Bangalore court sentences rapist to death

A fast track court in Bangalore has awarded death sentence to a dreaded rapist and psychopath killer, who is involved a total of fifteen rape cases, besides rape and four murder charges.

Convicting 37-year-old Umesh Reddy, a former police constable, for rape and murder of a housewife Jayashree in Bangalore during February 1998, Judge of the City’s VII Fast Track court Ms Sukanya directed the authorities to hang him till death because “he is a menace to the society”.

Describing the rape and murder of 35-year-old Jayashree in front of her six-year-old son by Umesh Reddy as the “rarest of rare cases”, the judge sentenced him to death for murder, life imprisonment for rape and ten months of rigorous imprisonment for robbery. She also slapped a fine of Rs 25,000.

Since death penalty is the heaviest sentence, Umesh Reddy will not have to undergo the other sentences. The case will now be referred to the High Court of Karnataka for confirmation of death sentence.

Though the convict pleaded for leniency claiming that he had already spent a few years in prison and had to take care of his aged and sick mother, but the court did not take it into account. Umesh Reddy, who is also facing trial in a series of rape and murder cases, also told the court that he was pursuing a graduation course and would lead a civilized life.

But, the judge upheld the prosecution’s argument that Reddy deserved capital punishment for his heinous crimes. The court based its verdict on the evidence of the victim Jayashree’s son Suresh, who was an eye-witness to the assault on his mother at their residence in Peenya in Bangalore. Suresh, now 14 years old, has been adopted by a businessman and is pursuing his studies.

Umesh Reddy, who had been appointed as a constable with the District Armed Reserve (DAR) in Chitradurga, was dismissed from service after his first instance of rape came to light. Reddy’s criminal history started in Chitradurga when he attempted to rape a girl in Chitradurga. The victim identified him by chance when he was participating in a police parade.

Later, he committed several rapes in Chitradurga, Kunigal, Hiriyur and Baroda, besides Bangalore. The dreaded sex maniac and psychopath killer was caught by the police several times, but he managed to give them a slip and run away till he was finally secured in 2002.

Police files also show Umesh Reddy as a transvestite, who regularly stole women’s undergarments and wear them in his house.

Arrest of militants in Mysore; Encounter theory questioned

Even as the police interrogation of the two suspected Pakistan-based militants nabbed after late-night shoot-out in Mysore was continuing, the landlady of the house where the duo had lived claimed that plainclothes policemen had picked up her tenants more than twenty days ago.

Mrs Suvarna, the landlady of the house in Rajivnagar on the outskirts of the Mysore, where the suspected Al Badr militants were staying for more than two months now, told reporters that policemen in plainclothes had taken away the two of them more than twenty days ago. “I had not seen them every since they were taken away”, she said.

Suvarna’s statement to the reporters runs contrary to the claim of Mysore police that Mohammed Fahad and Ali Hussain had been caught in an encounter after a late-night gun battle on the outskirts of Mysore.

When the local media highlighted Suvarna’s statement and questioned the encounter theory put out by the police, Home Minister M P Prakash denied that it was a state-managed encounter.

Even Mysore City Police Commissioner Pravin Sood and Director General of Karnataka Police B S Sial have rubbished the doubts raised over the police claims of an encounter. Denying the landlady’s contention, Sood said the encounter was real and there is no need to suspect the police in the regard. Sial blamed the media for raising questions about the police action.

“The police have been transparent in their work. While dealing with a problem like terrorism, police cannot reveal the whole issue. We need the co-operation of the media”, he said.

Meanwhile, the questioning of suspected militants continued at Vijaynagar police station in Mysore under whose limits they were caught while travelling in a moped carrying an AK 47 rifle and ammunition.

The local police have also questioned a local travel agent Sadiq, who reportedly helped the suspected terrorists to file an application for an Indian passport at Bangalore. The police are also expected to expand their investigation by questioning the Government officials, who had issued a birth certificate and a driving license to Mohammed Fahad in the name of Mohammed Koya.

Mohammed Fahad, however, possess a Pakistani passport issued from Karachi, with an official Indian visa stamped for 45 days, which had long lapsed. “He has clearly overstayed in the country”, Sood added.
Home Minister M P Prakash said Mohammed Fahad’s father, who migrated to Pakistan from Kerala in India in early 70s, had married an Indian woman before he moved to Pakistan. Fahad was born to his second wife, who is from Pakistan, he added.

Four special teams constituted by the Mysore police have left to different parts of the country including Jammu and Kashmir, besides Kozhikode to collect evidence against the two suspected militants.

My son is a victim of Bangalore’s high-flying lifestyle - Kumaraswamy

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has laid the blame for his son’s involvement in a late-night brawl at a restaurant at the doorstep of Bangalore’s high-flying lifestyle.

Speaking to reporters, Kumaraswamy said his son had become a victim of the “late-night” culture in Bangalore. “This incident might have happened in the company of friends. It is because of the attraction for high life in the City”, the Chief Minister said when he was asked about his 19-year-old son Nikhil Gowda running amok at a restaurant in Bangalore after he was denied food late in the night.

When the Chief Minister was asked whether he had given any advice to his son, Kumaraswamy said he had not met his son after the incident as he was away from Bangalore on a hectic tour schedule visiting villages.

But, Nikhil Gowda’s grand father and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda said law will take its own course. “The law of the land will apply equally to everybody”, the JD (S) supremo told reporters.

“He is a young boy and some other boys were also there. Whatever has happened is unfortunate. I do agree. But, the Chief Minister has not spared him, the officials have not spared the boy on political considerations. Further investigations will be as per law”, Deve Gowda said.

Meanwhile, Home Minister M P Prakash has dismissed the incident as an act of “juvenile delinquency”. Speaking to reporters, Prakash said there was no confusion in the issue. He also clarified that no pressure will be brought to bear on the police officials investigating the case. “The law will take its course”, Prakash said.

It may be mentioned here that Chief Minister Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Gowda and two of his friends named Syed Ehthesham and Manjunath were involved in a late-night brawl outside Hotel Empire on Church Street in Bangalore.

The police have registered a complaint lodged by the Hotel staff that Nikhil and his friends assaulted a few staff members and vandalized the hotel. Nikhil and his friends have also lodged a counter complaint that they had been beaten up by the hotel staff. The Bangalore police is investigating both the cases.

Kannada activists mar inaugural ceremony of BangaloreIT.in 2006

The inaugural ceremony of Karnataka Government’s showcase IT event – BangaloreIT.in 2006 – was marred by a black flag demonstration staged by slogan shouting Kannada activists.

Minutes before the opening of the event at Palace Grounds in Bangalore on Friday, Kannada protagonist and MLA Vatal Nagaraj led a group of protestors to the dais with black flags, catching the dignitaries including Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and British High Commissioner to India Sir Michael Arthur by surprise.

Slogans of “Down with IT, Down with BT” rent the air the Kannada protagonists marched close to the podium. But, the police personnel moved in quickly and whisked away the Kannada activists, who were demanding reservation of jobs for Kannadigas in IT and BT (Biotechnology) companies.

Speaking to reporters later, Vatal Nagaraj said the IT and BT companies demand land, power, water and other infrastructure in Karnataka. In return, they should employ more Kannadigas in their companies. “They should set aside at least 90 per cent of the jobs for Kannadigas”, Nagaraj demanded.

Things returned to normal at the Palace Grounds soon after the Kannada activists were whisked away and the proceedings began with the Chief Minister’s inaugural address to about 1,000 delegates.

Kumaraswamy said the Karnataka Government was working towards equipping Bangalore with wireless broadband Internet, which would facilitate IT professionals and others to work from home. This, Kumaraswamy felt, would help commuters overcome the nightmarish traffic on the roads to Bangalore. “My Government is conscious of the difficulties in commuting that Bangalore citizens face every day”.

Pushing for efficient traffic management along with integration of web-based technology to decongest Bangalore, Kumaraswamy said his Government was putting in place a wireless broadband Internet system that covers a radius of 40 kms in Bangalore.

He said the Government had also decided to set up five sector-specific, fully integrated self-sufficient townships in cities around Bangalore. “This would obviate the need for travel to and from Bangalore, reducing the pressure on transport infrastructure”, Kumaraswamy said.

As Mysore near Bangalore was emerging as an IT hub, Kumaraswamy said the Government was setting up a Knowledge City on 9,000 acres of land at Bidadi near Ramanagaram, which lies between Bangalore and Mysore.

“As one of the favourite investment destinations in the country, Karnataka continues to attract four new IT companies every week”, Kumaraswamy said. More than 1,700 IT companies are located in Bangalore alone.

Two suspected militants held in Mysore after shoot-out

Two suspected Pakistan-based militants, who were planning a major strike in Bangalore, were arrested after a shoot-out with the police in Mysore near here late on Thursday night.

The suspected militants, who had been identified as Mohammed Fahad and Ali Hussain, were planning to attack the Vikasa Soudha, the newly built building of Karnataka State Secretariat situated in Bangalore, Commissioner of Mysore City Police Pravin Sood told reporters.

The gunfight took place on the Outer Ring Road on the outskirts of Mysore, about 140 kms from here, late on Thursday night. Acting on a tip-off, a team of policemen intercepted two moped-borne youths. But, the youths opened fire, forcing the police to retaliate.

The suspected militants were carrying an AK 47 rifle, a pistol and several rounds of ammunition when they were arrested. “They were unable to fire from the AK 47 rifle. One of them fired at us from a pistol. We returned fire in self-defense. Eventually, we overpowered them”, according to Deputy Commissioner of Police Balakrishna, who was part of the police team.

Two policemen were injured in the shoot-out. “Two policemen and both the suspected militants have sufferred minor injuries during the skirmish”, he added. One of the militants was also in possession of a satellite phone.

After preliminary questioning, the suspected militants were taken to their hideout, a single-bedroom house located in Mysore in the early hours of Friday. A search of the premises revealed a Pakistani passport in the name of Mohammed Fahad, letterheads of Al Badr Mujahideen, a lap top, several CDs and sketches of the Vikasa Soudha and the adjoining Vidhana Soudha buildings, besides chemicals used for making improvised explosive devices (IED).

“They militants are linked to Pakistan-based terror outfit Al-Badr and were here on a definite plan”, Sood said. “One of them is chemical engineer with a MSc from the University of Karachi. They had carried out a comprehensive survey of Vikasa Soudha in Bangalore and were planning to attack it”.

Meanwhile, Director General of Karnataka Police B S Sial addressed in press conference in Bangalore and claimed that the two suspected militants had taken shelter in Mysore for the last four to five months. “While one of them had come to Mysore via Mumbai on a valid visa, the police is interrogating how the other entered the country”, Sial said.
The duo had even set up a fancy store in Mysore and used it as a front for their operations, the Director General of Police added.

Thursday night’s dramatic encounter between the police and suspected terrorists in Mysore comes less than a year after the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore came under attack from militants. A professor lost his life after a terrorist fired indiscriminately in the IISc premises during December 2005.

CM’s son involved in brawl at Bangalore hotel

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’scollege-going son Nikhil Gowda is suspected to be involved in brawl at prominent hotel in Bangalore inthe early hours of Thursday.

Though a police complaint has been registered againstthree unidentified miscreants for the early morning attack on Empire Hotel situated on Church Street inBangalore, the hotel staff told reporters that theChief Minister’s son was among the hooligans, who not only ransacked the hotel, but also beat up the staff.

The incident has taken a political turn with activists of Opposition Congress joining the hotel staff in a demonstration seeking an impartial inquiry into the attack, without sparing anybody, however influential and well connected they may be.

The hotel staff claimed that the Chief Minister’s sonwas among the attackers, who arrived at the hotel inthe wee hours of Thursday and demanded that food beserved to them. The group of youths, who had come in a black car, became agitated when they were told that the restaurant was closed and the cooks were asleep.They assaulted a few staff members, smashed thewindowpanes and broke the cutlery.

A staff member of the hotel told television channels that they would be able to identify the accused if produced before them. They also claimed that they were in possession of video recording of the attack captured on the security camera installed in the hotel.

Meanwhile, the brawl at the hotel took a new twistwith the Chief Minister’s son Nikhil Gowda lodging a counter-complaint at Cubbon Park police station, claiming that the staff of the Empire Hotel had beaten him up.

Joint Commissioner of Bangalore City Police BipinGopalkrishna told reporters that Nikhil has complainedto the police that the hotel staff had beaten him up following an altercation over their refusal to serve food to him and two of his friends. “Both thecomplaints are being investigated”, Gopalakrishna added.

Before proceeding to the police station, the Chief Minister’s son and his friends had taken treatment at Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Bangalore as outpatients. Hospital’s superintendent Rajiv Shetty told reporters that the injuries were “minor” in nature. “The three of them came with a history ofassault”, he added.

Empire Hotel is a leading chain of hotels spread across Bangalore with more than ten branches.

The brawl at the hotel involving Nikhil Gowda is the latest in the series of family-related controversies haunting Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy. Earlier, a BJP MLC had accused Chief Minister of accepting a bribe of Rs 1.5 billion from the illegal mine ownersin Bellary district. Former Minister D K Shivakumar produced documents to show that the Chief Minister’s family had purchased an IT park in Bangalore worth millions of rupees.

Bone Marrow Transplant Centre in Bangalore soon

A Bone Marrow Transplant Centre to be set up in Bangalore soon is expected to perform the transplantation at one tenth of the cost in the rest of the world.

The Bone Marrow Transplant Centre will come up at Manipal Hospital in Bangalore, which already has ten such transplants to its credit during the last two years. Manipal Education and Medical Group recently entered into a partnership with University of Minnesota Physicians, USA, for setting up the Bone Marrow Transplant Centre.

Announcing the tie-up, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Manipal Health Systems R Basil said an autologus transplant, involving the patient’s own bone marrow, will cost Rs 500,000 to Rs 700,000 while an allogenic transplant, involving another person’s bone marrow, will cost around Rs 1 to Rs 1.2 million. “This is still the one tenth of the cost for a bone marrow transplant in the rest of the world”, Basil claimed.

He said Manipal Hospital had chosen the University of Minnesota Physicians, USA, for the alliance on account of the latter’s expertise in the field. “The first ever successful human bone marrow transplant was performed at University of Minnesota Physicians in 1968 and they have considerable expertise in the area”, Basil said.

Around 300 Bone Marrow Transplants are performed at University of Minnesota Physicians in the USA every year, which is the highest in the world for any centre in the US. For the University of Minnesota Physicians, which is world leader in cord blood transplants, this is the first partnership in India.

Manipal Hospital, which has already put in place University of Minnesota Physicians protocols in place, plans to invest about Rs 30 million in the first phase for rooms, laboratory and other facilities. Though the Bone Marrow Centre at Manipal has only two rooms, the administration now proposes to have at least 50 rooms in the next five years.

Manipal Education and Medical Group’s (MEMG) Chief Executive Officer Dr Ranjan Pai said India accounts for barely 400 Bone Marrow Transplants out of the 40,000 that are performed all over the world every year. Bone Marrow Transplants are still in its infancy in India.
There are a total of 15 Bone Marrow Transplant Centres in India including the one at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.

UK national arrested for drug peddling at Hampi

A UK national has been arrested on charges of selling drugs to foreign visitors at the world heritage site of Hampi in Central Karnataka.

Acting on a tip-off, the Bellary police raided a lodge in Hampi and took Annie Derek, 51, into custody. The police also recovered 400 grams of brown sugar from him.

Though Derek confessed that he had bought the drug from Agra for his personal consumption and not for selling, the police has maintained that the UK national was handing over the drug filled in a cigarette to other visitors, particularly foreign tourists.

Hampi situated in Karnataka’s Bellary district was the seat of the erstwhile Vijaynagar empire in the fourteenth century. Tourists particularly foreigners flock to Hampi in large numbers throughout the year for see the ruins of the centuries old stone monuments. The UNESCO has declared Hampi as the world heritage site.

Derek, who had married a woman from Bapatla town of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, has been a regular visitor to Hampi for the last twenty years

Victim of ragging in Bhubaneshwar recovers in Bangalore

A nineteen-year-old student, who had been paralyzed waist down after his seniors reportedly threw him off the terrace of the hostel in Bhubaneshwar in Orissa, underwent a successful spinal stabilization surgery at a hospital in Bangalore.

Shiv Shankar Ash, a student of Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, was brought to Bangalore by train with a lumbar fracture, amidst fears that he may not be able to walk again after the horrifying instance of ragging.

But, doctors at Sagar Apollo Hospital in Bangalore, who performed a surgery, are optimistic that Shiv Shankar will be able to use his legs again. “With physiotherapy, he can walk and come back to normal”, neurosurgeon at Sagar Apollo Hospital Dr Pratap Kumar Pani said.

The doctors reassuring words have instilled hope in Shiv Shankar’s father, brother and uncle, who too had travelled to Bangalore.

Shiv Shankar was reportedly summoned to the terrace of the hostel in the University campus earlier this month and was allegedly pushed down, leading to the fracture of his legs and spine.

Shiv Shankar’s father regrets the incident and hopes such a misfortune does not befall anybody.

According to family sources, the police in Bhubaneshwar had taken up a case of ragging, but Shiv Shankar has so far not named his tormentors. Apparently, the victim of the ragging does not know the names of his seniors, who allegedly ragged him.

The investigation into the case is expected to pick up only after Shiv Shankar identifies his tormentors.

Deepavali leaves more than 120 injured in Bangalore

More than a 120 persons, a majority of them children, sufferred eye injuries in Bangalore with eye hospitals across the City reporting an increase in the number of cracker-related burns and injuries during the ensuing festival season.

Eye hospitals across the City have put the total number of injured persons at 123, including nine of them, who have lost their sight in one or both the eyes. A majority of the persons brought to eye hospitals in Bangalore turned out to be children with the youngest one being an eighteen-month-old baby.

Leading eye hospitals in Bangalore like Narayana Nethralaya, Minto Eye Hospital, Victoria Hospital and St John’s Hospital were flooded with patients suffering from cracker-related burn injuries in the eye.

Viji, a 32-year-old plumber, was battling for life at Victoria Hospital in Bangalore after sustaining severe burns on his face, chest and hands.

A box of firecrackers burst in Viji’s face after a lit cigarette was accidentally thrown into the box. Doctors attending on him said he had sufferred 45 per cent burns. His respiratory tract had been damaged and the doctors feared that the chances of his survival appeared bleak.

Ten-year-Mubarak had the cornea of his right eye ripped off when a cracker lit by someone else flew into his face near his home in Mattikere in Bangalore. Mubarak, who has now been admitted to St John’s Hospital, is feared to have lost vision in one eye. “He may be given the option of an artificial eye, but the doctors are now asking us to only wait and watch as the injury is very bad”, according to Mubarak’s uncle Vazeer Ahmed.

Amritha, the eighteen-month-old daughter of Siddaramu from Muneshwara Layout in Bangalore, was also among the victims. She had her right eye damaged when a cracker burst by someone hit her in the eye. She has been admitted to Modi Charitable Eye Hospital in Bangalore for treatment.

According to opthalmologist at Minto Eye Hospital Dr Krishnaprasad, a majority of the critical cases across eye hospitals in Bangalore pertain to Hypheama – a condition in which blood accumulates inside the vitreous humour that covers the interior of an eyeball. “This occurs after a severe impact on the eye by a sharp or fiery object. Such a condition normally takes five to six days for the blood to clear, if at all it does, so nothing can be said till then and they would remain critical”, he added.

Health officials have regretted the high number of cracker-related burns during the ensuing Deepavali in Bangalore despite their campaign to create awareness about the dangers of lighting fireworks.

Bangalore police hunt for Bidapa’s wife

Leading fashion designer Prasad Bidapa’s wife Judith Bidapa, accused of misbehaving with the police, remained absconding even after the court ordered the release of her son Adam Bidapa on bail in Bangalore.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) G B Chebbi told reporters that Judith Bidapa is absconding. “But, the police has launched a hunt for her. We will arrest her soon. She is guilty, so she is avoiding law”, he added.

Judith Bidapa, who reached the police station after learning about her son’s arrest for beating up policemen, is alleged to have pushed Chebbi and injured his finger. A case has been slapped against her for obstructing a public servant from discharging his duty.

However, Judith Bidapa’s counsel M T Nanaiah told reporters that he would be filing an anticipatory bail petition for his client when the courts reopen on Wednesday. The court has already released on bail Adam Bidapa, who reportedly assaulted policemen outside a nightclub in Bangalore, after he complied with the court’s condition that he furnish a personal bond of Rs 20,000.

Meanwhile, Chebbi said the police have sent blood samples of Adam Bidapa to the Forensic Sciences laboratory to ascertain whether it has any trace of drugs or banned narcotic substances. “If the laboratory report indicates drug use, we will take up a case against him under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act”, Chebbi said.

Chebbi also said the police had received reports that rich kids were using cocaine and other drugs in the City’s pubs and clubs. “Several persons including the DJs and bouncers are acting as peddlers. We will nab them soon”, he said.

After the incident in which Adam Bidapa allegedly assaulted a couple of policemen outside a night club, Chebbi said the police have intensified a drive against nightclubs, pubs and discotheques in Bangalore. “We will strictly enforce the police rule that they should be closed down by 11.30 pm. We will not allow them to remain open beyond the permissible hours”, Chebbi added.

Bidapa’s son released on bail

Leading fashion choreographer Prasad Bidapa’s nineteen-year-old son Adam Bidapa, who was arrested on charges of beating up policemen outside a nightclub in Bangalore, has been released on bail.

A City court ordered Adam Bidapa’s release on the condition that he furnishes a personal bond of Rs 20,000. The court also stipulated that Adam Bidapa report to the police station on the 15th and 30th of every month. Adam Bidapa will also have to deposit Rs 100,000 when he travels abroad.

The 11th additional chief metropolitan magistrate Basavaraj Chega Reddy before whom the matter came up has posted the next hearing to November 3.

Counsel M T Nanaiah, who represented Adam Bidapa, said his client had adhered to all the stipulations set by the court. Even the Rs 100,000 that had to be deposited in lieu of his travel abroad has been deposited.

Adam Bidapa was taken into custody by the police and put in Bangalore Central Prison after he reportedly abused and assaulted three policemen outside a nightclub in Bangalore early on Friday. The alleged assault came as policemen were clearing the customers from the nightclub, which had been functioning beyond the 11.30 pm deadline for closure in violation of police rules.

A case has also been booked against Prasad’s wife Judith Bidapa for misbehaving with the police when she came to the police station on learning about her son’s arrest. In a fit of rate, Judith is believed to have pushed the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central), Bangalore G B Chebbi, leading to the fracture of his finger.

With the police likely to issue an arrest warrant against Judith Bidapa on charges of obstructing a public servant from discharging his duties, Nanaiah said he would file an anticipatory bail application for Judith on October 25.

Meanwhile, Prasad Bidapa accused policemen of violating the human rights of an individual. Speaking to reporters, Bidapa poured scorn on the policemen for illegally detaining his son. He said his wife, who had accompanied him to the police station, had accidentally shoved a policeman, who lost his balance and fell down.

Ten Karnataka legislators figure in BPL list

Ten legislators of Karnataka including two former Ministers were erroneously brought under the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category during a survey carried out by the State Government recently.

Sharing this information with the reporters, Karnataka’s Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Govind Karjol said the Government officials had issued BPL cards, meant for purchase of food grains at a subsidized rate, even to former Ministers like B A Jivijaya and Bopaiah, besides legislator H D Basavaraj.

“These legislators themselves brought the matter to my notice and returned the BPL cards”, Karjol said while acknowledging loopholes in the survey, which had been conducted to identify the income levels of people for the purpose of distribution of ration cards.

Karjol reporters that these lapses had led to bungling all over the state including in his own assembly constituency of Mudhol in North Karnataka. “Above Poverty Line (APL) cards had been issued to labourers in a Dalit colony while officials and rich persons in upmarket localities have been given BPL cards”, he lamented.

The Government had begun a fresh survey BPL survey after it was found that 1.6 million ration cards that were in use in the state were bogus ones. The bogus cards accounted for 20 per cent of the total ration cards in the State. “The number of families that had obtained BPL cards was more than the actual number of people living in poverty in Karnataka”, Govind Karjol said.

Many eligible families had been denied BPL cards because they had moved from villages to urban areas during the time of the survey.

BPL cards are issued to impoverished families to procure their monthly quota of food grains at a subsidized rate.

Prasad Bidapa’s tipsy son held for assaulting policemen in Bangalore

Fashion consultant Prasad Bidapa’s nineteen-year-old son Adam Bidapa has been arrested on charges of assaulting three policemen at a nightclub in Bangalore during the early hours of Friday.

A case has also been booked against Prasad’s wife Judith Bidapa for misbehaving with the police when she came to the police station on learning about her son’s arrest.

Police said the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central), Bangalore G B Chebbi during his night rounds noticed a large number of cars parked outside Spinn, a nightclub on Residency Road in Bangalore, well past midnight. Immediately, Chebbi sent two police officials along with his armed personal guard to close down the nightclub, which was violating the closure deadline.

All bars and pubs in Bangalore should be closed down by 11.30 pm as per the rules. But, Spinn, which was holding a three-day beer festival, had remained open beyond the deadline.

When the policemen were trying to clear the nightclub of all the customers, Adam Bidapa, who was reportedly in an inebriated state, let loose a verbal tirade at the policemen before assaulting them.

“He got wild and began kicking and assaulting the policemen. We had to arrest him for assaulting a government servant on duty”, Chebbi told reporters. As soon as Adam saw the police officers enter the nightclub, he is believed to have turned wild. “Why have you come here to spoil the party?”, a police officer said quoting Adam.

After Adam was bundled into a police vehicle and taken away, Pradad Bidapa and his wife Judith Bidapa arrived at Ashok Nagar police station. The police station witnessed high drama with Judith shouting at the policemen and pushing them around to secure her son’s release. Judith reportedly used the choicest of words to abuse Chebbi and his team of officers.

In a fit of rage, Judith is reported to have pushed Chebbi, who was standing near the stairs. Chebbi lost his balance and fell down, hurting his little finger on the right hand. Assistant Commissioner of Police B B Ashok Kumar, who was witness to the entire drama, told reporters that Judith’s wife even threatened Chebbi with dire consequences if her son was not released.

The police conducted a medical test on Adam to ascertain his level of intoxication. The preliminary report confirmed that Adam was under a high level of intoxication. He was produced before the jurisdictional magistrate at his residence and remanded to judicial custody. He was taken to Parappana Agrahara jail.

Meanwhile, Prasad Bidapa convened a press conference and threatened to move the court against his son’s “illegal” detention by the police. Accusing the police of violating human rights, Bidapa said he would not hesitate to even move the international courts in the regard. “I am prepared to go to any level to expose the human rights violations of the police”, he said.

Cybercrime police station finds 18 missing persons through software

The Cybercrime police station in Bangalore has managed to locate a total of 18 missing persons in the last one year, thanks to the ingenious software available with its Cyberforensics laboratory.

According to Deputy Inspector General of Police, Economic Offences, Corps of Detective (CoD) Sanjay Vir Singh, the Cyberforensics laboratory has a set of twelve softwares including the “read-notify” solution that can tell the location or the City from where a person accesses his or her e-mail account.

“Even if a person does not write an e-mail and just clicks into an account, we can track it”, Singh explained.

The Bangalore City Police had approached the Cyberforensics laboratory for assistance in tracking missing persons on several occasions. “We have managed to solve a total of eighteen missing persons cases in the last one year”, he said.

The laboratory is also equipped with sophisticated equipment like Cyber Image Backup System (CIBS), which can detect any tampering of discs and can retrieve information from the hard disc of the computer. The lab also has a mobile forensics kit, Singh added.

A majority of the 50 cases registered by the Cybercrime police station in Bangalore pertain to hacking. The rest include obscene e-mails, SMSes and tampering of the source code.

Singh said there has been a spurt in Orkut-related obscenity cases in Bangalore this year. Though cases of misuse in Orkut have also been reported from other parts, the number of cases reported in Bangalore has been on the rise. “There have been about 8 to 10 Orkut-related complaints concerning pictures of young girls that have been posted on communities with lewd allusions and a listing of the victim’s mobile numbers”, a police official said.

Karnataka legislator shot at by nephew

Congress legislator and chairman of one ofKarnataka’s leading education trusts Prabhakar Korewas shot at and critically wounded by his nephew atAnkali village near Belgaum on Thursday.

But, doctors, who had successfully removed two out the three bullets lodged in his abdomen area at KLEHospital in Belgaum by Friday afternoon, expressed confidence that the Congress MLC would survive the attack.

Prabhakar Kore, 59, who is also the Chairman of theKLE Society, which runs a chain of educational institutions in Karnataka, was on a visit to his native Ankali village on Thursday for the Deepavali festival. His wife, daughters and son were scheduled to join him later.

But, when Kore was inspecting to the construction workat the Mayura theatre he owned, his 45-year-old nephewJagadish Kore arrived there and picked up a quarrelwith him over property disputes. During the heated arguments, Jagadish Kore pointed a loaded revolver at Prabhakar Kore.

But, Prabhakar chided Jagadish for being “childish” and started walking away. Immediately, an incensed Jagadish Kore fired four bullets at Prabhakar Kore’s back from close range. Three bullets pierced his body and Kore collapsed. Immediately, Prabhakar Kore was shifted to the nearby Government hospital in Chikkodi.

Later, he was rushed to KLE Hospital in Belgaum. By Friday afternoon, the doctors had removed two out of the three bullets and declared him out of danger. A press statement issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Belgaum said Prabhakar Kore was out of danger.

Meanwhile, the police arrested the Jagadish Kore in Chikkodi and took him away for interrogation. The attack on Kore, a veteran Congress leader, spread like wild fire not only in Belgaum, but also the restof the State with a large number of people expressing their shock and praying for his early recovery.

Korewas in the spotlight recently for playing a key-role in the successful conduct of Legislature session in Belgaum. For many, it was a grim reminder of the attack onsenior BJP leader Pramod Mahajan a couple of months ago.

NARROW ESCAPE FOR KIN: Prabhakar Kore’s family memberstoo had a narrow escape when the vehicle they were traveling to reach Chikkodi from Belgaum turned turtle.

Police said the vehicle carrying Kore’s wife Sujata,daughters’s Deepti and Preeti, son Amit and KLE Hospital’s Medical Director Dr M V Jali suffered a tyre burst, leading to its overturning on the national highway. “The vehicle overturned thrice. Fortunately,none of us suffered any serious injuries”, Dr Jali told reporters later.

Karnataka advocates up in arms against Chief Justice

Advocates in Karnataka are up in arms against Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph for not only casting aspersions on the legal fraternity in public functions, but also cracking below the belt jokes.

Taking serious exception to the unpalatable jokes and unnecessary public criticism of advocates by the Chief Justice, the Karnataka State Bar Council has resolvedto boycott all functions relating to the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Karnataka High Court to be attended by the Chief Justice.

The relationship between the advocates and the Chief Justice, which had been uneasy for the last few months, hit a new low recently when Cyriac Joseph held the advocates responsible for corruption in judiciary.The Chief Minister is reported to have said that judges cannot become corrupt without the assistance of lawyers.

During its recent meeting, the Karnataka State Bar Council not only discussed the remarks made by theChief Justice against the lawyers, but also his“unpalatable and undignified” jokes and anecdotes. Chairman of the Bar Council Sadashiva Reddy said the Bar had decided not to involve the Chief Justice in any of its programmes.

The Bar passed the resolution against the Chief Justice despite stiff resistence by Advocate General Uday Holla, who is also the ex-officio member of theBar Council. Holla, however, walked out of the meeting after his efforts to convince the members of the Barto desist from taking such a decision went in vain.

The advocates are also cut up with the Chief Justice for denying a respectable representation for the advocates during the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Karnataka High Court. Though the advocates had contributed generously for the celebrations, they have been denied a place on the dais, according to vice chairman of Karnataka State Bar Council Mohan Limbikai.

After the Bar Council took a decision to boycott the Chief Justice, the advocates associations in various districts of the state have cancelled all Golden Jubilee celebrations in their areas. Such a resolution had been passed in Shimoga, Belgaum, Mangalore andBijapur already. More districts are expected to follow suit. Meanwhile, Bar Council Chairman Sadashiva Reddy told reporters that he had also received several complaints about the below the belt jokes cracked by the ChiefJustice.

One of the jokes narrated by the Chief Justice was about the plea a woman advocate makes while seeking an adjournment for a case. The woman advocate is quoted as saying “My Lord, I am very busy with one leg in Delhi and the other in Tamil Nadu”. The Chief Justice is said to have replied: “Then Madhya Pradesh must behaving all the fun”.

Helmets become compulsory across cities in Karnataka

The wearing of crash helmets for two wheeler riders has been made mandatory in Bangalore and five other cities of Karnataka with effect from November 1 this year.

After toying with the idea for more than three months in the wake of a High Court order, the coalition Government has finally taken a decision to enforce compulsory wearing of helmets in the cities of Bangalore, Mysore, Mangalore, Gulbarga, Hubli-Dharwad and Belgaum.

Making the announcement in Bangalore, Home Minister M P Prakash said pillion riders would be exempted from wearing helmets.

The helmet rule, which had been withdrawn more than thirteen years ago, returns after the High Court recommended the Government to ensure mandatory wearing of crash helmets to avoid injuries to the head during accident. Citing a report prepared by National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), which claimed that wearing helmets could have saved a number of lives, the High Court asked the Government to take a positive decision in the regard.

Though the Government chose to enforce the helmet rule in limits of all the six city corporations in Karnataka, the two-wheelers riders of Bellary have been given an exemption due to the high temperature in the region.

Two killed, 30 injured as bus runs amok in Bangalore

Two persons were killed and thirty others were injured when a speeding bus ploughed through a crowded bus shelter in Bangalore on Tuesday evening after knocking down an autorickshaw and two motorcycles.

Enraged at the bus driver’s perceived recklessness, an irate mob torched the bus and brought traffic to a halt in the area around Bangalore Airport. The agitated crowd did not spare even police vehicles and torched two of them on the Airport road.

The casualties were mostly Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) employees, who were leaving after a change of shift in the evening. The mishap took place just outside HAL’s helicopter division, about half a kilometer from the airport, when a large number of employees were milling around the bus stop.

The bus, which belonged to Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), was coming from the Information Technology Park Limited (ITPL) and passing through Airport road when it went out of control.

According to eye-witnesses, the speeding bus first collided with an autorickshaw and careened off to the right of the road, knocking down two motorcycles coming from the opposite direction. Next, the bus hit a tree and ploughed through the bus shelter, forcing the waiting commuters to run helter-skelter. But, a few of them came under the wheels of the bus.

As the bus came to a halt, the driver ran away from the spot screaming, “brake fail, brake fail”. However, the driver John Rose later surrendered before the police.

Three cranes from HAL were pressed into service to lift the bus and pull out the victims. They injured were rushed to nearby HAL and Manipal hospitals. The deceased have been identified as B G Srinivas, 30, an employee of HAL’s Aerospace division, and Rakesh, 22, an autodriver.

A majority of the injured persons are HAL employees. Out of the thirty admitted to the hospital with injuries as many as seventeen are women. The angry mob, which went on a rampage soon after the mishap torching the BMTC bus, refused to even allow fire tenders to put out the blaze.

With traffic grinding to a halt in the area, vehicles bound to Bangalore airport virtually piled-up on the Airport road. Apart from the fire brigade, even police vehicles could not reach the accident spot. Deputy Commissioner of Police (East), Bangalore City, M A Saleem had to leave his car at ISRO junction, about three kms away, and had to trek to the accident spot.

Power bills become cheaper in Karnataka

For the first time in Karnataka’s history, the electricity tariff has been reduced by around ten to fifteen percent for every unit of power consumed across the state except Bangalore.

Shooting down a proposal from the Electricity Supply Companies of the State to increase the power tariff by 40 paise a unit for all types of consumers, except those under the Below Poverty Line (BPL), the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) effected a downward revision ranging from 10 to 35 paise for every unit of power consumed.

Much to the chagrin of the Electricity Supply Companies, which are planning to move the Central Power Tribunal against the KERC, the newly revised electricity tariff will come into force from November 1 this year. The average price of a unit of power is set to come down from Rs 3.56 to Rs 3.20 per unit.

Though the reduction in power tariff is not applicable in Bangalore, the electricity consumers in Bangalore Metropolitan Area and eight civic bodies on its periphery have been spared from a hike the Electricity Supply companies proposed.

KERC Chairman K P Pandey, who announced the reduction in electricity tariff, said the five Electricity Supply Companies in Karnataka had surplus money, which had to be passed onto the consumers.

The good inflow into the hydro-electricity power generation reservoirs this year had helped KERC offer a concession in tariff to power consumers in the State. “The year 2006-07 is one of the best years with high-energy availability from hydro-stations. Hence, a moderate reduction in tariff is considered for urban areas and a slightly higher reduction for those in rural areas”, Pandey said.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) under whose jurisdiction the five Electricity Supply Companies fall, is examining the options of challenging the KERC announcement on tariff reduction before the Central Power Tribunal.

Clearly disappointed with the KERC for turning down its plea for a tariff hike, KPTCL Managing Director Bharatlal Meena said he may have to take up the issue with Central Power Tribunal. “The KERC appears to be trying to please the consumers at the cost of electricity supply companies as well as their service”, Meena regretted.

Air ambulance launched in Bangalore

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has launched a specially designed Chetak helicopter, which will serve as an air ambulance for emergency medical evacuation of patients from areas around Bangalore to super-speciality hospitals in the City equipped with a helipad.

Named as Vayu Vahan, the fully-equipped helicopter is Bangalore’s first air ambulance pressed into service for medical evacuation.

HAL Chairman Ashok Baweja formally inaugurated the operations of the Vayu Vahan at the Rotary Wing Academy situated at Bangalore airport complex recently. “We are extending this facility to all persons, organizations and hospitals. That too for Rs 25,000 per flying hour, less than half the price charged by a private helicopter operator”, Baweja said.

He said the launch of the air ambulance service in keeping with the unparalleled growth in the aviation sector in India. “This initiative would bring the aviation industry to the doorstep of the masses. The concept of air ambulance is very popular abroad and the need for it in India has been felt by the medical fraternity for quite some time”, he said.

“We can pick up any emergency case around Bangalore and bring the patient to a hospital, where there is a helipad or bring him to the airport from where the ambulance can come and pick them”, Chief Test Pilot, HAL, C D Upadhyay said.

An air ambulance can eventually turn out to be life-saver when the Golden Hour keeps ticking away in the midst of the traffic quagmire like Bangalore City.

Though the concept of air ambulance is new to Bangalore, experts said there are an estimated 800 dedicated private medical helicopters in the US and nearly 300,000 patients are transported in air ambulances every year. While fifty per cent of them are shifted from accident sits to hospitals, the remaining are shifted from smaller hospitals to major centers.

Nearly 95 per cent of the US population is understood to be within 30 minute response of medical helicopter service. One helicopter can serve a radius of 200 miles.

In India, however, there are barely 150 helicopters and very few hospitals or high rise buildings have helipads, experts said.

CoD probe ordered into Mangalore riots

The Karnataka Government has ordered an inquiry by the Corps of Detective (CoD) into the recent riots in Mangalore, which claimed two lives and left more than 70 people injured.

Making the announcement, Karnataka’s Home Minister M P Prakash said the Government had taken a serious note of the communal disturbances in Mangalore. “We will assure the victims of the communal disturbances that the culprits will not be spared”, said Prakash, who belongs to the JD (S).

The Government’s decision to order a CoD probe comes despite its coalition partner BJP’s disapproval to the idea of holding any inquiry into the riots. Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who belongs to the BJP, had recently ruled out any investigation into the riots. “There is no need for any sort of investigation”, the Deputy Chief Minister had ruled.

However, the tide turned against the BJP following JD (S) leader from Mangalore Vasanth Bangera holding the BJP responsible for the riots, much to the consternation of the BJP leadership.

JD (S) supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda is understood to have directed his son and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to order a CoD probe. A team of officials headed by CoD Director General of Police K N Srinivas has already visited the riot-torn town to take stock of the situation.

Meanwhile, the Mangalore unit of JD (S) has sought a judicial probe into the violence in Mangalore and blamed Minister for Ports and Fisheries Nagaraj Shetty, who is also the Minister in charge of Mangalore district, for the communal flare-up. JD (S) leader Vasanth Bangera has held Shetty directly responsible for the riots in Mangalore.

Blast at firecracker unit in Mangalore claims five lives

A powerful blast ripped apart a firecracker-manufacturing unit at Budderi village in Puttur near Mangalore in Karnataka on Sunday, claiming five lives.

Police said the explosion took place when Fakeer Saab, who used to manufacture firecrackers, and his son Rafiq were loading a consignment of crackers onto an autorickshaw parked in front of his house.

Due to the impact of the blast, the autorickshaw was thrown fifty metres away while the concrete canopy of Fakeer Sab’s house crashed. Apart from Fakeer Saab. 55, and his son Rafiq, 20, the auto-driver Vinay were also killed in the ghastly blast. A neighbour Vijay Gowda and the ten-year-old son of the neighbour Dikshit also lost their lives.

Police said the impact of the blast had shook the whole area and the dead bodies of the victims were found strewn around. The gutted and mangled autorickshaw had landed atop a nearby tree.

The fire force personnel, who were pressed into service soon after the explosion, took several hours to locate the bodies, which were found lying several metres away from the blast.

Fakir Sab’s wife Roshna Bibi and an on-looker Nonayya were among the two persons, who sufferred injuries in the blast. The other women in Fakir Sab’s house were saved as they were not in the house at the time of the blast.

Police said the explosion could have been triggered either due to friction while loading the crackers onto an autorickshaw or due to some source of ignition like a beedi, being used by one of the victims.

Superintendent of Dakshina Kannada district police B Dayanand visited the spot and said samples recovered from the scene of the explosion will be sent to forensic laboratory for further tests. The police also said Fakir Sab’s cracker manufacturing unit was “illegal”. “We have to find out the nature of chemicals used for manufacturing these crackers”, a police official said.

Endangered tortoises seized at Bangalore airport

The Customs officials at Bangalore airport seized a total of 447 endangered star tortoises, which were being smuggled to Malaysia from India.

The Customs Commissioner P Ayyam Perumal said the tortoises, which are unique for their black yellow shells and star-shaped blotches, had been stuffed in cotton pillow covers before being kept in an airbag. Due to rough handling, a few tortoises were also found dead, he said.

The tortoises, whose export had been banned under the Wild Life Protection Act, had been brought to the City from Chennai for onward shipment to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia via Sri Lanka. One person has been arrested in connection with the illegal transshipment, Customs officials said.

The seized tortoises, which had been declared as an endangered species, would be handed over to the Forest Department officials. The seized tortoises were valued around Rs 7 million in the international market.

The star tortoises are kept as pet animals with a belief that they bring good luck and fortune to the keeper. They are also used for medicinal purposes and at times as a food delicacy.

According to wild life experts, star tortoises are in great demand in several parts of the world. The creature, which is generally found on rocky outcrops and scrub jungles, fetches a whopping $ 400 to $ 800. “If it is kept as a pet in US, UK and middle east countries, the star tortoise is even eaten as a delicacy in Thailand and Malaysia”, according to bio diversity expert Harish R Bhat.

Thousands of Dalits embrace Buddhism in Karnataka

Thousands of Dalits from different parts of Karnataka embraced Buddhism at an impressive function in Gulbarga on Saturday to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Dalit leader B R Ambedkar’s conversion to Buddhism.

Bante Bodhi Dhamma, a senior Buddhist monk from Japan, administered the oath of Buddhism to an estimated 5,000 people, who had gathered at the MSK Mill Grounds in Gulbarga, attired in new white robes. The new converts pledged to give up Hinduism and embrace Buddhism during the change of faith ceremony.

The converts swore that they would not believe in Hindu Gods and also not follow the Hindu belief that Buddha was the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Apart from swearing that they would stop worshipping Hindu Gods, the converts also took an oath not to lie, steal, smoke or drink alcohol.

The change of faith ceremony took place under a huge pandal erected at the venue in Gulbarga. A large number of Dalits from various parts of Karnataka including farmers, professors, teachers, government servants and politicians embraced Buddhism on the occasion. A large number of women were also among the Dalits, who converted to Buddhism on the occasion.

Prominent among those who embraced Buddhism were the National Vice President of Republican Party of India Shivaram Mogha and senior Dalit leaders Vittal Dodmani and A B Hosmani.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President M Mallikarjun Kharge, who presided over the changing of faith ceremony, told reporters that he too worshipped Buddha, but did not plan to embrace Buddhism presently. “In future anything might happen”, he remarked when asked whether he too would embrace Buddhism.

Buddhism stood for equality and social justice. “That is the reason why it is becoming popular nowadays”, he said.

Former Federal Minister V Srinivas Prasad, who was the chief guest on the occasion, said Dr Ambedkar was a great spiritual leader rather than a political leader. “It is due to his vision that many Dalits are enjoying high posts nowadays”, he said.

Man finds his missing father’s dead body in medical college

Shocked to find his missing father’s dead body being used for studies in a private medical college in Bangalore, a man has threatened to move the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) against the involvement of police in racket of dead bodies.

In a press statement, Venkatesh, a resident of Bangalore, said his missing father Kaverappa’s dead body had been sold to St John’s Medical College in Bangalore by Madivala police in the City without proper identification and clarification. “My father’s dead body had been illegally sold to a medical college without completing all the necessary formalities”, Venkatesh said.

A couple of days after his father went missing, Venkatesh said he was tipped off by a staffer of St John’s Medical College that his father’s dead body was lying in the college to be used for medical studies by students. Immediately, Venkatesh rushed to the college to take possession of the body.

He was stunned to find a total of thirty wounds on his dead father’s body. When Venkatesh identified himself as the son of the dead man and staked claim over the body, the college authorities forced him to pay the embalming fee before taking possession of the body.

“I was even harassed by the college authorities, who forced me to pay Rs 5,000 to take back the dead body of my own father”, Venkatesh said in the press statement.

Though Venkatesh claimed that he had brought the matter to the notice of Bangalore City Police Commissioner N Achuta Rao, there has been no response in the matter.

Meanwhile, Director of St John’s National Academy of Health Sciences Dr Thomas said the college authorities were ready to return the Rs 5,000 collected from Venkatesh for embalming the body. “We had mistakenly procured the dead body of Venkatesh’s father as an unclaimed body from the police”, he admitted in a press statement.

He said the college had been receiving unclaimed bodies for medical studies over the years. “When the college staff did not notice any marks of injury on this dead body, it was assumed that the person had died of natural causes. Moreover as the Madivala police had given the body, there was no doubt in the minds of the staff about any legal formalities remaining incomplete” Dr Thomas said.

Venkatesh, who has declined to accept the amount, said the policemen should be punished for disposing off his father’s dead body without completing the formalities. “Had the college staffer not tipped me, I would never have known the fate of my father, who went missing”, Venkatesh said. “I saw three other bodies kept in the college for medical studies. I suspect the police to be involved in a racket in illegal sale of dead bodies”, Venkatesh said threatening to approach the NHRC in the matter.

Decline in Chikungunya cases in Karnataka

After threatening to swamp Karnataka, the epidemic of Chikungunya is finally on the wane, much to the relief of the health officials in the State.

With the number of Chikungunya cases crossing 750,000 a month ago, the health officials appeared worried over the fast spread of the disease, which is caused by mosquito bite.

But, during the last one month, the number of cases has declined. “The number of fresh cases being reported dipped to 1,000 a week since the last three weeks from a staggering 25,000 per week till early September”, said joint Director of Malaria and Philaria, Government of Karnataka, Dr H C Ramesh.

Chikungunya, which began showing up early this year with victims complaining of fever, pain in the bones and swelling in the legs, had peaked during June, July and August this year. Karnataka accounted for almost half the total cases of Chikungunya in the entire country.

But, a massive environmental sanitation programme involving fogging taken up throughout the State had helped the authorities contain the spread of the disease. Karnataka’s Minister for Health R Ashok told reporters that each gram panchayat, spread across two to three villages, will be provided with one fogging machine to control vector-borne diseases.

So, far the Government had released a total of Rs 58 million for purchase of fogging machines in the State, he said.

Kumaraswamy stays in Muslim home

After staying in the homes of Dalits and Marathis, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy choose the house of a Muslim in for an overnight halt during his tour of Dharwad district recently.

Instead of staying at circuit houses and travellers’ bungalows like other VVIPs, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has established a new tradition of staying overnight in houses of poor people during his visit to rural parts of the State.

After staying in houses of Dalits and Marathis, the Chief Minister had promised to stay in a madrassa or a seminary during his next visit to coastal Karnataka to silence his critics, who questioned his secular credentials.

But even before he could stay at a madrassa, Kumaraswamy selected the house of a gram panchayat member Allabi Chandsab Nadaf for his overnight stay during the tour of Dharwad.

The Muslim gram panchayat member’s modest house in Naavalli in Dharwad district, about 40 kms from Hubli, became the focus of all attention with the Chief Minister’s decision to stay there overnight. The house was decked up with a fresh coat of paint, new cots and fans, besides a new toilet.

When the Chief Minister arrived in the village, the locals, who burst crackers and danced enthusiastically, accorded him a warm welcome.

Speaking to reporters at Allabi Chandsab Nadaf’s residence, Kumaraswamy defended the Government’s decision to arrest BJP’s Karnataka unit President D V Sadananda Gowda for trying to take out a procession in Chickmagalur recently in defiance of ban orders.

“The Government will not hesitate to arrest people, who break law and order in the name of Shobha Yatra”, Kumaraswamy said.

BJP Minister withdraws resignation

Karnataka’s Minister for Ports and Fisheries B Nagaraj Shetty has withdrawn the resignation he had submitted in the wake of communal riots in Mangalore.

Shetty, who is also the Minister in charge of Mangalore district, had submitted his resignation from the coalition JD (S)-BJP cabinet owning moral responsibility for the violence that rocked Mangalore recently, claiming the lives of two persons and injuring 80 others.

Shetty, who belongs to the BJP, withdrew his resignation after Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa met him and convinced him to reconsider his decision to quit the coalition. Shetty is understood to have relented only after Yediyurappa assured to speak to Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and secure the release of his supporters, who had reportedly been arrested at the behest of Home Minister M P Prakash, who belongs to the JD (S).

After withdrawing his resignation, Shetty told reporters that he decided to quit as he was hurt by the allegations that he had orchestrated the communal trouble in Mangalore. “I was pained by the charges against me that I was responsible for the violence”, Shetty said.

However, Shetty said he had decided to withdraw his resignation after Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and BJP’s Karnataka unit President D V Sadananda Gowda met and him requested him to reconsider his decision.

But, Shetty laid the blame for the communal trouble in Mangalore squarely at the doorstep of the Congress party. Though Shetty is understood to have been deeply hurt by Home Minister M P Prakash’s decision to arrest his followers and other BJP supporters in Mangalore, the Minister choose against airing his grievances against the JD (S) leader in public.

Meanwhile, former Karnataka Chief Minister M Veerappa Moily said Hindu fundamentalist organizations were behind the recent riots in Mangalore.

Describing as “irresponsible” the Government’s statement about the involvement of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) in the communal violence, Moily denied the existence of any Muslim fundamentalist organization in Mangalore district. “The JD (S)-BJP Government is unnecessarily dragging SIMI into the picture”.

On the other hand, the communal clashes in Mangalore were the handiwork of Bajrang Dal and Rashtriya Ram Sena, Moily said. “These Hindu fundamentalist organizations are creating a situation for SIMI to percolate into the region. I appeal to the Government to immediately curb the activities of these Hindu outfits”, Moily said

Karnataka coalition comes under strain after BJP chief is arrested

The arrest of hundreds of Sangh Parivar activists including BJP’s Karnataka unit President D V Sadananda Gowda and two party legislators when they tried to take out a procession from Chickmagalur to the disputed shrine in Bababudangiri on Tuesday evening has brought the JD (S)-BJP coalition Government in Karnataka under a strain.

Though the police released the arrested BJP leaders and activists later in the night on Tuesday, the party’s office bearers as well as a couple of Ministers are apparently finding it difficult to stomach the arrest of the chief of the party, which is a partner in the ruling coalition.

Apart from coming down heavily on the Chickmagalur district administration for “depriving them of their religious freedom for the sake of appeasing minorities”, the BJP leaders have urged Chief Minister H D Kumarawamy to immediately convene the Co-ordination committee meeting of the two parties to sort out the issue.

Karnataka’s Minister for Water Resources K S Eshwarappa, who belongs to the BJP, convened a press conference yesterday to seek a Co-ordination committee meeting. If the Chief Minister does not respond to the party’s demand for a Co-ordination committee meeting, the party will hold its BJP Legislature Party meeting and decide its future course of action, Eshwarappa threatened.

BJP spokesperson Suresh Kumar issued a press statement in Bangalore criticizing the State Government for arresting Sadananda Gowda and legislators C T Ravi and Shobha Karandlaje. He threatened an agitation against its own Government. “The Government will have to face an agitation over the issue”, he added in the press statement.

A livid Eshwarappa too wondered how the police can arrest the chief of a party, which is a partner in the ruling coalition. “Who ordered the police to arrest the President of our party ? Did the orders come from the Home Minister? All these matters have to be clarified at the Co-ordination Committee meeting”, he said.

It may be mentioned here that more than 700 Sangh Parivar activists including the BJP’s Karnataka unit chief and two legislators were arrested by the police on Tuesday evening whey tried to take out a the Shobha Yatra, which is now been renamed as Sankeerthana Yatra, in defiance of prohibitory orders imposed in Chickmagalur.

The district administration had denied the Sangh Parivar outfits permission to take out the procession in view of the threat to communal harmony. Prohibitory orders had been imposed and congregation of people or taking processions was banned in a radius of 5 kms from Chickmagalur from Monday to Wednesday.

But, the Sangh Parivar activists gathered at Kamadhenu Ganapathy Temple in Chickmagalur and began taking part in a procession by following a vehicle carrying the idol of Datta. Barely had they traveled 100 metres, the police stopped them, leading to high drama and war of words.
When the activists remained adamant on completing the procession despite the prohibitory orders, the police arrested them

Mangalore violence echo: BJP Minister resigns

Karnataka’s Minister for Ports and Fisheries B Nagaraj Shetty, who is also the Minister in charge of Mangalore district, has resigned from the coalition Cabinet owning moral responsibility for the communal violence that rocked the coastal town of Mangalore recently.

After sending his resignation letter to Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, which was also made available to the press, Nagaraj Shetty, a BJP Minister in the JD (S)-BJP coalition Government, has left for an undisclosed location and become incommunicado.

However, Yediyurappa told reporters that efforts would be made to convince Nagaraj Shetty to withdraw his resignation and continue in office. However, Nagaraj Shetty has made it clear that he would not change his mind and withdraw the resignation.

Nagaraj Shetty is also understood to have told party leaders that he was compelled to resign after he was slighted by Home Minister M P Prakash, who belongs to the JD (S), during the latter’s visit to Mangalore on Monday.

Prakash had not bothered to consult Shetty on the situation in Mangalore though he was the Minister in charge of Mangalore district. Prakash, who was closetted with senior police officials during his visit to the troubled town, left without meeting Shetty.

Nagaraj Shetty is also understood to have expressed his serious objection to the “unilateral” decisions taken by the Home Minister on Mangalore violence and his threat to take action against the pro-Hindu organizations that had given a call for Mangalore bundh, which led to the violence.

Nagaraj Shetty has complained to the party leaders that the police had arrested his followers in Mangalore based on the directions of the Home Minister.

Centre blames Karnataka Government for violence in Mangalore

Federal Minister of State for Home Sri Prakash Jaiswal has charged the JD (S)-BJP coalition in Karnataka of having failed to contain the communal clashes in Mangalore, which claimed two lives and left more than 90 people injured.

During a visit to the riot-affected areas of Mangalore along with Congress leaders from Karnataka on Monday evening, Jaiswal did not mince any words in criticizing the coalition Government of Karnataka for its failure to handle the communal situation. That the violence continued for three days even after imposition of prohibitory orders and curfew only shows that the Government had failed to control the situation and bring back normalcy, Jaiswal observed.

The Federal Minister emphasized the need for a high-level inquiry to find out the elements behind the clashes, which had led to arson, looting and damage to life and property. “Though normalcy is being restored, how can clashes and violence be allowed for so many days?”, Jaiswal wondered and directed the district administration to hold peace meetings between the leaders of the two communities.

Jaiswal, who was also accosted by angry families with complaints against the police and the local officials for reportedly failing to prevent group clashes, said he would soon submit a report to the Federal Government on the violence that rocked Mangalore.

“We are ready for even a CBI probe, provided the State Government is ready for it”, Jaiswal said.

Meanwhile, Karnataka’s Minister for Home M P Prakash, who also visited Mangalore, told reporters that the State Government would consider booking a case against the pro-Hindu organizations for giving a call for Mangalore bundh, which led to communal violence.

“So far, we have not booked any case against the organizations that called for the bundh. I discuss the matter with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and book cases against the organizations”, Prakash said.

Prakash even blamed the son of a Congress MLA, who incidentally belongs to the Muslim community, for playing a role in the violence.

Meanwhile, curfew was relaxed in Mangalore for twelve hours on Tuesday from 7 am to 7 pm. The Mangalore district administration has decided to continue with night curfew from 7 pm to 7 am for the next two days, according to Superintendent of Mangalore district police B Dayanand.

Mangalore limping back to normalcy

The coastal town of Mangalore, which was rocked by communal violence, was limping back to normalcy with no untoward incident being reported since Saturday night.

However, the town and the surrounding areas remained under heavy police security, save for a three-hour period on Monday morning when curfew was lifted to facilitate people to buy essential commodities.

When relaxation of curfew was announced, people, who had remained indoors for the last three to four days, rushed to the streets, swarming shops and provisional stores. Long queues were seen outside many shops selling items of daily consumption. Many shopkeepers faced a shortage of essential commodities, as fresh stocks had not arrived.

The authorities have declared a holiday for schools and colleges on Monday and Tuesday, besides extending curfew till Monday evening. Though the town remained incident-free for the last two days, a tense atmosphere continued to pervade in the society.

Meanwhile, various contingents of police including Rapid Action Force (RAF), Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) and civil police staged a flag march to instill a sense of confidence in the people. The flag march passed through communally sensitive localities like Bunder, Car Street, Lalbagh and State Bank. Similar flag marches were also held in Ullal and other suburbs of Mangalore that came under the grip of communal frenzy.

Police said two persons had died while 70 others had sustained injuries during the communal violence that broke in Mangalore after a van carrying cattle to the slaughterhouse was intercepted.

Meanwhile, Karnataka’s Home Minister M P Prakash is expected to visit Mangalore and take stock of the situation.

A delegation of Congress leaders from Bangalore is also expected to visit the affected areas. According to sources in the Congress party, Federal Minister of State for Home Sri Prakash Jaiswal and Federal Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation Oscar Fernandes, who hails from Mangalore, are also expected to visit the trouble-hit town.

In Bangalore, a delegation comprising Left parties, litterateurs and representatives of various organizations met Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and submitted a memorandum blaming the Sangh Parivar for communal riots in Mangalore.

The delegation sought the immediate arrest of the leaders of the Sangh Parivar for fomenting communal trouble in Mangalore. President of Karnataka Forum for Dignity K M Sharief, who was part of the delegation, accused the local police of colluding with the leaders of Sangh Parivar and committing atrocities on Muslims.

Fresh violence reported in Mangalore, toll rises to 2

Fresh violence rocked the coastal town of Mangalore late on Saturday evening when a armed mob intercepted an ambulance, dragged the passengers out and stabbed them, leading to the death of one of them.

Though the curfew-clamped town of Mangalore remained largely peaceful throughout the day on Saturday, except for stray incidents of stone throwing, a late-evening outbreak of trouble in Adoor-Polali Road, about fifteen km from the City, claimed the life of a 36-year-old youth.

The deceased has been identified as Ibrahim, who was travelling to Bajpe airport in an ambulance along with six others. The ambulance was waylaid by a group of armed miscreants, who attacked the passengers with lethal weapons. The ambulance was later set on fire.

The severely injured passengers of the ambulance were shifted to a private hospital in the City, but Ibrahim was declared brought dead by the duty doctors at 9 pm. Two others, who received stab wounds, are believed to be in a critical condition.

Meanwhile, Saturday night’s incident takes the death toll in the communal violence to two. On Friday night, a Muslim cleric and resident of Sullia, Abdul Gafoor, 26, had succumbed to stab wounds in a private hospital. Though Gafoor had been rescued from a marauding mob by the police and admitted to a hospital, he had breathed his last early on Saturday morning.

The town remained calm on Sunday and police relaxed curfew in a few areas to allow people to buy essential commodities. Though no major incidents of trouble were reported from Mangalore or its outskirts, the situation remained tense with stray incidents of torching of vehicles and shops reported from far-flung pockets of Mangalore not covered by curfew.

In Bangalore, Karnataka’s Home Minister M P Prakash blamed Hindu fundamentalist groups and radical Islamic groups for violence in Mangalore.

But, Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa immediately swung to the defense of the Hindu groups and said not a single pro-Hindu organizations was responsible for the violence in Mangalore. He said he would urge Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Home Minister M P Prakash to order an inquiry into the riots.

Reacting to Prakash’s suspicion that the outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) could be behind the trouble in Mangalore, Preisdent of Jamaat E Islami Hind, Karnataka and Goa, Ibrahim Sayeed said no outlawed group operated in Mangalore district.

Meanwhile, the Congress party has accused the JD (S)-BJP Government in Karnataka of failing to provide security to the minorities and cited the communal violence in Mangalore as a case in point. Congress leaders Kagodu Thimappa and H Vishwanath convened a press conference in Bangalore and said the Hindu fundamentalist groups were going about communalizing the society under the patronage of the coalition Government

Teaching of English in Karnataka schools now compulsory

After its controversial decision to close down more than 2,000 English medium schools for violating the language policy, the Karnataka Government has made teaching of English as a compulsory subject from first standard in all Kannada medium schools.

Similiarly, all the English medium schools in the State will have to compulsorily teach Kannada as a subject from first standard. In schools run by linguistic minorities, Kannada will be a compulsory subject from third standard.

These decisions were approved at the cabinet meeting of the JD (S)-BJP coalition Government held in Bangalore.

Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, Karnataka’s Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Basavaraj Horatti said decisions would come into force from the coming academic year, beginning in June 2007.

Horatti also made it clear that the Government would not go back on its decision to de-recognize more than 2,000 primary schools, which had adopted English as a medium of instruction though they had obtained licenses after giving an undertaking that the medium of instruction would be Kannada.

He said the Government had relented to allow the schools to function till the end of the ensuing academic year to prevent inconvenience to the more than 275,000 students studying these schools.

Enraged over denial of permission for Shobha Yatra, Sangh Parivar extends Datta Mala Abhiyan indefinitely

The Datta Mala Abhiyan, a campaign taken up by the Sangh Parivar activists to adorn the sacred thread at the disputed hill shrine of Bababudangiri, has been extended indefinitely after the Government refused to accord them permission for taking out controversial Shobha Yatra.

The Datta Mala Abhiyan, which began on October 1, was scheduled to conclude on Sunday with the Sangh Parivar activists taking out a Shobha Yatra from Chickmagalur town to the cave shrine atop the Bababudangiri hillock. The sacred thread was to be removed during a ritual inside the cave shrine.

But, the Shobha Yatra fizzled out in the face of the Government’s firm refusal to lift the prohibitory orders that were in force in Chikmagalur town. The enraged Sangh Parivar activists said the Datta Mala Abhiyan will continue will the Government lifts the ban orders and permits the Shobha Yatra.

Bajrang Dal’s Karnataka’ unit Chief Mahendra Kumar said the activists will not relinquish the saffron scarves and the sacred thread till the Government accords them permission for taking out Shobha Yatra. Several BJP leaders including Chikmagalur MLA C T Ravi had adorned the sacred thread.

Scores of Sangh Parivar activists including C T Ravi met Chickmagalur’s Minister in charge of the district D H Shankarmurthy, who also belongs to the BJP, and requested for the withdrawal of the prohibitory orders. Though Shankarmurthy met Deputy Commissioner Nilaya Mithash and Superintendent of Police Vipul Kumar in Chickmagalur, the two senior officials told the Minister that they are not in a position to life the ban till “clear-cut” directions came from the Government.

Vipul Kumar told reporters that the ban orders will be implemented in letter and spirit. “Those who try to violate the order will be arrested”, Vipul Kumar said pointing out that a total of 4,000 security personnel had been deployed in the area in view of the Sangh Parivar’s programme.

A total of eleven check-posts had been sent up in various parts of the town and security atop the hillock, where the cave shrine is located, has also been adequately tightened. “Policemen were also guarding every temple and mosque in the town”, he said.

Meanwhile, BJP legislators including C T Ravi met Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa in Bangalore on Saturday and brought pressure on him to secure permission from the Government for taking out the Shobha Yatra.

The coalition cabinet in scheduled to meet in Bangalore on Saturday evening to take stock of the situation in Chickmagalur and take a final decision on the Shobha Yatra.

Shoot at sight orders in Mangalore; One person succumbs to stab wounds

Shoot at sight orders were issued in parts of Mangalore and its suburbs late on Friday night following escalation in communal violence.

Police confirmed that one person, who sufferred stab wounds during group clashes on Wednesday, succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. Curfew was imposed in Ullal and Konaje on the outskirts of Mangalore in the wake of unabated arson, looting and group clashes.

Karnataka’s Director General of Police B S Sial visited the riot-hit areas of Mangalore yesterday to take stock of the situation and supervise security arrangements. Speaking to reporters, Sial regretted that the police had failed to contain the violence much earlier. “They could have resorted to caning effectively and used more tear gas shells to disperse the mobs in sensitive areas”, he said.

However, he said the situation in Mangalore was under control on Saturday. Curfew will remain in force for the next forty-eight hours in the affected areas of Mangalore. Any decision on withdrawal or extension of curfew will be taken on the basis of the prevailing situation after the expiry of forty-eight hours, he said.

Sial said a total of 70 persons had been hurt in the three-day communal violence in Mangalore. A total of 177 persons have been arrested, besides 133 others have been taken into preventive custody, he said.

Though an uneasy calm marred by stray incidents of violence were reported from many parts of Mangalore, it was the suburb of Ullal on the outskirts of Mangalore that was caught in the communal mayhem on Friday during the bundh called pro-Hindu groups to protest the arrest of their leader Pramod Mutalik in Chickmagalur district. Mobs went on a rampage assaulting innocent pedestrians, hurling bottles and stones at places of worship and looting shops and business establishments.

Soon violence spread to nearby areas of Konaje, where vehicles and shops were torched. By evening violence had spread deep into the hinterland of Ullal and Konaje forcing people to take shelter in mosques and temples.

Though the police convened an emergency peace meeting in Ullal, which was attended by leaders of the two communities, it proved to be an exercise in futility. For, even as the meeting was taking place, stone were thrown at a place of worship, forcing police to swing into action and resort to firing in the air and caning.

Routine life was severely hit in Mangalore and its suburbs following escalation of violence. Shops and business establishments remained closed and people had a tough time purchasing essential items.

Gowda shoots down BJP’s request for Shobha Yatra

JD (S) supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has firmly shot down a request from its coalition partner BJP to take out Shobha Yatra as part of the annual Datta Jayanthi celebrations atop the disputed hill shrine of Bababudangiri in Chickmagalur district.

“It is not possible to give any concession to the BJP just because it is a partner in the coalition Government in the State”, Gowda told reporters in Bangalore on Friday, pouring cold water on the BJP’s hopes for a change of heart in the JD (S) leadership over the controversial Shobha Yatra.

Gowda’s categorical rejection of the BJP’s request for Shobha Yatra is expected to cast a shadow on the longevity of the JD (S)-BJP coalition Government in Karnataka. For, barely 24 hours ago, the BJP’s state unit President D V Sadananda Gowda had told television channels that the party is firm on taking out Shobha Yatra this year. “There will be no change in our stand”, he had declared.

A co-ordination committee meeting of the two parties held recently failed to arrive at a final decision on the controversial Shobha Yatra issue.

During an interaction with reporters in Bangalore, Gowda was of the opinion that the devotees could have a darshan (viewing) of the deity in the cave shrine. “But, taking out a procession or Shobha Yatra to the hill shrine from Chickmagalur was a threat to law and order. The BJP will not be allowed to take out a Shobha Yatra”, he said.

Emphasizing the need for the Government to be fair and just to the minority community, Gowda said the BJP should stick to the common minimum programme of the coalition government, which had brought the two parties together.

Meanwhile, the BJP and Sangh Parivar activists had gathered in large numbers at Chikmagalur for the Datta Mala Abhiyan, which will conclude on October 8. The devotees attired in saffron robes and wearing the sacred thread were making trips to the cave shrine atop Bababudangiri hillock near Chickmagalur.

The district administration had imposed prohibitory orders in Chickmagalur and Bababudangiri and deployed additional security personnel in the twon with a view to preventing the Sangh Parivar activists from taking out a procession scheduled for Friday evening.

Though the controversial Shobha Yatra is scheduled to be held during the actual Datta Jayanthi celebrations in December, the Sangh Parivar activists were planning to take a procession from Chikmagalur on Friday evening during their ensuing Datta Mala Abhiyan.

Gowda’s son and Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who is away in Mysore, told reporters that the Government would take an appropriate decision within the framework of the High Court order.

Communal violence rocks Mangalore

Stray incidents of stone throwing and arson were reported from Mangalore yesterday, a day after the coastal town was rocked by communal clashes.

Though the police described the situation as “tense, but under control”, Mangalore resembled a ghost town on Friday with shops and business establishments remaining closed and vehicles staying off the roads. Schools and colleges were closed while Government offices and private establishments reported thin attendance.

Mangalore was engulfed in communal violence on Thursday with groups fighting pitched battles in various parts of the town after the interception of a vehicle carrying cattle to the slaughter house by Bajrang Dal activists led to a full-blown conflagration. The police was forced to open fire and lob tear gas shells a few areas of the town to bring the situation under control.

Hundreds of vehicles and shops across the town were burnt on Thursday while miscreants attacked two places of worship belonging to different communities. A total of 42 people, including seven policemen had been injured in the clashes. An incident of stabbing was also reported from an industrial estate in Mangalore late on Thursday.

The police, who had to resort to caning at several places, have taken more than 100 persons into custody for interrogation. A total of 24 cases have been booked so far, according to Inspector General of Police, Western Range, H N Satyanarayana, who is camping in Mangalore since Thursday.

Except for the stone throwing incidents reported from outskirts of Mangalore, besides the torching of a provision store and an autorickshaw, Mangalore has remained largely calm throughout Friday, police said. But, the prohibitory orders will remain in force till Sunday night.

Additional battalions of Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) had been summoned from different parts of the State and deployed in the sensitive areas of Mangalore. Police officials admit that dispatch of several policemen from Mangalore for official duty at the disputed Bababudangiri shrine in Chikmagalur district had made it difficult for them to bring the situation under control in Mangalore.

The origin of the ensuing bout of communal disturbance in Mangalore is traced to the interception of a van carrying cattle to the abattoir and subsequent clash between two groups on Wednesday night. The Bajrang Dal and other Sangh Parivar activists gave a call for a Mangalore shutdown on Thursday to protest Wednesday’s incident, which led to spreading of the communal trouble to various parts of the town.

Meanwhile, another organization Sri Rama Seva Mandali had given a call for Mangalore bundh on Friday to protest against the arrest of Pramod Mutalik of Rashtriya Hindu Sena in Chikmagalur.

BJP MLAs urge party to walk out of Government over Shobha Yatra

Annoyed with the Government for imposing a ban on the Shobha Yatra, which the Sangh Parivar outfits has planned to lead to the disputed hill shrine of Bababudangiri in Chikmagalur later this week, a section of the BJP MLAs have urged the party leadership to walk out of the coalition Government.

Chikmagalur MLA C T Ravi, who wore the Datta Mala or a sacred thread as part of the Datta Mala Abhiyan along with a couple of Bajrang Dal activists at Chikmagalur, said several party MLAs had brought pressure on the senior leadership to secure permission for a “peaceful” Shobha Yatra.

“If the senior leadership of the BJP fails to convince its coalition partner JD (S), the party should come out of the Government rather than sticking to power”, Ravi said.

The BJP MLA, who has been in forefront of the Datta Jayanthi celebrations at Bababudangiri for the last couple of years, said there is no question of compromising on the issue of Shobha Yatra this year.

“The Chief Secretary’s order is an insult to a democratically elected government”, he said.

Ravi came down heavily on the officials for “deliberately misinterpreting” the court orders, which has ruled against permitting new rituals at the disputed shrine. Claiming that the court orders pertain only to the rituals performed at the shrine by the Muslim priest, Ravi said the devotees will take out Shobha Yatra from Chikmagalur to Bababudangir hillock on Octobe 6. “There is no change in our stand on taking out the procession”, he added.

Responding to growing demand for Shobha Yatra from the rank and file of the party and its frontal organizations, BJP’s Minister for Higher Education D H Shankarmurthy said he and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa will meet Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy in a day or two and sort out the issue amicable. “We will try to obtain permission for a peaceful Shobha Yatra”, Shankarmurthy said.

But, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has already made it clear that the Government will abide by the directions of the High Court, which has banned any ritual at the disputed shrine that was not in vogue prior to 1975.

When his attention was drawn to the aggressive and confrontationist posture adopted by Sangh Parivar activists and a section of the BJP MLAs, Kumaraswamy said the Government will not allow anybody to violate law. “Government will take stern steps against people, who transgress law and foment communal trouble”, he said.

He said his Government would not allow peace and communal harmony in the State to be disturbed at any cost.

Though Datta Jayanthi celebrations are normally held at Bababudangiri shrine during the month of December, the Sangh Parivar has organized Datta Mala Abhiyan this year to mobilize a large number of people for the Datta Jayanthi celebrations.

Kannada film production comes to a halt

The unending streak of box office failures and mounting losses accrued by the film industry has forced the Kannada film producers to suspend film production for one year.

The decision to stop film production was taken at a meeting of Karnataka Film Producers’ Association, attended by more than 150 film producers, at a private hotel in Bangalore.

“Though the on-going shooting of films will be completed, there will be no mahurath of new films for one year”, Association President Sandesh Nagaraj told reporters.

Out of the 50 Kannada films that were produced during this calendar year, as many as 49 of them had failed. “My Autograph is the only hit film of the year. All the rest of them had failed”, Nagaraj rued.

He said the Kannada film producers had been forced to take the extreme step of stopping production in view of the heavy cost of production, increases in star remunerations, harassment from cine workers’ unions and exorbitant rentals charged by the theatres. “The producers had incurred a total loss of around Rs 65 crore since January this year”, Nagaraj said.

“Exhibitors refuse to screen Kannada films citing poor collections. In addition, the rentals and service tax rates are also exorbitant”, he added.

Vice President of the Karnataka Film Producers’ Association K Manju laid the blame for the losses at the doorstep of piracy menace that had hit the film industry. “The Government should enforce the Goonda Act and crack down on piracy with an iron hand”, he said.

For several years now, Kannada films have been facing a tough competition from non-Kannada movies. Though the Kannada film industry sought a ban on release of non-Kannada films in theatres across Karnataka, the authorities intervened to formulate guidelines for non-Kannada films.

As per the guidelines, non-Kannada films should not be screened in more than ten theatres across the state. But, film producers rue that some Telugu and Tamil movies blatantly violate this rule. Sandesh Nagaraj cited the example of Telugu film Stalin that was released recently in 41 theatres.

Bangalore University to teach Gandhi to jail inmates

After eliciting a very poor response for its one-year post-graduate course on Gandhian studies, the Bangalore University has been forced to offer the course across all jails and remand homes in Karnataka free of cost.

With not a single student coming forward to enroll for the post graduate diploma course in Gandhian Studies this year, Bangalore University has written letters to remand homes and jails across the state asking authorities to select candidates interested in the course, which will be offered free of cost.

Even last year the response for the diploma course on Gandhian Studies had been poor. Just one student enrolled for the course last year. This year, the Bangalore University had not received a single application.

The course focuses on life and works of Gandhi and his social and political thoughts. Bangalore University’s Distance Education Director B C Mylarappa said the University was prepared to conduct classes in jails. “We will given them all support in the form of scholarship, fee waivers and study material for the course”, he said.

Though the entire course had been priced at Rs 1,500, the University authorities have now decided to offer it free of cost to inmates of jails and remand homes across the state.

Though the University seeks to spread the Mahatma’s ideals among inmates of jails and remand homes, the poor response to a post-graduate diploma course on Gandhian Studies is viewed with concern.

‘Though Gandhiji is such a popular figure, it beats me why there is nobody who wants to do a course on him. Today’s youngsters feel they would rather do a job-oriented course than study Gandhi”, Mylarappa added.

In contrast, the full-time course on Ambedkar Studies offered by the Bangalore University evokes an overwhelming response. “Though both courses started around the same time, 81 candidates applied for a post graduate diploma in Ambedkar Studies, which has an intake of 20 students a year”, an official said

High Court's firm no to Shobha Yatra

The Karnataka High Court has cautioned thecoalition Government in Karnataka against permittingany new rituals including the controversial ShobhaYatra at the disputed hill shrine of Bababudangiri inChikmagalur district.

A division bench of the High Court comprising ChiefJustice Cyriac Joseph and Justice Ajith Gunjal made itclear that only those rituals that existed prior to1975 should be allowed. The bench was hearing apetition seeking a direction to the Government torestrain the conduct of Shobha Yatra planned by SanghParivar outfits during the first week of October.

The court observed that orders had already been issuedto restrict the rituals to those that existed prior to1975. “There is no need for fresh orders. The previousorder is binding on the Government and law will takeits own course”, the court observed.

The High Court’s observations have come as dampener tothe preparations being made by various saffron outfitsto take out the Shobha Yatra and organize otherrituals like Datta Mala Abhiyan on a massive scale.

Hours before the High Court’s warning against ShobhaYatra and other new rituals came, Bajrang Dal’s stateconvener Mahendra Kumar told reporters in Chikmagalurthat Shobha Yatra will be taken out by thousands ofactivists.

He said more than 30,000 devotees are expected toparticipate in the Datta Peetha celebrations at thehill shrine this year.Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and HinduRashtriya Sena President Pramod Mutalik are alsoexpected to turn up at the disputed hill shrine duringthe Datta Peetha celebrations.

Meanwhile, about 3,000 activists of Karnataka CommunalHarmony Forum held a demonstration in Chikmagalururging the Government not to allow the Sangh Parivartol hold the Shobha Yatra and other rituals at thedisputed hill shrine.

The Forum activists said the Sangh Parivar, backed bythe BJP, which is a partner in the ruling coalition,appears determined to instigate communal tension inthe quiet coffee heartland of Chikmagalur