Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai (Photo: Twitter/@BSBommai)Bangalore Highlights: Bypoll election results don’t have any connection with the general election and have no bearing on the govt, PTI quoted Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai as saying on Wednesday.
On the first election, after Bommai was selected the Chief Minister of the state, The BJP won Sindgi, but lost the Haanagal seat in Haveri, the home district of Bommai, in the October 30 by-poll for two assembly seats
Congress candidate Srinivas Mane won Hanagal by defeating BJP’s Shivaraj Sajjanar, while BJP’s Ramesh Bhusanur won the Sindgi seat.
“I take victory and defeat equally. I greet our party leaders and workers for our victory in Sindagi. We are introspecting the reason behind our defeat in Hanagal,” Bommai said.
Meanwhile, the Income Tax (I-T) Department on Wednesday said that they have carried out search and seizure operations on one of the leading groups of Karnataka, engaged in the civil construction of roads and irrigation projects, on 28 October at various premises located in North Karnataka. According to the I-T department, the search operation has revealed that this group has been suppressing its profits by booking bogus expenses in purchase of materials, labour expenses and payment to subcontractors.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and others pay their last respects to the mortal remains of Kannada film actor Puneeth Rajkumar at the Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru, Friday, Oct. 29, 2021. (PTI Photo)
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday announced a cut of state tax on petrol and diesel by Rs 7 each after the Central government announced a reduction of excise duty on petrol and diesel.
Welcoming the Centre's decision, the CM said the state's decision to reduce KST would cost Rs 2,100 crore to the state exchequer. This price will come into effect from Thursday evening. This is the Deepawali gift to the people from the central and the state governments, he said in his tweet.
Karnataka reported 254 fresh Covid cases and 2 deaths today, the media bulletin released by the state's health department said. Today's number has pushed the active caseload to 8306 cases.
Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Wednesday called the recently launched ‘Janasevaka’ initiative of the Karnataka government a “gimmick”.
“Supplying ration is the primary duty of the government. What the state government is doing is a drama, a gimmick,” Siddaramaiah told reporters in Bengaluru. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had launched the scheme in the city on November 1. Read More
A video of actor Vijay Sethupathi being assaulted at the Bengaluru airport has gone viral on social media. In the video, Sethupathi, surrounded by security personnel, is seen walking at the Bengaluru airport and suddenly a man jumps up and kicks him from behind. The security personnel immediately surround the actor and took away the unidentified assailant. Read More
The new helicopter-making facility of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at Tumkuru will start operations by March 2022. The unit will manufacture the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH).
Notably, the Ministry of Defence approved the procurement of 12 LUH from the HAL on November 2.
Top officials from the HAL told indianexpress.com that the new facility will have the capacity to produce 30 helicopters annually. Read More
Bangalore Catholic Archbishop Rev Peter Machado on Wednesday expressed his desire that the visit of Pope Francis would be facilitated soon by the Union government.
Also the president of the Karnataka Region Catholic Bishops’ Council, Machado was commenting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican. He said that the entire nation, especially the Catholic community, is greatly delighted to know of this historic personal meeting of the PM with the Pope and his cordial invitation to Pope Francis to visit India. Read More
Karnataka BJP leader and former MLA A Papareddy allegedly slapped a police constable in Raichur district on Wednesday after he was stopped from burning an effigy of Congress leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah during a protest.
A video clip of Papareddy arguing and slapping constable A Raghavendra, who was in civilian clothes, is being shared on various social media platforms. Raghavendra is attached to Raichur police station.
Meanwhile, the former MLA claimed that he mistook the policeman for a BJP activist. On Wednesday, along with Papareddy, BJP’s Scheduled Castes’ Morcha orgainised a protest against Sidaramaiah over his recent remark at an election rally in Sindgi where he reportedly said that Dalit leaders had quit Congress and joined BJP to secure their livelihood. Read More
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said the bypoll election results have no connection with the general election in 2023 and would not have any bearing on the State government.
In the October 30 bypolls to two Assembly constituencies counting for which was held on Tuesday, BJP's Ramesh Bhusanur won the Sindgi seat while in Hangal, which is in Chief Minister's home district of Haveri, Congress candidate Srinivas Mane won by defeating BJP's Shivaraj Sajjanar.
Replying to a query on Congress's statement that this result would prove to be an indicator to the 2023 general Assembly elections, the Chief Minister said the opposition has to say like that. He said the Congress too had lost many bypolls in the past. (PTI)
A recent survey conducted by the Karnataka government has revealed that as many as 34,411 children aged six to 16 are out of school, with the most being from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) area.
As per the report collated by Samagra Shikshana Karnataka (SSK), formerly known as Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, under the aegis of the Department of Public Instruction, officials conducted a door-to-door survey to identify out-of-school children. The survey found that financial, health and family-related issues primarily kept children away from schools.
Instances of children aged between 14 and 16 who had dropped out to take up jobs to support their families due to the Covid-19 crisis were also noted in the report. Such reports were mostly from BBMP limits as 67.5% of the total 6,608 out-of-school children in the state capital were from the older age group (14-16). Read More
A glimpse of the festive decor at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on the occasion of Deepavali.
Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached assets worth Rs.35.70 crore of Vikram Investments and other associates under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 in connection with the Ponzi Investment Scheme Scam.
The attached immovable properties having value of Rs. 34.21 crore are in the form of land, office spaces and residential flats in various places in Bengaluru and movable assets are in the form of Bank balance and Fixed deposits of Rs.1.49 crore, the ED said.
The Income Tax (IT) Department on Wednesday said that they have carried out search and seizure operations on one of the leading groups of Karnataka, engaged in the civil construction of roads and irrigation projects, on 28 October at various premises located in North Karnataka.
According to IT department, The search operation has revealed that this group has been suppressing its profits by booking bogus expenses in purchase of materials, labour expenses and payment to subcontractors.
Various incriminating documents including digital evidences indicating non-genuine claim of such expenses have been found and seized. Analysis of the same shows that unaccounted cash has been received by the key group person from such vendors/ suppliers of materials. It was also found that their own relatives/friends/employees were used as conduits in the name of subcontractors who neither executed any work nor did they have the capability/capacity to execute the work. The assessee group has been generating unaccounted cash from these transactions.
The search action has led to detection of unaccounted income of more than Rs. 70 crore which has been admitted as undisclosed income by the assessee group. Further investigations are in progress, said IT department.
The Bengaluru city Police have found a man’s body in a gunny bag next to a rajakaluve (a drain that connects lakes) at Rajarajeshwari Nagar (RR Nagar) police station limits on Tuesday.
The victim was identified as Tharun (20), a resident of Bharathinagar. “His hands and legs were tied, his mouth and nose were gagged with adhesive tape and the body stuffed in a white gunny bag near a stormwater drain at D’Souza Nagar, in South Bengaluru,” said the police. (Read more)
Here are the fuel prices in Bengaluru as on November 3, 2021 Petrol price : Rs 113.93 Diesel price: Rs 104.50
The Congress on Wednesday claimed that the results of the by-elections held to various state Assembly and Parliament seats are a "clear indication" that the Centre's ruling "BJP is losing its momentum especially in Hindi heartland" due to its "anti-people policies."
The Congress candidates also captured the sitting seats of the BJP in Rajasthan and Karnataka, he said. (PTI)
In the run up to the 2018 assembly polls, Bommanahalli BJP candidate Satish Reddy and Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajeev Chandrasekhar had promised to the residents of Somasundarapalya to shut down the Karnataka Compost Development Corporation (KCDC) plant located in the vicinity if the BJP were voted to power.
The KCDC is the oldest such plant run by the civic agency, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), since 1975.
Three years down the line, the stench emanating from the plant has continued to be a bone of contention between the residents and the administration. Although BBMP officials claimed that they use lemongrass spray and have installed bio-filter to contain the bad odour, locals were not impressed with the measures. (Read more)
Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the defeat of the BJP candidate in Hangal assembly bypoll is actually the defeat of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai as the constituency falls in his home constituency.
In a set of tweets, the Congress stalwart targeted the BJP. He also dubbed the election results as a wave against the ruling BJP.
"In the Hangal election, the actual BJP candidate was Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. The BJP lost in his home district. The fact is that the people have discarded him despite his emotional talks such as 'I am the son of the soil', 'I will die here' and 'I am the son-in-law of this area'," Siddaramaiah tweeted. (PTI)
South India is likely to receive above normal rainfall — over 122 per cent of its long period average — in November, the India Meteorological Department said on Tuesday.
"Rainfall for November over the South Peninsular India (Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and south interior Karnataka) is most likely to be above normal (>122 per cent of long period average )," it said.
Based on data collected during 1961-2010, the long period average (LPA) of rainfall over South Peninsular India in November is about 117.46 mm. The northeast monsoon that commenced on October 25 has led to heavy rainfall in Kerala. (PTI)
Karnataka IT Minister C N Ashwath Narayan on Tuesday met five Union ministers and discussed various state proposals. He also invited Union Minister for IT Ashwini Vaishnaw for the Bengaluru Tech Summit to be held on November 17.
In the meeting, the state minister discussed about setting up a PLI (production linked incentive) in a hybrid model by Global Capability Centers (GCC) in emerging clusters beyond Bengaluru across Karnataka. (PTI)
The Cyber Crime Department of Bengaluru city police arrested a youth who allegedly posted an offensive message on late Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar on social media. The actor had passed away on Friday following a cardiac arrest.
Bengaluru city police Commissioner Kamal Pant said, “One youth has been arrested and legal action has been initiated. The cyber team is investigating the matter.” The police did not divulge more details about the arrested youth. (Read more)
A win and a loss in the Karnataka byelection might not have affected the prospects of BJP but it has put Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s leadership in question as the party has faced an embarrassing defeat in his home district Haveri.
Though Bhusanur Ramesh Balappa of BJP won against Ashok Malappa of Congress in Sindagi by a margin of 31,185 votes, the party’s Shivaraj Sajjanar lost to Congress candidate Srinivas Mane by a margin of 7,426 votes in Hanagal in Bommai’s home district Haveri.
A win for BJP in Hanagal was crucial for Bommai to emerge as the tallest leader in Karnataka, especially after BS Yediyurappa had vacated the chief minister’s chair. Read more here.
As many as 4,779 candidates attained eligibility to be appointed as Assistant Professors in first-grade colleges across the state as the results of the Karnataka State Eligibility Test (K-SET)-2021 was announced Tuesday. This includes 2,309 female and 2,470 male candidates, the results indicated.
According to officials from the University of Mysore (UoM) — the nodal agency appointed by the state government to conduct the examination — as many as 69,857 candidates out of the total 83,907 who had registered had appeared for the exams held on July 25 earlier this year. Read the full report here.
Reacting to Congress' victory in the Hanagal Assembly seat, Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar said: "Let us go by the wishes of the people of Karnataka...They are looking towards change."
Congratulating Srinivas Mane, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala tweeted: "Congratulations to wise electorate of Hangal Assembly for the stupendous victory of Congress. The constant service of people by Mane and immeasurable hard work of Congress workers and leaders has proved that Karnataka yearns for “change”. "BJP’s exit is written on the wall," he added.
In Sindagi, BJP's Bhusanur Ramesh Balappa has defeated Congress leader Ashok Malappa Managuli by a margin of 31,185 votes. Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka says Ramesh secured 93,380 votes while Managuli secured 62,292 votes.
In Hanagal, Congress candidate Srinivas Mane won by a margin of 7,426 votes against Shivaraj Sajjanar of BJP. Mane secured 87,300 votes and Shivaraj Sajjanar bagged 79,874 votes.
Nineteen rounds of counting has been completed in Hanagal. Official announcement is awaited, though it appears that Congress has a higher vote count.
Srinivas Mane (INC): 78,342
Shivaraj Sajjanar (BJP): 71,326
Srinivas Mane (INC): 59,985
Shivaraj Sajjanar (BJP): 52,922
Bhusanur Ramesh Balappa (BJP): 63,676
Ashok Malappa Managuli (INC): 44,831
Srinivas Mane (INC): 50,637
Shivaraj Sajjanar (BJP): 44,178
Niyaz Shaikh (JDS): 523
After 8 rounds, Congress candidate Srinivas Mane is in lead in Hanagal, with over 36,400 votes.
BJP candidate Shivaraj Sajjanar, meanwhile, secured 32,000 votes.
Srinivas Mane (INC): 27,244
Shivaraj Sajjanar (BJP): 25,746
Sindagi
Bhusanur Ramesh Balappa (BJP): 23,314
Ashok Mallappa Managuli (INC): 13,563
Naziya Angadi (JDS): 710
Hanagal
Srinivas Mane (INC): 18,019
Shivaraj Sajjanar (BJP): 17,769
Niyaz Shaikh (JDS): 149
Election commission of India on Monday said that due to Covid-19, no victory procession after the counting will be permitted. A maximum of two persons will be allowed to accompany the winning candidate or his/her authorised representative while recieving the certificate of election from the concerned Returning Officer.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in Bengaluru on Tuesday says he is confident that BJP will in both Sindagi and Hanagal.
Election commission of India on Monday said that due to Covid-19, no victory procession after the counting will be permitted. A maximum of two persons will be allowed to accompany the winning candidate or his/her authorised representative while recieving the certificate of election from the concerned Returning Officer.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in Bengaluru on Tuesday says he is confident that BJP will in both Sindagi and Hanagal.
Srinivas Mane (INC): 9,025
Shivaraj Sajjanar (BJP): 8,897
Niyaz Shaikh (JDS): 75
Bhusanur Ramesh Balappa (BJP): 13,801
Ashok Mallappa Managuli (INC): 8,231
Naziya Angadi (JDS): 423
The Karnataka government has issued the draft seat matrix for Engineering and Architecture courses for the year 2021 and the same has been published along with Agriculture, Veterinary, and Pharmacy courses on the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) website for the information of the candidates.
According to officials, students will be permitted to enter options on the online portal till 11 am on November 8. "Based on the final seat matrix to be issued by the government, mock seat allotment will be conducted by considering the options entered by the candidate & interse merit of the candidate and in accordance with the roster system of the government. After the announcement of mock seat allotment results, provision will be given to candidates once again to reorder/ delete/ add the options of their preference of courses / colleges. Based on the final options saved by the candidates first round seat allotment will be conducted by adopting the above procedure and results will be published on the KEA website," a notification read.
Further procedure to be followed by the candidate after the first round seat allotment is expected to be announced on the KEA website after option entry.
BJP's Bhusanur Ramesh Balappa takes lead in Sindagi while Congress' Mane Srinivas takes lead in Hanagal.
Sindagi
Bhusanur Ramesh Balappa (BJP): 5,255
Ashok Mallappa Managuli (INC): 2054
Naziya Angadi (JDS): 73
Hanagal
Srinivas Mane (INC): 4,478
Shivaraj Sajjanar (BJP): 4,296
Niyaz Shaikh (JDS): 25
With BJP making a crucial change in Karnataka by replacing senior party leader and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to induct Basavaraj Bommai into the role, the upcoming bypolls to the Hanagal and Haveri districts got a lot more interesting.
One of the seats, Hanagal, falls in Haveri district, which is the CM’s home district and after Bommai’s elevation to the post, the bypolls are also an electoral test for him. (Read more)
Karnataka on Monday registered substantial reduction in Covid-19 cases with 188 fresh cases and two deaths, pushing the caseload and death toll to 29,88,521 and 38,084, the health department said.
For the first time in several months, Bengaluru urban district reported new infections in double digits and zero fatalities. The daily fresh cases used to be in three digits.
The positivity rate for the day was 0.25 per cent and the case fatality rate was 1.06 per cent. (PTI)
Karnataka on Monday registered substantial reduction in Covid-19 cases with 188 fresh cases and two deaths, pushing the caseload and death toll to 29,88,521 and 38,084, the health department said.
For the first time in several months, Bengaluru urban district reported new infections in double digits and zero fatalities. The daily fresh cases used to be in three digits.
The positivity rate for the day was 0.25 per cent and the case fatality rate was 1.06 per cent. (PTI)
Karnataka on Monday registered substantial reduction in Covid-19 cases with 188 fresh cases and two deaths, pushing the caseload and death toll to 29,88,521 and 38,084, the health department said.
For the first time in several months, Bengaluru urban district reported new infections in double digits and zero fatalities. The daily fresh cases used to be in three digits.
The positivity rate for the day was 0.25 per cent and the case fatality rate was 1.06 per cent. (PTI)
Karnataka on Monday registered substantial reduction in Covid-19 cases with 188 fresh cases and two deaths, pushing the caseload and death toll to 29,88,521 and 38,084, the health department said.
For the first time in several months, Bengaluru urban district reported new infections in double digits and zero fatalities. The daily fresh cases used to be in three digits.
The positivity rate for the day was 0.25 per cent and the case fatality rate was 1.06 per cent. (PTI)
Karnataka on Monday registered substantial reduction in Covid-19 cases with 188 fresh cases and two deaths, pushing the caseload and death toll to 29,88,521 and 38,084, the health department said.
For the first time in several months, Bengaluru urban district reported new infections in double digits and zero fatalities. The daily fresh cases used to be in three digits.
The positivity rate for the day was 0.25 per cent and the case fatality rate was 1.06 per cent. (PTI)
In a bid to extort money from a man who won Rs 50 lakh at a casino in Goa, criminals abducted his seven-year-old niece in Karnataka’s Bagalkot district.
Reshma (name changed) was kidnapped on October 27. Police sources said that Reshma’s uncle, Suresh B (name changed), reportedly won Rs 50 lakh at a casino in Goa and one of his friends, Bheerappa, who accompanied him during his trip to the neighbouring state, hatched a plan to extort the amount. Read More
In the aftermath of the demise of Kannada film actor Puneeth Rajkumar, Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said the government is looking at framing guidelines for gymnasiums in order to avoid health emergencies.
The minister said he consulted cardiologists including Dr CN Manjunath, Dr Vivek Jawali and Dr Rangadhama and the guidelines would be out soon. Read More
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday, on the day of Kannada Rajyotsava, launched three services - ‘Jana Sevaka’ (public services at doorstep), integrated public grievance redressal system (IPGRS), known as Janaspandana and 30 contactless services online in the Transport Department.
The three services, according to the Chief Minister, will provide convenience to the public.
“All these services are successfully implemented in Bengaluru efficiently, they can be extended to rural areas. Public services at the doorstep in rural areas will be launched across the State on January 26,” Bommai said.
According to the Chief Minister, the government has done a survey where it has had found that nearly 60 lakh people in the state visit Transport Department offices for various services now by the contactless services online the efforts would be made to reduce this number.
Through the IPGRS government promises to be a one-stop system for citizens to raise complaints on any government scheme or service. It comes with helpline number - 1902.
Major Gen K Narayanan has been appointed as the 13th Colonel of the Maratha Light Infantry. He took over the reins of the Regiment from Lt Gen Asit Mistry, Colonel of the Maratha Light Infantry who has superannuated after having served the nation for 39 years.
It is also an historic occasion for the Regiment as both the outgoing and incoming Colonels are from the same battalion - 12th Battalion of The Maratha Light Infantry.
General Narayanan is an alumnus of Sainik School Kazhakkoottam and the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla. He has excelled in all professional courses and teneted various important Instructional and Staff appointments at the apex level. He was awarded with the Sena Medal for his distinguished service in Jan 2019 and subsequently with Ati Vishist Seva Medal in Jan 2021.
Former Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah has demanded Prime Minister of India to award Padma Shri posthumously to Kannada film actor Puneeth Rajkumar. In a tweet he said, "The love & affection Power Star Puneeth Rajkumar has gained is bigger than any title or award. I urge @PMOIndia to award Padma Shri posthumously to Puneeth Rajkumar. His acting & contribution to society deserves even more accolades.
A 30-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a two-year-old child and throwing her into a saltwater fish tank at Hoige Bazaar area in Karnataka’s Mangaluru on Sunday evening. The accused has been identified as Chandan, a native of Bihar, who works as a labourer in the city.
Mangaluru city police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar said, “The child belongs to a couple who migrated to the city from Bihar for work. When the parents returned home after work on Sunday evening, the baby was missing. Later, the child was found in a fish tank around 9 pm on Sunday, and was rushed to a local hospital where treatment is being given.” Read More
Kannada film actor Puneeth Rajkumar's eyes have given life to the eyes of four youth from Karnataka. Dr Bhujang Shetty, chairman and managing director, Narayana Nethralaya, said that the transplant was done using advanced techniques.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Dr Bhujang Shetty said, "the day he died, amid grief, the family extended their support to donate the eye of Puneeth Rajkumar. We collected the eyes on Friday, the day he died, and it was transplanted the very next day. Generally, we transplant donated eyes to two persons but in Puneeth's case, we were able to give sight to four youths.
"What was unique is that we used each eye to treat two patients by separating the superior and deeper layers of the cornea. The superior layer was transplanted to two patients who had superficial corneal disease and only the deeper layer was transplanted to patients with endothelial or deep corneal layer disease," Dr Shetty explained.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) received the Star Municipal Leadership Award for restoring 18 lakes within the municipal limits from Earth Day Network, an environmental organisation, Saturday. The award was handed over to BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta.
“We are proud of our association with the trusts, lake groups and the citizens who have reposed their faith in the BBMP. We look forward to taking up scientific rejuvenation of more lakes. This award is encouraging,” said Gupta. The Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT) nominated BBMP for the award.
Chikkabasthi, Gubbala, Yellenahalli, Thalaghattapura, Siddapura, Sarakki, Begur, Devarakere, Hormavu Agara, Mahadevapura, Kelagina Byrasandra, Kothanuru, Gunjur Palya, Bhattarahalli, Jimkenahalli, Siddapura, Nagreshwara Nagenahalli, Nalluralli are the 18 lakes restored by the BBMP.
The chief minister after hoisting national and Kannada flags in the Kanteerava stadium to mark the 66th Karnataka Rajyaotsav said “as there is no point in retaining the old name when border disputes often emerge. We have recently renamed the Hyderabad-Karnataka region as Kalyana Karnataka. We have now decided to rename the Mumbai-Karnataka region as 'Kittur Karnataka' in the coming days."
Bommai said that the decision of renaming the region will be taken in the upcoming cabinet meeting. “The reason behind naming the cluster of districts in North Karnataka as Kittur-Karnataka region is that after the unification of Karnataka our border disputes started and it has been settled but yet we hear the quarrels taking place. Is there any meaning to still calling it the Mumbai-Karnataka region when so many things are happening? What is the point in calling it Mumbai-Karnataka?" Bommai questioned.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi extended wishes to all states for their foundation days. "Each state in India was formed on the foundation of democratic values which need to be protected at all costs," he said.
Meanwhile, President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted, "Greetings to the people of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Lakshadweep and Puducherry on the formation day. My best wishes to the residents of these States and Union Territories for their bright future."
A 30-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a two-year-old child and throwing her into a saltwater fish tank at Hoige Bazaar area in Karnataka’s Mangaluru on Sunday evening. The accused has been identified as Chandan, a native of Bihar, who works as a labourer in the city.
Mangaluru city police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar said, “The child belongs to a couple who migrated to the city from Bihar for work. When the parents returned home after work on Sunday evening, the baby was missing. Later, the child was found in a fish tank around 9 pm on Sunday, and was rushed to a local hospital where treatment is being given.”
A police officer said Chandan lured the child by offering her chocolate before committing the crime. Local residents assaulted the accused before handing him over to the police. He confessed to the crime during interrogation.
A case has been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and a probe is underway.
The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre has predicted widespread moderate rains at isolated places and heavy rains likely over the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) area for the next two days.
After saying it had “no immediate plans” to deport Rohingyas living in the state, BJP-ruled Karnataka has filed a fresh affidavit in the Supreme Court mentioning nothing of its earlier stand and agreeing to abide by whatever the court decides.
In the fresh affidavit, the state government said, “The Karnataka State Police has not housed Rohingyas in any camp or detention centre within its jurisdiction. However, 126 Rohingyas have been identified in Karnataka state.”
The state also undertook to adhere to and follow in letter and spirit whatever order the court passes. The affidavit was submitted in reply to a plea filed by Advocate Ashwini Upadhyay seeking identification, detention and deportation of all illegal immigrants within a year. Read more
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) said PM Narendra Modi’s meeting with Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church at the Vatican, only enhanced the country’s stature. “What is wrong if the head of the government meets anyone in the civil system in the world? We welcome it because we believe in Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family). We respect all religions,” RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said on Saturday.
“Even we meet leaders of different religions. When the PM of our country meets important people in the world and increases the stature of the country, it should be a matter of happiness,” he said.
Hosabale was speaking at a media interaction on the conclusion of the three-day Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal of the Sangh in Dharwad. To a query on a push by the BJP for an anti-conversion Bill in Karnataka, Hosabale said, “Increasing the number by any method cannot be accepted. There have been many resolutions passed in the country and many states have passed an anti-conversion Bill.” Read more
Flights from Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport, especially Indigo’s, were delayed on Sunday morning owing to a check-in baggage belt failure. Many passengers, including author Amish Tripathi, took to Twitter to express their agony.
Meanwhile, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) said that the issue was resolved within a few minutes. “On Sunday, the baggage system at Bengaluru Airport failed for a short while but stabilised within a few minutes,” BIAL Spokesperson said. Read more