analysis of month-wise and state-wise health insurance claims made during the last three months in India, conducted by a public-private initiative, has found that several states have underreported Covid-19 deaths.
New findings reported by ‘Project: Jeevan Raksha’ indicate that Gujarat has massively underreported deaths linked to the pandemic, to the tune of 5722%, followed by Rajasthan (473%), Jharkhand (464%) and Uttar Pradesh (228%).
For instance, the report mentions that data compiled from statistics issued by the Gujarat government during the months of July, August, and September 2021 include only 23 deaths linked to the pandemic. However, 1,316 insurance claims (group/individual schemes) for Covid-19 deaths were filed by people in the state during the same time.
During the same time-frame, Rajasthan and Jharkhand reported 33 and 22 Covid-19 deaths officially when the insurance claims were as high as 156 and 102, respectively.
Explaining the trend to indianexpress.com, Mysore Sanjeev, the convenor of Project Jeevan Raksha (an initiative of Proxima Consulting), said that several states “seem to have artificially deflated Covid-19 cases and deaths, especially in the last three months.” Read More
Three months after the mysterious deaths of four members of a family in Karnataka, the police have arrested a 17-year-old girl from the family for allegedly murdering them as she was upset over the “discrimination she faced compared to her siblings”.
The minor girl has been booked under IPC sections 302 (punishment for murder) and 307 (attempt to murder). She has been sent to a girls’ remand home.
On July 12 this year, the accused girl’s father (45), mother (40), grandmother (80) and sister (16) had died after consuming ragi balls (ragi mudde) for dinner. Her brother (20), however, survived even though he had also eaten the ragi balls. Bharamasagara police registered a case of unnatural deaths and the post-mortem examination revealed that a pesticide had been mixed with the food. The police, however, could not zero in on any suspect. The family worked on agricultural land and had no enemies, a police officer said. Read More
A 37-year-old woman in Bengaluru has lost Rs 18 lakh after she was conned by a person whom she met on a dating app. The woman, a resident of Austin town, lost the money over a span of five days and approached cops on October 7, police sources said.
The police said she met the man on a dating application on September 30. The man, who claimed to be residing abroad, expressed interest in marrying her and told her that he would be arriving in India soon for the same. Read More
After the Goa government appealed to the Centre seeking possession of 12 islands that are closer to Karwar in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district and fall within the state’s jurisdiction, the administration has now identified 57 islands within the district’s limits.
Goa recently wrote to the Union Home Ministry regarding the matter and the letter was forwarded to the Karnataka government, following which the Inspector General of Police (Internal Security), Bengaluru, made enquiries and found that the islands come under the jurisdiction of the district administration.
The Indian Express has accessed the documents containing details regarding the islands, which Uttar Kannada Deputy Commissioner Mullai Muhilan sent to the Inspector General by marking their latitude and longitude. Read More
A 35-year-old Bengaluru doctor lost Rs 50,000 in a phishing scam while ordering a wine bottle online.
Dr Keerthi (name changed), a resident of Victoria Layout in Bengaluru, approached police in the second week of October, although the incident occurred on September 23. Police sources said that Dr Keerthi had ordered a wine bottle online and she was asked to pay in advance. Keerthi shared her debit card number and a One Time Password (OTP) with the person who contacted her and Rs 50,708 was siphoned from her account within minutes.
A police official said, “The woman fell victim to an online racket.” Central CEN police have registered a case and a probe is underway. (ENS)
Dr Shiva Murthy N, Associate Professor at the Department of Pharmacology in Dr Chandramma Dayananda Sagar Institute of Medical Education and Research (CDSIMER), Bengaluru, has been adjudged winner of the national competition held by the National Coordination Center of the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission.
The award-winning video-animation shortfilm “Brandabuse – end the menace” which discussed drugs with the same brand name having different ingredients.
"The shortfilm demonstrated how medications with differing generic names (active ingredients) but the same brand name might confuse when dispensing by pharmacists. This might result in dosage errors, therapy failure, and even an undesirable drug reaction," Dr Murthy said.
He added that it also spoke of the importance of notifying the government when someone notices two or more drugs with the same brand name or that appear/pronounce similarly even though they have different generic names.
After several areas in Bengaluru got inundated in the wake of heavy rains that lashed the city recently, environmentalists and hydrologists have stressed on the need to treat lakes as flood mitigation zones. Experts have, however, pointed out that lakes in Anekal taluk are being rejuvenated without proper survey or nod from the Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority (KTCDA).
This not only alters the structure of the lakes, but they also cannot be treated as flood mitigation zones afterwards due to several reasons including reduced water holding capacity, they said.
Social activist Captain (Retd) Santhosh Kumar has informed the KTCDA that some lakes in Anekal, which are under the custody of the zila panchayat, are being rejuvenated by NGOs and corporate bodies through CSR funding without encroachment eviction, boundary fixation, technical study or an approved lake detailed project report (DPR) by the KTCDA. Read More
After the Karnataka unit of Congress received flak for its tweet calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi “angootha chap” (illiterate), the party’s state chief D K Shivakumar withdrew the tweet and admitted it fell short of standards of “civil and parliamentary” language in political discourse.
The tweet, posted from the official handle of Karnataka Congress, triggered a strong response from the BJP, which termed it as “crass” and “in poor taste”. The tweet in Kannada said, “Congress built schools but Modi never went to study. Congress even set up schemes for adults to learn, Modi didn’t learn there too. Even though begging is prohibited, people who are lazy have made the country’s people beggars. The country is suffering because of #angoothachhaapmodi.” Read More
The Karnataka government has prohibited birthday celebrations at Child Care Institutions (CCI) across the state. Such celebrations are usually held by celebrities, politicians, officers and their children.
As per the circular issued by the Directorate of Child Protection, such ‘elite’ celebrations were found to leave an adverse psychological impact on children living in the CCIs. (Read more)
Two earthquakes of magnitude 1.5 and 1.2 were recorded by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) network in Vijayapura district on Oct 18. On Oct 19, KSNDMC recorded an earthquake of magnitude 2.6 at Vijayapura district.
"As per the deismic intensity map of the said earthquakes from the epicentre, the intensities observed are low and the tremors might be felt up to a maximum radial distance of 5 kms. These type of earthquakes do not create any harm to the local community, although there may be slight shaking observed locally. The community need not panic as the intensity observed is low and not destructive," KSNDMC said.
The team of National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) along with the geologists of KSNDMC have reached Vijayapura on Oct 18. The director of KSNDMC Manoj Rajan told The Indian Express that in a couple of days the scientists would be able to reach a conclusion.
The Karnataka government has decided to establish a branch of the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology in Mysuru, in a bid to cater to patients from the district and surrounding areas of Chamarajanagar, Hassan, Kodagu, and Mandya.
According to Institute Director Ramachandra, the new branch is planned to be operated from the Super Specialty Hospital on KRS Road in Mysuru. An estimated cost of Rs 250 crore will be set aside for the same, MP Pratap Simha said.
Earlier, former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had announced that a regional cancer treatment centre will be set up in Mysuru, during his tenure.
Former member of India’s National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) Professor C Raja Mohan will deliver the 48th Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) Foundation Day lecture on October 28, the Institute announced.
The lecure on ‘Reconnecting to the West: India's New Geopolitics’ will be delivered online during the event lined up with speeches, awards and more. Like last year, this year too, the event will be held on the virtual mode, officials said.
Prof. Mohan is at present the Director of the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore. He led the Indian Chapter of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs from 1999 to 2006. Earlier, he had been associated with a number of think tanks in New Delhi, including the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, the Centre for Policy Research and the Observer Research Foundation. He was also the founding director of Carnegie India, New Delhi – the sixth international centre of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington DC.
(Professor C Raja Mohan is a contributing editor with The Indian Express)
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said the work on filling the potholes on the city roads will be taken up on a "war footing" once there is some respite from rains.
"I'm gathering all the information regarding potholes, I will have a special meeting and inspection for it. As there have been continuous rains we have not been able to take up the work (to fill them) everywhere," Bommai said in response to a question on pothole menace in the city that have endangered lives of motorists.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, as soon as we get some respite from rains, we will take up the work to fill potholes in a war footing. The Chief Minister who also holds Bengaluru Development portfolio, on Monday inspected parts of the city that have been affected by rains. (PTI)
Police in the Hubbali region of Karnataka arrested a pastor on Monday on charges of abusing a Dalit man and forcing him to convert into Christianity.
The accused, identified as Somu Avaradhi and a resident of Hubballi, was arrested after right-wing activists staged a protest backed by BJP MLA Aravind Bellad alleging conversion of Hindus to Christianity. The protestors reportedly sang songs sitting inside a makeshift church demanding the arrest of the pastor. (Read more)
South Western Railway(SWR) has cancelled the following trains due to Line block for insertion work of Thick Web Switches at Channapatna and Kengeri yards.
Train No. 06560 Mysuru – KSR Bengaluru MEMU Special commencing journey from Mysuru on 19 Oct and 21 Oct will be cancelled. Another train No. 06559 KSR Bengaluru – Mysuru MEMU special commencing journey from KSR Bengaluru on 20Oct and 22 Oct will be cancelled, said Aneesh Hegde, Chief Public Relations Officer, South Western Railway, Hubballi in a statement.
he junior and sub junior national aquatic championships will begin on Tuesday while the senior national meet is scheduled from next week, the Swimming Federation of India announced on Monday.
With swimming pools remaining closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, the SFI was forced to cancel national aquatic championships in 2020. However, over 1500 participants from across 32 states and union territories are expected to participate in the championships this year in Bangalore.
The sub junior and junior championships will be followed by the much-awaited 74th Senior National Aquatic Championships, starting October 26. (PTI)
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that an industrial township had been planned in the Chitradurga district to create employment opportunities in the region.
Bommai speaking at an event organised in Murugha Mutt on Monday said that a blueprint on the township will be prepared after identifying 1,500 acres of land for the project.
Chitradurga district comes under Mumbai-Chennai industrial corridor. Bommai instructed the Deputy Commissioner to identify the land required for the project.
The Karnataka government Monday announced that it will put on hold the move to privatise the century-old Mysore Sugar Company Ltd in the wake of a month-long protest organised by farmers in Mandya region.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai chaired high-level meetings with farmers’ representatives and elected representatives from Mandya district and said the Cabinet’s earlier decision to privatise the loss-making company will be reviewed on the basis of an expert committee’s recommendations within three months.
“An expert committee will be set up to study the condition of the factory and finances needed to restart along with the working capital required to make payments to farmers,” Bommai said after the meeting. Read the full report here.
A chicken shop owned by a Muslim family was allegedly vandalised by a Hindu right-wing group on the outskirts of Belagavi city in Karnataka. Though the incident took place on October 8, it came to light only when the video went viral on Monday as the local police allegedly did not register an FIR when the family had approached them. Read the full report.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted light-to-moderate rainfall in Bengaluru between October 18 and October 20. The IMD added that the city will experience heavy rainfall from October 21. Besides Bengaluru, Mysuru, Haasan, Ramanagara, Chamarajnagar have been issued a heavy rainfall warning for October 21. More details here.
Today at the Traffic Park near St. Mark's Circle, a "Growing Siri Seedling" program was held to educate school children about Covid rules and traffic rules.
Geeta Agnihotri, head of the Meteorological Department in Bengaluru told The Indian Express that Bengaluru and Southern districts of Karnataka will experience heavy rainfall from October 21.
"Between October 18-20 the rainfall will be subdued in the coastal Karnataka and Bengaluru may experience light to moderate rainfall. We have issued a warning to the districts which will experience heavy rainfall from October 21," Agnihotri said. (ENS)
Karnataka AAP took a dig at Karnataka BJP for replicating Delhi model, and AAP lauded Arvind Kejriwal for initiating it. The tweet said, "Arvind Kejriwal is the new benchmark/standard for pro-people governance in our country!"
The Income Tax department has conducted searches on entities across seven locations in Bengaluru, Surat, Chandigarh and Mohali, and has unearthed unaccounted investments and bogus expenditures.
In Bengaluru, the search was conducted on DesignBoxed Creative Private Limited — an image consultancy firm reportedly hired by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D K Shivakumar to strategise the Congress campaign ahead of the 2023 Assembly polls in the state.
In a press statement issued on Sunday, the I-T department said, “Incriminating evidence found reveals that the group has been engaged in obtaining accommodation entries using an entry operator. Read more
With the implementation of the new National Education Policy (NEP), Bangalore University said it is starting four-year Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science Honours degree courses from the academic year 2021-22. The Vice-Chancellor of the varsity Prof Venugopal said in a statement that the courses would have the provision for multiple entries and multiple exits.
The courses are skill-based, choice-based and cross-disciplinary, trans-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary in nature that would provide the students the option of electives across the disciplines as per the objectives of the new NEP, he said.
According to him, the four-year courses would have the exit option at the end of every year. Read more
In the wake of rains causing damage in many parts of Bengaluru, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has embarked on a tour of the city on Monday morning.
“Due to the rains over the last week many areas witnessed rain damage. I will visit these places and take a decision on the work to carried and compensation. I will be carrying out a survey today,” Karnataka CM Bommai said on Monday.
The Karnataka chief minister said that he will also be looking at complaints of potholes emerging in many parts of the city in the wake of the heavy rains. Read more