Meanwhile, ten days, ago a bar owner was shot outside his establishment in the heart of Bengaluru with a breech-loading gun, and then hacked with a machete. This rare underworld killing in the central business district, followed by a chilling phone call to two TV channels, has raised apprehensions in police circles that a new gangland order is moving to take over organised crime in the tech city.
READ | Bengaluru killing, two calls raise alarm over new gangland order
At the same time, days after the Karnataka government decided to resume offline classes at undergraduate and postgraduate colleges across the state on November 17, several stakeholders including student organisations expressed reservations over the decision.
READ | Karnataka: Chorus grows against govt decision to resume offline classes at colleges
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As the low-key 10-day Dasara celebrations ended on Monday in Mysuru, the tableau of a nurse wearing a mask put up by the Department of Health and Family Welfare Services was the highlight of the Jumbo Savari procession.
According to officials of the health department, the tableau was formed so "as a tribute to the frontline 'Corona Warriors' and to spread awareness on the importance of wearing a mask and maintaining social distancing to combat the pandemic."
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Unlike the five-km-long procession from the Mysuru palace to Bannimantap grounds, this year's procession was taken out to a distance of only 400 metres, all within the premises of the Mysuru Palace.
Karnataka CM B S Yediyurappa showers flower petals on the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari placed in the golden howdah during the Jumbo Savari, culminating the world-famous Mysuru Dasara celebrations.
The idol was carried Abhimanyu, a 54-year-old tusker, also one of the longest-serving members of the elite Dasara Jumbo squad. In the wake of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic situation, the procession was restricted within the palace premises as opposed to the same taking place between Mysuru Palace and Bannimantap Grounds otherwise.
Karnataka Chief Minister performed the 'Nandi Dhwaja' pooja to mark the launch of the Vijayadashami special celebrations including the iconic Jumbo Savari, at Mysuru Palace premises on Friday.
With one more company of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) reporting to the North Division of the Bengaluru City Police, security has been beefed up in the city ahead of the byelections held to Rajarajeshwari Nagar assembly constituency on November 3.
Apart from CISF, Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) and the jurisdictional police have been holding flag marches in and around the limits of the north and west divisions.
According to DCP (North) Dharmender Kumar Meena, the route marches are held as part of confidence-building measures(CBM) "to inspire confidence among voters and general public to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections." On Monday, these marches are planned in and around the surroundings of Lakshmidevi Nagar bus stand and Koolinagar Bridge, he added.
Earlier, marches were held in Kamakshipalya, Jnanabharathi, Annapoorneshwari Nagar, and Rajarajeshwari Nagar areas during the weekend. The West Division has also deployed ten police inspectors, 36 sub-inspectors, 200 head/police constables, four KSRP platoons, and three CAR platoons to ensure the safety and security of all candidates/party supporters during campaigning activities. "They will also be responsible for the peaceful conduct of election process and to maintain law and order," a senior official said.
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa arrived in Mysuru earlier this afternoon to inaugurate the Vijayadashami special events, scheduled to be held in and around the premises of the Mysore Palace.
As per his schedule, the CM will perform 'Nandi Dhwaja' pooja at 2.30 pm launching the Vijayadashami special celebrations including the iconic Jumbo Savari — a grand procession of elephants carrying idols of deities, including Sri Chamundeshwari from Mysuru Palace to Bannimantap Grounds.
Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly Siddaramaiah Monday visited areas affected by the recent rains and floods in Kalaburagi district. The former CM also held interactions with farmers at Saradagi village in Afzalpur taluk who apprised him of the damages caused to their crops in the area, especially cotton.
The Bhima river had continued to be in spate for several days even as rains subsidised due to the heavy discharge of water from Maharashtra reservoirs, leaving several villages in the district inundated.
After several complaints of delays in obtaining the results of RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) were raised by patients in Mysuru for the last few weeks, the district administration has promised faster Covid-19 test results citing a new testing facility ready to open in the city soon.
"With the new Covid-19 testing facility scheduled to begin operations soon after Dasara, more RT-PCR tests can be carried out daily ensuring that results will be available within 24 hours from the time of sample collection," the official said.
The new testing facility is planned to operate from Mysore Medical College and Research Institute (MMCRI) where another facility is currently in operation. While 1,500 swabs are tested daily now, the number will be raised to 4,000 with the new intervention.
Till a fortnight back, a lab at Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) was also in charge apart from the one at MMCRI, also testing nearly 1,500 samples per day. With the government deciding to enhance daily testing numbers to around 5,000 a day, several swabs were sent to Bengaluru, which led to results getting delayed from 6 to even 13 days, the official added.
To date, a total of 46,705 people have contracted the infection in Mysuru with 947 people succumbing to the infection, the second most in Karnataka at nearly all parameters, only behind Bengaluru.
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa extended greetings of Vijayadashami to the people on the state on Monday.
In a tweet in Kannada, the CM said," As Vijayadashami symbolises the triumph of good over evil, I pray that Goddess Chamundeshwari helps us combat and get over this coronavirus pandemic and that she grants mercy towards the people's health, happiness, and prosperity."
Days after the Karnataka government decided to resume offline classes at undergraduate and postgraduate colleges across the state on November 17, several stakeholders including student organisations expressed reservations over the decision.
Dismissing Deputy Chief Minister Ashwathnarayan CN’s claim that all stakeholders were consulted, the All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) alleged that the government was bowing to pressure from privately-run institutions in the state.
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Four scientists and engineers have been selected to receive the distinguished alumnus/alumna award of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). This year’s awardees are K Rajalakshmi Menon, BS Murty, Sethuraman Panchanathan, and Dr Keshab Panda.
These annual awards recognise contributions made by IISc alumni to their profession, society, and the institute. The nominations received are evaluated by a committee appointed by the Director, IISc.
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Two days after heavy rains created havoc in Bengaluru, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) — the city's local civic body — Sunday issued cheques of Rs 25,000 each to the families whose houses were flooded by rainwater.
The cheques were distributed to 344 households in the city together, 304 households in Dattatreya Nagar and 40 in Kumaraswamy Layout, by Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka and BBMP Administrator Gaurav Gupta. BBMP officials said Rs 86 lakh compensation was handed over in total as on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Minister Ashoka announced that Rs 10,000 compensation will be given for households with minor damages and that officials have been asked to prepare a list of such houses. "Encroachments blocking the flow of water will be cleared in another eight to nine months to prevent waterlogging," he assured the families.
Earlier during the day, the BBMP Administrator visited Hoskerehalli and Dattatreya layout to inspect stormwater drains and blockage caused by encroachments in the areas and their surroundings.
As on Sunday, more people recovered from the coronavirus infection disease than those who fell ill for 11 consecutive days in Karnataka, as the Covid-19 positivity rate in the last 24 hours was recorded at 4.41 per cent.
While 4439 more people contracted the infection, 10,106 people recovered from the infection across the state. Of these, 2468 new cases and 6759 discharges were reported from Bengaluru alone as the total tally in the city since March 8 rose to over 3.25 lakh.
Meanwhile, 'active' cases in Karnataka dropped further to 81,050. At the same time, 1,00,511 samples were tested (including 17,729 Rapid Antigen Detection Tests)across the state. Other districts that reported the most cases on October 25 were Bengaluru Rural (234), Tumkur (141), Mysuru (140), Dakshina Kannada (139), and Udupi (117). The death toll rose to 10,905 as 32 more deaths in the last few days were linked to the pandemic on Sunday.
Ten days ago, a bar owner was shot outside his establishment in the heart of Bengaluru with a breech-loading gun, and then hacked with a machete. This rare underworld killing in the central business district, followed by a chilling phone call to two TV channels, has raised apprehensions in police circles that a new gangland order is moving to take over organised crime in the tech city.
On October 15, Manish Shetty, 41, who has a history of involvement in robbery and extortion and was an associate of the extradited gangster Muthappa Rai , was killed outside Duet Bar and Restaurant. Soon, a caller claiming to be Vijay Shetty, a former associate of Mumbai gangster Chhota Rajan and a self-styled “patriotic” gangster, called two local channels in Bengaluru and Mangaluru to claim that the killing was an act of revenge for a murder in coastal Karnataka last month.
On September 24, Kishan Hegde, a gangster in Udupi with alleged links to Hindutva groups, was hacked to death in broad daylight by a group of men. Udupi Police arrested associates of Manoj Kodikere, an activist of the Hindu Jagaran Vedike with criminal antecedents, for the killing. “The murder was the fallout of a dispute between Hegde and Kodikere for control of business activities at the Mangalore port,” police sources said.
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