Bengaluru News Highlights: Karnataka records 201 fresh Covid-19 cases, 1 death today

The opposition BJP on Saturday accused the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in the state of minority appeasement, criticising its move to formulate a Rs 1,000-crore action plan for the development of minority colonies.

Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka alleged that the government is appeasing minorities by allocating Rs 1,000 crore for their benefit, whereas it is reluctant to compensate farmers affected by drought for their losses.

"Wooing of minorities while the noose (is) around the farmers' neck. The Congress government, which is reluctant to give Rs 2,000 (each) compensation to drought-affected farmers, is going to give Rs 1,000 crore to appease the minorities," Ashoka posted on social media platform X.

He questioned Siddaramaiah asking how many more farmers should commit suicide to melt his "stony heart".

According to the bulletin, in the past 24 hours, 60 patients have been discharged, a total of 7,060 tests have been taken, including 5,549 RTPCR and 1,511 Rapid Antigen tests. The Positivity Rate stands at 2.84 per cent while case fatality rate stands at 0.49 per cent.

The maximum number of tests were conducted in Bengaluru Urban district. Out of the 2,095 tests conducted, 69 have been found positive for the virus, which is the highest as compared to other districts of the state.

The deceased person, who was aged 74, was admitted in Mysuru. He had symptoms of breathlessness and comorbidities, the bulletin stated.

A total of 13 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Dakshina Kannada (DK) district on Friday, taking the total number of active cases in the district to 25.

Health department sources said 348 people were tested for Covid on Friday, of which 13 were found infected.
Besides Bengaluru and Mysuru, DK district has reported a high number of cases on the day, sources said.

Public access to Phoenix Mall of Asia restricted till January 15, following complaints of traffic snarls near the Mall along the Airport Road

BJP MP Pratap Simha's brother arrested. More details to follow.

With the new year just around the corner, the Karnataka government has released a list of public holidays for 2024.

The Central government also released the list of 17 Gazetted and 31 Restricted Holidays for 2024.

Check out the full list here

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president D K Shivakumar on Saturday said a meeting of party legislators and leaders has been called on January 10 to discuss preparations for the Lok Sabha polls.

The party has already set a target of winning at least 20 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the forthcoming general elections.

"On January 10, a meeting of legislators, AICC Secretary, state vice-presidents and general secretaries has been called to discuss the way ahead, after that I'm calling a meeting of our block presidents, and we will make our preparations," Shivakumar said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said he will be travelling to Delhi on January 4 along with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

A Pro-Kannada organisation in Bengaluru engaged in vandalism of various hoardings and billboards on Wednesday (December 27), in a bid to protest the use of the English language in advertisements and signboards.

A faction of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) took out a march from the Sadahalli toll gate towards the city, with simultaneous protests taking place in multiple business hubs. Bengaluru Commissioner of Police B Dayananda said that 10 FIRs had been registered and 53 people were arrested. Among those arrested and sent to judicial custody is KRV president TA Narayana Gowda.

Read more from the Explained piece here

Skeletal remains suspected to be of a retired government engineer and his four family members were found inside their house, which had remained locked for four years, in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district on Thursday, the police said.

The police have found an undated and unsigned note written in Kannada which indicated that the family was planning to take extreme steps.

Police on Saturday said they have gathered CCTV footage and recorded statements of the witnesses in connection with the death of a nine-year-old girl and are waiting for post-mortem and technical reports to ascertain the exact cause of her demise amid speculation of electrocution.

Two days ago, Manya Damerla was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the swimming pool of Prestige Lakeside Habitat apartment complex off Varthur-Gunjur Road in Bengaluru's tech corridor where she lived with her parents.

Residents of the apartment alleged that the girl accidentally fell into the swimming pool after coming into contact with a live wire dangling from a pole near the pool.

"The post-mortem was conducted and we are awaiting the report. Once we receive reports from the Forensic department and the electrical engineer, we would be able to ascertain the exact cause of death-whether it was drowning or electrocution. There were no visible injuries marks on the body, but since there are allegations of an electric shock, it's important that we verify these claims from all angles," a senior police officer said.

Pro-Kannada activists along with the supporters held protests Saturday, demanding the release of arrested activists, who are in judicial custody, news agency ANI reported.

The protestors were detained by the police.

On Friday, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the government would soon enact an ordinance to ensure that signboards in Karnataka display information in Kannada,  but issued a warning after pro-Kannada activists vandalised business establishments a day ago. Anyone can protest but no one should cause damage to government or public property, he added.

#WATCH | Bengaluru: Pro-Kannada activists along with the Pro-Kannada supporters hold protests, demanding the release of arrested Pro-Kannada activists, who are in judicial custody.

The protestors were detained by police. pic.twitter.com/MknYIiI7jM

— ANI (@ANI) December 30, 2023

A 27-year-old software engineer Friday reportedly committed suicide by falling from 33rd floor of an apartment building located in Bengaluru. 

The deceased has been identified as Deepanshu Sharma, a resident of Pashmina Waterfront Apartment located in KR Puram. According to the police sources, around 7am, Sharma has reportedly fell from the 33rd floor of the building and died on the spot. 

Deepanshu Sharma's father Chaman Sharma who is a retired Indian Air Force (IAF) officer has filed a complaint and a probe is underway.

Bengaluru will witness partly cloudy skies on Saturday, with fog or mist likely during the early morning hours in some areas.

The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 27 and 18 degrees Celsius respectively.

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday issued a notice to the State directing that no coercive action be taken against RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat, who had earlier this month been booked under various IPC provisions in Srirangapatna.

The order was passed by a vacation bench of the High Court consisting of Justice Rajesh Rai, with Bhat’s counsel arguing that the case was politically motivated.

Bhat had also obtained bail before the III Additional Sessions and District Judge in Mandya on grounds of ill health, citing a cardiovascular surgery he underwent in 2022.

This had come in the wake of a speech delivered at a Hindu Jagrana Vedike event on December 24, held to mark Hanuman Jayanthi, in which Bhat had allegedly made several remarks including one referring to the husbands of Muslim women, and that the Modi Government had given them “permanent husbands.” Read here.

Phase-I of the multi-modal transport hub (MMTH) near Terminal 2 of the Bengaluru airport started functioning on Friday.

The hub has been set up to integrate multiple modes of transport like bus, cab, and metro train under one roof. The MMTH also consists of multi-level parking and an AC lounge to enable a smooth and hassle-free experience for passengers.

Karnataka Higher Education Minister Dr M C Sudhakar on Friday announced that the government has agreed to hike the salaries of guest lecturers in engineering, technical, and polytechnic colleges by Rs 5,000. The announcement was made almost a month after guest lecturers suspended teaching over a host of demands. The government has also agreed to accord a one-day paid leave to guest lecturers in a month subject to certain conditions.

The higher education department has also decided to create a centralised database of documents, thus eliminating the need to invite applications for guest lecturer posts every year and undertake document verification during the selection process. The guest lecturers had demanded the granting of service weightage under the rules of appointment of assistant professors. Read more here

The skeletal remains of five members of a family were recovered from a house in this district, police said Friday. The skeletal remains are suspected to be that of a retired government executive engineer Jagannath Reddy (85), his wife Prema (80), daughter Triveni (62), sons Krishna (60) and Narendra (57), they said. However, the identity of the deceased could be ascertained only after forensic examination and the cause of death will be established through an autopsy, they added. 

While searching the house, police found an undated and unsigned note written in Kannada. It indicated that the family was considering taking the extreme step. The exact content of the note cannot be disclosed as it is a matter of investigation, police said. As per preliminary inquiry, police suspect it to be a case of suicide but cannot ascertain anything at this point of time because the investigation is still in its initial stage, officials said. The family members kept to themselves and had severe health issues. They were last seen in 2019 and their residence has remained locked since then, they said. (PTI)

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said the state government plans to organise a job fair in Bengaluru, in the last week of January, and a team of ministers will be formed to organise it effectively. Stressing on the need to have an employment policy to boost job opportunities for the youth of the state, he asked officials to make preparations to formulate the policy.

The CM today held a preliminary meeting with senior ministers and officials regarding organising a state level job fair. He directed constitution of a team of ministers comprising Industry Minister M B Patil, IT& BT and Rural Development Minister Priyank Kharge, Skill Development and Medical Education Minister Dr. Sharan Prakash Patil, Higher Education Minister Dr. M.C. Sudhakar, Youth Empowerment and Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister B Nagendra, Labor Minister Santosh Lad, and Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao. (PTI)

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) will extend its train services on both the Purple and Green lines to well after midnight on January 1, 2024, officials said on Friday. The last train will leave from all terminal stations at 1.30 AM on January 1, they said. According to officials, train services during this extended period will be available at a frequency of 15 minutes. The last train from Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Station - Majestic in all four directions will be at 2.15 AM on January 1.

"As per an advisory received from the police department, in view of safety and security of the public, Mahatma Gandhi Road metro station will be closed at 11 pm on December 31 for public entry and exit and no metro trains will stop at MG Road metro station. However, metro trains will stop at adjacent stations viz Trinity and Cubbon park metro stations as usual," a senior official said. (PTI)

Pro-Kannada activists protested against the arrest of the president of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), T A Narayana Gowda and others. KRV yet again grabbed headlines on Wednesday after its members vandalised commercial establishments in Bengaluru and tore down non-Kannada signages, demanding 60% Kannada in them. This is not the first time that the demand has been raised by pro-Kannada groups. However, Wednesday’s vandalism came after the state government directed all establishments to sport Kannada signboards prominently and the Bengaluru civic body – Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) – set a February 28, 2024, deadline for the same.

A 10-year-old girl was found dead in a swimming pool at an apartment complex in Bengaluru on Thursday evening. The deceased has been identified as Manya Damerla, a resident of Prestige Lakeside Habitat apartment off the Varthur-Gunjur road. Manya was studying in Class 4 at a private school. Her father Rajesh Kumar Damerla is the founder-CEO of Life Simplified, a digital content-creating platform. Varthur police have registered a case of unnatural death even as residents of the apartment complex staged a protest on the road against members of the apartment association. A police officer said, “When we spoke to the residents, they said Manya might have suffered electrocution from a wire that was dangling from a light pole near the pool." Read here

The Karnataka High Court has directed the state not to take coercive action against RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat for allegedly insulting Muslim women in his speech on December 24 in Srirangapatna. The vacation bench of Justice Rajesh Rai, who heard the petition by Bhat, Thursday issued notices to the state and the complainant in the case and directed the State Public Prosecutor not to take coercive action till the next date of hearing. 

Najma Nazeer, a social worker, had lodged the complaint and the police in Srirangapatna had booked Bhat under Sections 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 294 (dealing with uttering obscene words in a public place), 509 ( Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion), 295 (Injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class), 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage reli­gious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or reli­gious beliefs), 298 (deliberate hurting of religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). (PTI)

The Dharwad bench of the Karnataka High Court has directed that the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) should obtain fitness certificates for its vehicles from the relevant Regional Transport Office (RTO) and buses that have crossed the prescribed mileage ought to be scrapped.

The directions were made in the course of an order that upheld a driver’s conviction under culpable homicide charges in a 2007 accident that killed two children. The order was passed on December 21 by Justice Ramachandra Huddar. (Read more)

A security check was conducted at the Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) after the airport authorities received an email claiming that explosives had been planted in a plane at the airport, police said.

Mangaluru was one among the multiple airports in the country that received similar emails on Tuesday night by the sender who claimed to be a terrorist group named ‘Funing,’ they said.

The email from ‘xonocikonoci10@beeble.com’ read: “There are explosives inside of one of your planes. But also inside of your airport. The explosives are well hidden, and they will go off in a few hours. I will kill you all. WE ARE A TERRORIST GROUP CALLED; ‘Funing'”. (Read more)

Days after the city’s civic body served notices on commercial establishments to sport signages in Kannada prominently, members of Karnataka Rakshana Vedika Tuesday pulled down a few signboards in English in some areas of Bengaluru. The pro-Kannada activists also warned shops to put up billboards in the local language immediately. 

If you are from Bengaluru or planning to move there, you must be aware of how difficult it is to find an apartment closer to your workplace. Many people have shared on social media how landlords have unreasonable demands and high security deposits are another setback while house hunting.

A woman posted on X, formerly Twitter, how she is using dating apps to find potential flatmates to replace her. Karuna Tata created a dating profile for her room and titled it “kholi chaar sau bees”, a playful reference to the song “My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves” from the 1977 film Amar Akbar Anthony. (Read more)

Seeking guidance and support of senior leaders in taking the party forward, Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra yesterday said there is a need to work hard unitedly to achieve victory in all the upcoming elections in the state.

He was speaking at a special meeting of senior state BJP leaders here. It was first such meeting with senior leaders, ever since Vijayendra took over as President last month. The meet assumes significance as it comes amid differences or disgruntlement in the party following the appointment of Vijayendra as the President and R Ashoka as the legislature party leader.

"The guidance of elders is essential to achieve unprecedented victory in all elections including Lok Sabha. So, everyone's cooperation and guidance is needed," Vijayendra said. He urged all the senior leaders who participated in the meeting to offer guidance, advice and instructions for the future of the party and to strengthen it. (PTI)

Asserting that signboards in Karnataka must display information in Kannada, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said the government would enact an ordinance to ensure compliance, but issued a warning after pro-Kannada activists vandalised business establishments a day ago.

Anyone can protest but no one should cause damage to government or public property, he asserted. Condemning the vandalism, CM Siddaramaiah said, "We are not opposed to protests. We will not oppose anyone who raises their voice against injustice or seek justice, but will take action against those who take the law into their hands."

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said he has called a meeting of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike and police officials with the home minister to discuss the implementation of rules regarding Kannada displays on signboards. "Kannada boards are a must. This is Kannada nadu and the boards should be in Kannada here. We are not opposed to other languages, but Kannada should be prominent," he added. (PTI)

The Karnataka High Court recently dismissed a petition filed by one of the accused in the Praveen Nettaru murder case seeking the trial judge’s signature on each page of the case diary.

The order was passed on December 20 by a single-judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna.

The counsel for accused Mohammed Shiyab argued that as per Section 172 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CRPC), which deals with the case diary, the magistrate would have to affix his signature, which was also mandated in the criminal rules of several other states. (Read more)

Many investors stunned by the wave of pro-Kannada vandalism that targeted many businesses in Bengaluru on Wednesday have expressed concerns about what they described as the “soft-handed” approach of the Karnataka government and the police to the issue.

What was initially planned as an online campaign by the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike took a violent turn when more than 5,000 activists of the right-wing outfit created havoc bringing business activity to a standstill. Phoenix Mall of Asia in Hebbal and Phoenix Marketcity in Whitefield, which became prime targets, were left with no choice but to stop their operations for a day. (Read more)

The headmaster of a state government-run school was suspended on Thursday after a video of students cleaning toilets was widely circulated online, officials said.

In a video that surfaced online, some students of a school are seen cleaning and scrubbing toilets, which led to protest from parents.
This is the third such incident in Karnataka this month.

According to officials, the incident took place on Saturday at a government-run school in Bhadravati taluk of Shivamogga district where students of class six were allegedly asked to clean toilets. However, when the senior officials of the education department confronted the headmaster, he told them that the students were only asked to pour water and not clean the toilets.

"On Wednesday, I received a 10-second video on Whatsapp in which students were seen cleaning toilets. I immediately instructed the officials concerned to visit the school and conduct a detailed inquiry," a senior education department officer told PTI.

"The Block Education Officer has submitted a report, based on which I have initiated disciplinary action against the headmaster of the school. This is unacceptable and so, we have suspended Headmaster Shankarappa in connection with the incident in the school last week."

This comes close on the heels of an incident in a state government-run school in Bengaluru where too students were allegedly asked to clean toilets. Following the viral video of the incident, the education department suspended the headmistress of the school.

Following the incident, Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa condemned it and termed it "shocking" and "deplorable". He had also instructed the education department to ensure that such incidents don't took place again.

Earlier this month, the principal and two staff members of a residential school in Kolar district too were suspended over allegations that some students were made to clean the soak pit on its premises. PTI

The Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) yet again grabbed headlines on Wednesday after its members vandalised commercial establishments in Bengaluru and tore down non-Kannada signages, demanding 60% Kannada in them.

This is not the first time that the demand has been raised by pro-Kannada groups. However, Wednesday’s vandalism came after the state government directed all establishments to sport Kannada signboards prominently and the Bengaluru civic body – Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) – set a February 28, 2024, deadline for the same.

The 139th Congress Foundation Day was celebrated in in the capital city today. While CM siddaramaiah graced the event at Bharat Jodo Hall, Dy CMDK shivakumar housted the flag at Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee offuce premises at Queen's Road.

Asserting that signboards in Karnataka should display information in Kannada, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday issued a warning against taking the law into one's own hands, saying anyone can protest but no one should cause damage to government or public property.

Condemning the vandalism, CM Siddaramaiah said, "We are not opposed to protests. We will not oppose anyone who raises their voice against injustice or seek justice, but will take action against those who take the law into their hands." Speaking to reporters here, he said he has called a meeting of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike and police officials with the Home Minister to discuss implementation of rules regarding Kannada displays on signboards.

"Kannada boards are a must. This is Kannada nadu and the boards should be in Kannada here. We are not opposed to other languages, but Kannada should be prominent," he added. (PTI)

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said the government will not allow anyone to take law into their own hands in the state in the name of fighting for the Kannada language.

He was reacting to the large-scale vandalism in Bengaluru by the activists of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (Narayana Gowda faction) targeting shops and business establishments which did not have Kannada signboards, advertisements and name plates.

"We are not against the pro-Kannada activists but they should not take law into their hands. We are not ready to accept damage caused to the properties in Bengaluru," Shivakumar told reporters in Bengaluru. "We have to save Kannada and we respect those who fight for saving Kannada but that should not mean that the government will shut it's eyes to vandalism," he added. (PTI)

The High Court of Karnataka has ordered that high-mileage government transport corporation buses should be scrapped for the safety of passengers and road users.

The order came on a petition filed by a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) driver who was convicted for culpable homicide after the bus he was driving caused an accident in which two school-going children were killed.

Noticing that the bus that was involved in the accident had run for over 10 lakh kilometres and was not in a good condition, the HC issued six directions on maintaining KSRTC buses including framing of rules to scrap old vehicles.

"In this case, the said offending bus had already run more than 10,00,000 km and the vehicle was not having ignition starter, horn and brakes. The passengers, who were travelling in the said bus were compelled to push the said bus to get it started. The condition of the bus which is brought on record is quite alarming," the HC noted. (PTI)

Karnataka Minister Madhu Bangarappa had a narrow escape when the car in which he was travelling collided head-on with a truck near Kyathasandra in Tumakuru district, police said today.

Madhu Bangarappa, who holds the Primary and Secondary Education portfolio, was returning from Shivamogga to Bengaluru late on Wednesday night when the accident took place, police said.

No one in the car was injured in this mishap, the police said, adding the Minister left for Bengaluru in another car.  (PTI)

The Bengaluru police on Thursday arrested Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) president T A Narayana Gowda and 28 others a day after the pro-Kannada outfit staged a protest demanding that all business establishments in the state should have signboards in Kannada.

The protests had escalated into violence as KRV workers destroyed English nameboards at several places, leading the police to lodge FIRs and detain more than 500 KRV workers on Wednesday.

Members of a Kannada organisation went on a rampage across India’s IT capital Bengaluru Wednesday, vandalising signboards and hoardings of business establishments that were in English. Here's a glimpse of the protests, photographed by Indian Express's M Jithendra. 

The Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) on Wednesday expressed concern over the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) directions for enforcing '60% Kannada' on all name boards for commercial establishments.

In this regard, FKCCI reiterated that it will always follow the rules of the government and will also instruct its members to adhere to the orders of the government or BBMP. However, FKCCI requested that the state government not initiate any action under the above rule until the deadline of February 28, 2024.

"We request the Government of Karnataka and BBMP not to initiate any action for the above rule till the deadline of 28th February 2024 and also urges the Government to ensure that no one takes law in their own hands to harass the Trade and Commercial establishments," Ramesh Chandra Lahoti, President, FKCCI said in a statement. (ANI)

Following vandalism by pro-Kannada activists over installing Kannada language sign boards for businesses, police have arrested Karnataka Rakshana Vedike president T A Narayana Gowda and others.

Pro-Kannada activists have threatened to lay siege on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s residence in Bengaluru and protests are expected in several parts of the city.

North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) marked a milestone by completing over 65,000 UPI transactions valued over Rs.1.5 crore in the pilot implementation in Hubli Rural Division.

The pilot was implemented in 451 buses of five depots of this division starting in November 2023. NWKRTC was the first among the Karnataka RTCs to pilot UPI payments in collaboration with PhonePe. The pilot started with one depot in September and was expanded to all five depots under the Hubli Rural division in November.

Amid rise in Covid cases, the health department said, “During the year-end festivities and New Year celebrations, Covid Appropriate Behavior (CAB) of social distancing, face masking, hand-sanitisation and respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette shall be adhered to. Persons with respiratory symptoms shall avoid places of festivities and recreational centres (including swimming pools) and seek medical consultation.”

Check out district wise Covid data published by health department

As per health department's data released Wednesday, the number of active Covid cases in Karnataka stands at 479. There are 422 patients in home isolation, 57 are hospitalised and 19 are in ICU, 38 in general beds.

Karnataka reported 103 fresh Covid cases in the last 24 hours with one death. This increases the total number of active patients to 479. The test positivity rate in the last 24 hours stands at 1.41% while the case fatality rate stands at 0.97%.

Check data posted by health department here:

The NIA Special Court, Bengaluru convicted and sentenced two radicalised members of Al-Qaeda in Indian Sub-Continent (AQIS) to seven years of imprisonment Wednesday.
The duo, Akthar Hussain Laskar @ Md Hussain of Assam and Abdul Aleem Mondal @ Md Juba of West Bengal, have been fined Rs 41,000 and Rs 51,000 respectively by the NIA court in the case. 
 
As per NIA investigations, the two convicts had been radicalized and recruited by foreign-based online handlers of AQIS and they actively engaged in furthering the activities of the AQIS. Post recruitment by AQIS, the duo had joined various Telegram Groups. 
 
NIA investigations further revealed that the duo had conspired to undertake Hijra to the Khorasan Province of Afghanistan, where they also intended to undergo training. Further, the two men had planned to carry out 'jihad' against members of a particular community in India after undertaking training in Khorasan, as part of the AQIS conspiracy to promote its anti-India agenda through acts of terror and violence. They were also in the process of radicalising and recruiting youngsters into the AQIS, besides motivating them to commit Hijra to Khorasan of Afghanistan.

The central investigation agency had registered the case on August 30, 2022 under sections 153A, 153B, 120B, 121, 121A, 114 & 511 of IPC and sections 10, 13, 15, 16, 18 & 20 of UA (P) Act, 1967.

In yet another attack on the Karnataka BJP by a senior leader, BJP MP D V Sadananda Gowda on Wednesday advised the state unit to shun ‘dictatorial attitude’ and sought immediate action against party MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal and others for indiscipline.

Gowda, a former Karnataka CM, has been critical of the new state unit formed under party MLA B Y Vijayendra, the second son of BJP Parliamentary Board member B S Yediyurappa. He had recently said that the new unit was ‘not strong’.

Karnataka Police have registered a case against RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat for allegedly promoting religious hatred during his speech on December 24.

An FIR has been registered at the Srirangapatna town police station in the Mandya district after former JD(S) member and activist Najma Nazeer filed a complaint.

North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation completed over 65,000 UPI transactions valued over Rs.1.5 Crore in Hubli Rural Division. UPI was implemented for money transactions for the first time in NWKRTC. Online transaction was deployed in 451 buses of five depots of this division from November 2023. NWKRTC was the first among the Karnataka RTCs to use UPI payments in collaboration with PhonePe. It started with one depot in September and was expanded to all the five depots under the Hubli Rural division from November.

Due to the ongoing protests by pro-Kannada groups demanding 60 percent Kannada signage, traffic has been halted in some parts of Bengaluru city. "'Traffic towards Bangalore city will be slow due to rally ‍ on Airport Road, near Sadahalli Gate by Karnataka Defense Forum. Please cooperate," read city traffic police's roughly translated tweet in Kannada.

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday appealed to the disgruntled BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal to make the documents public related to the alleged Rs 40,000 crore scam in Covid-19 management during the previous BJP government in the state.

The minister said Yatnal should at least hand over the details to the Justice John Michael Cunha Commission of Inquiry to probe into the coronavirus related irregularities. Kharge, who is the son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, suspected the involvement of the Central government in the Covid scam.

"Yatnal has said that if he is expelled from the BJP then he will release all the documents (related to Covid mismanagement). I appeal to him through the media to please make the documents public, keeping in mind the people of Karnataka and to safeguard their interest. Or at least share them with Justice John Michael Cunha Committee Commission of Inquiry," Kharge, who holds IT/BT and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj portfolios, told reporters. He said people know that Yatnal is upright but he has to bring his honesty before the commission. (PTI)

An FIR was registered against BJP MP Pratap Simha in Mysuru over remarks he made about Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on the sidelines of a Hanuman Jayanti event at Hunsur in the district on Tuesday.

“There are 28 MPs in Karnataka. I don’t know why they are targeting only me. Should I too sit like somaari (lazy) Siddu without doing any work, pitting one caste against another? I am doing development work,” Simha said, criticising Congress leaders for their “relentless attack” on him.

Days after the city’s civic body served notices on commercial establishments to sport signages in Kannada prominently, members of Karnataka Rakshana Vedika Tuesday pulled down a few signboards in English in some areas of Bengaluru.

The pro-Kannada activists also warned shops to put up billboards in the local language immediately, news agency PTI reported.

An FIR has been filed against BJP MP Pratap Simha over his Somaari Sidda (Lazy Sidda) remark referring to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, during a Hanuma Jayanthi event at Hunsur in Mysuru district.

The FIR has been filed under IPC section 504 - intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace and 153 - provocation with intent to cause riot.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah yesterday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for criticising the five guarantees of the Congress government and wondered whether he was an economist. He also took a dig at the prime minister for failing to offer two crore jobs a year as promised 10 years ago.

"Mr Prime Minister, our Congress government has implemented all the five guarantees in Karnataka. Your statement that the state will go bankrupt has proved wrong," he said.

Siddaramaiah was speaking at the launch of the registration of Congress party's fifth and final poll guarantee ‘Yuva Nidhi' offering unemployment assistance of Rs 3,000 to graduates and Rs 1,500 to diploma holders who passed in the academic year 2022-23.

"Is Modi an economist? He had said that Karnataka will go bankrupt if the five guarantees are implemented. The reality is that the state has grown financially strong now with the implementation of five guarantees," the chief minister claimed. "Have you (PM Modi) created two crore jobs a year as promised by you? You should have created 20 crore jobs in 10 years. Did you create so many jobs? You failed to keep up your word," Siddaramaiah charged. (PTI)

In an embarrassment to the Opposition BJP in Karnataka, senior MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal on Tuesday alleged irregularities to the tune of Rs 40,000 crore in Covid-related procurement during BJP rule in the state. He also accused the Congress government of trying to cover up the scam.

Yatnal, known for his Hindutva stance, is a vocal critic of BJP Parliamentary Board member BS Yediyurappa. He alleged that the former chief minister had procured face masks worth Rs 45 for Rs 485 during his tenure.

Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B Dayananda on Tuesday said 8,500 police personnel of various ranks will be deployed across the city on New Year’s eve.

The police also said all the flyovers, except the elevated road heading to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), will be closed between 11 pm on December 31 and 6 am on January 1.

In the next 24 hours, Bengaluru is likely to witness a partly cloudy sky. Fog or mist is very likely during early morning hours in some areas. Maximum and minimum temperatures are very likely to be around 29 and 16 Degrees Celsius respectively.

Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has said that there are 34 cases of JN.1 variant of Covid-19 in the state but the government is well prepared and nothing is "alarming." "430 cases are active out of which 400 are in home isolation and the remaining are in hospital. 7-8 patients are in ICU. As of now, things are okay. We have done genome sequencing. There are 34 cases of JN.1 variant of Covid. We are well prepared. Nothing is alarming. the majority of the cases are in Bengaluru," he told ANI.

Further, he also advised people to maintain social distancing.

"Old people will be getting the booster vaccine. If they want can take it. About 30,000 vaccines, we are procuring. We will give the anti-flu vaccine to our health workers. New year is coming; we are advising people to maintain physical distancing," he added.

Meanwhile, a cabinet sub-committee meeting to address the Covid-19 precautionary measures was chaired by Minister Gundu Rao in Bengaluru and various decisions were taken. (ANI)