Gowda protests against EC’s decision in Mysore

JD (S) supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda yesterday staged a three-hour longdemonstration in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue inMysore protesting against the Election Commission’sdecision to transfer three police officials out ofChamundeshwari assembly constituency from where hisarch-rival and former Deputy Chief MinisterSiddaramaiah is seeking re-election as a Congresscandidate.

Gowda, who is camping in Mysore for the last severaldays, campaigning for the JD (S) candidateShivabasappa, arrived at the Mahatma Gandhi’s statuein the City with a large number of supporters andsquatted in front of the statue for almost threehours.

Taking serious exception to the transfer of threepolice officials from the constituency, Gowdaquestioned the impartiality of the ElectionCommission. “I am forced to question the impartialityof the Election Commission’s observer, based on whoserecommendation police officials had been transferred”,he said.

Gowda even cited the transfer of the Returning OfficerChikkathammaiah a few days ago as reasons for viewingthe Election Commission with suspicion. JD (S)spokesperson Y S V Datta did not even hesitate to callthe Election Commission observer Raymond Peter as a“Congress party’s agent”.

The transfer of police officials comes close on theheels of Governor T N Chaturvedi shooting a letter toChief Minister H D Kumaraswamy voicing concern overthe deteriorating law and order situation in Mysore inview of the byelections to the Assembly fromChamundeshwari constituency scheduled for December 4.

With allegations of poll malpractices flying thick andfast, the Election Commission had not only ordered thetransfer of three police officials, but also divestedthe Inspector General of Police (Southern Range) frompoll duty and directed the Director General of PoliceHousing Corporation Srikumar to monitor the law andorder situation during the by-polls.The police officials transferred include DeputyCommissioner of Mysore City Police K T Balakrishna,who is considered to be close to Deve Gowda’s family.

The coalition partner of the JD (S) in Karnataka, BJPhas also taken serious exception to the ElectionCommission’s decision to interfere in the pollprocess.

BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister B SYediyurappa told reporters that the ElectionCommission was under the “duress” of Congress-ledUnited Progressive Alliance (UPA) at the Centre.The BJP, which had not fielded its candidate, issupporting the candidate fielded by its coalitionpartner JD (S) in the by-polls.

The Election Commission’s decision to transfer policeofficials has served to rub salt into the wounds ofthe JD (S)-BJP coalition, which had already received anotice from the Election Commission for violatingelectoral code of conduct by making promises to theelectorate.

During a public rally in Mysore, Gowda’s son and ChiefMinister H D Kumaraswamy is reported to have promiseda loan of Rs 5,000 to Dalit families under aGovernment scheme. Taking serious note of theassurance, the Election Commission had ordered issueof notices to Kumaraswamy and Minister for SocialWelfare Balachandra Jharkiholi.

India to build large solar telescope

Indian Institute of Astrophysics hasproposed to build a large solar telescope to studymicrostructures on the sun at a cost of Rs 1 billion.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a seminar onBasic Space Science in Bangalore, Director of IndianInstitute of Astrophysics S S Hasan said the largesolar telescope to be installed in the trans-Himalayanregion would be the first of its kind in Asia.

The solar telescope will be equipped with a two-metreclass lens. He said a proposal in the regard will besent by Indian Institute of Astrophysics to theFederal Government shortly. “The telescope will bebuilt in five years after the Government clears theproposal”, he said.

Earlier inaugurating the seminar, space scientist KKasturirangan said space sciences were growing inimportance in India for its use in communication andtimely information, be it climate, disastermanagement, health, natural resources or environment.

Kasturirangan, who is also the Director of NationalInstitute of Advanced Studies, said the year 2007would be celebrated as the International HeliophysicalYear (IHY) and hoped the IHY would witness increasedinternational scientific co-operation.

Hans Haubold of The United Nations Office for OuterSpace Affairs said the UN Committee for Peaceful Useof Outer Space was committed to use of space as anatural resource for non-military uses. He saiddeveloping countries in particular had much to gainfrom “low-cost, ground-based instrument arrays andresearch programmes.”

N Gopalaswamy of NASA said there was no greaterinterest in setting up space observatories indeveloping countries and collaboration in spaceprogrammes between developing countries and developedcountries.

Athletics event played under car headlights in Bangalore

Boys and girls participating in shot put event as part of the National Junior Athletics Championship were forced to perform under car headlights at Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore after sunset on Sunday, as the organizers had not requested for floodlights.

As the sun was setting on Bangalore, the organizers realized that they had to complete the Under 14 shot put event for both boys and girls on Sunday itself. The organizers had not requested for floodlights as they were under the impression that the event would be completed by 5.30 pm.

The Kanteerava stadium authorities could not help the organizers of the national athletic event at the eleventh hour as the generator operator had taken the day off on the Sunday. Though a few support lights were switched on, it did not help. Two cars belonging to the organizers were driven into the stadium and the headlights were switched on to “help” the participants.

With much discomfiture, the boys and girls competed for nearly half an hour under the headlights of two cars.

“We thought the event would get over by 5.30 pm. So we did not ask for floodlights. The athletes too had not requested us for any additional lights”, Secretary of Karnataka Athletics Association Sathyanarayana told reporters.

However, the conduct of shot put event in the national junior athletics championship under the headlights of car came under severe criticism from the Athletics Federation of India. “This is shocking. The organizers should have taken all necessary measures to help prevent such a thing”, said Secretary of Athletics Federation of India Lalith K Bhanoth.

Eleven persons buried alive under mining waste

A total of eleven people were buried alive and thirteen others were injured when a tipper truck was unloading mining waste like ash and iron ore at dumping yard in Hospet in Karnataka’s Bellary district.

The tragedy took place when close to fifty people rushed towards the tipper carrying the mining waste arrived in the dumping yard late on Saturday night. Even as the people were making a scramble for the iron ore, the tipper, whose rear wheel was on loose soil, tilted and buried eleven persons under the debris.

Thirteen others, who were among the group of people trying to collect iron ore, also sufferred injuries in the mishap. Rescue operations continued till the early hours of Sunday and the injured persons were admitted to a private hospital for medical treatment.

The mining waste, which had been generated from the Jindal Vijaynagar Steel Plant, is routinely dumped into a yard belonging to the plant. Sifting solid iron ore from the mining waste had turned out be a lucrative vocation for a large number of people in the region. The scrap iron collected from the waste is sold at Rs 3 to 4 a kg to a few mini steel plants.

The management of the steel plant claimed that the people barge into the yard whenever a tipper carrying mining waste comes for unloading despite the management erecting a fence and deploying security personnel. However, the management said a decision will be taken on payment of compensation to the kith and kin of the victims.

Meanwhile, the Superintendent of Bellary district police Amrit Paul told reporters that a case of negligence has been booked against the Jindal Vijaynagar Steel Plant.

Gowda dismisses threat to expel him from JD (S)

Dismissing the possibility of his expulsion from the JD (S), former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has asked the JD (S) leaders planning the move to study the party constitution before issuing such statements.

Gowda, who is also the national President of JD (S), told reporters in Mysore that the senior party leaders, who had threatened to expel him from the party, were ignorant of the party’s constitution. “I wish they had gone through the constitution before making such a statement. I will reply to them in detail at an appropriate time”, Gowda said.

Gowda was reacting to the reported move by senior JD (S) leaders including M P Veerendra Kumar, Surendra Mohan and P G R Sindhia, all national council members of the party, to expel Gowda for his continued support to the Karnataka Government headed by his son H D Kumaraswamy in coalition with the BJP.

Karnataka’s JD (S) unit has also ridiculed the threat to expel Gowda from the party. “It is just an outburst of a handful of leaders and there is no legal validity to it”, JD (S) spokesperson and MLC Y S V Datta told reporters.

The expulsion drama was a farce and politically motivated to help the Congress candidate and former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the ensuing byelections to the Assembly from Chamundeshwari constituency in Mysore. “It is no more than a ploy to create confusion in the minds of the voters”.

Meanwhile, Gowda, who is the midst of campaigning for the JD (S)-BJP joint candidate for the by-polls in Mysore, has reiterated his commitment to the welfare of the minority community.

Swearing by secularism, Gowda claimed that he was the architect of reservation to the Muslim community in India. “As a Chief Minister of Karnataka in 1995, I was the first one to introduce four per cent political and educational reservation to Muslims”, Gowda said.

Though he was campaigning for the JD (S)-BJP joint candidate for the ensuing by-elections, Gowda still maintained that his son had formed an alternative Government in Karnataka with the BJP “without his consent”.

“I never gave my consent to the formation of JD (S)-BJP Government. The issue is still before the disciplinary committee of the party”, Gowda said. But, Gowda said his son was forced to align with the BJP in Karnataka to “save” JD (S) from the Congress.

Military ties with China set to improve – Army Chief

Notwithstanding China’s border dispute with India over Arunachal Pradesh, Chief of India’s Army Staff General J J Singh said the military ties between the two neighbouring countries were set to improve.

Speaking to reporters after presenting the Presidential Colours to Pioneer Corps, a 248-year-old regiment of the Indian Army, Singh said India and China were “at the stage of getting to know each other”. During Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to New Delhi recently, the two sides had agreed on instilling mutual trust and confidence through defence co-operation, he said.

Singh said India would be exploring the possibility of holding a joint military exercise with China. “We have done it with UK, USA, Russia, Mongolia and Singapore. There is no reason for us to not do it with China. However, there are issues like language compatibility, which needs to be addressed”, he said.

“Absolute confidence building measures are being taken and there is peace and tranquility on the borders. We have no cause for friction and it will be a good thing if we can continue to enhance the military to military co-operation, which will engender greater trust”, Singh said.

The leadership of India and China had shown a path that will lead to peaceful resolution of problems. “The relations between the soldiers of the two countries are good and situation in Arunachal Pradesh is peaceful and stable”, he said in response to a question.

Singh said there is a shortage of about 11,000 officers in the Indian Army, but clarified that the matter was not a cause for concern. “There has been a shortage of officers for some time. But, gradually we are making up the deficiency”, he said.

But, the Army would not lower the standard of training, quality of intake or reduce the time-frame for training. “We don’t want to try to make up the shortfall in a very short time because it will impact the training and quality of training”, he said.

However, if the Army faced a challenge, Singh said a large number of officers involved in peace-time operations in extra-regimental appointments and other duties like NCC would be recalled. “If challenged, we will fight with the desired and required amount of officers in each fighting unit”, he said.

Earlier, Singh had presented the Presidential Colours to Pioneer Corps, which plays an integral part in military campaign by loading and unloading of stores, rations, equipment and ammunition over land, sea and air.

After reviewing the ceremonial parade on the occasion, Singh said history of Pioneer Corps was replete with examples of valour, sacrifice, professionalism and dedication to duty in the highest traditions of Indian Army.

Prison inmates in Karnataka may get a chance to live with spouses

With the incidence of homosexuality increasing in jails across Karnataka, the Department of Prisons in the State is seriously considering a proposal to allow the spouses of jail inmates to join them in the prison for about a week every three months.

According to Additional Director General of Police (Prisons) S T Ramesh, the Department was seriously chalking out a plan to allow jail inmates to spend some time with their respective spouses after High Court Judge V Gopalagowda came up with the proposal at a recent seminar on reforming prisoners.

The prison authorities are working on the idea of setting up service apartments within the jail premises to allow the partners of inmates to join them for about a week every three months. “The wives or husbands of inmates can come in and stay as partners and lead a family life”, said an official from the department of prisons.

The High Court judge’s suggestion had been taken seriously with a view to not only tackling the growing incidence of homosexuality, but also HIV/AIDS among prison inmates. Providing contraceptives to prison inmates is also not allowed since homosexuality is a punishable offence.

“Due to lack of any means to satiate one’s biological needs, prisoners tend to get violent or feel psychologically insecure. We can use the partner to help reform the inmate”, the Judge had observed. Though increasing homosexuality is an issue, the focus will be on reforming prisoners.

With a view to implementing the proposal, the prison authorities have set up a committee of experts comprising a psychiatrist, a psychologist, sexologist, human rights workers and others.

The innovative idea mooted by the prison authorities in Karnataka has been welcomed by Alternative Law Forum, which fights for rights of transgender population. “Though a prisoner, he cannot be denied fundamental rights and satiating biological needs is certainly one of them”, said Forum’s member Arvind Narain.

Patient leaps to death from hospital after testing positive for HIV

A 40-year-old patient leapt out of the third floor of Bowring Hospital in Bangalore, hours after he was tested positive for HIV.

Police said Srinivas, a native of Arsikere in Karnataka’s Hassan district, was admitted to the hospital last week as he had been ailing for some time. Subsequently, he tested positively for HIV during the laboratory tests conducted on him.

But, during the early hours of Thursday, Srinivas is believed to sneaked out of his ward, broken open the lock of the emergency gate, which leads to the corridor on the third floor of the hospital building. He has jumped from the third floor of the building to end his life, police said.

Srinivas apparently gave no indication of his plans to end his life to his wife, who was nursing him till late on Wednesday night.

The body of Srinivas was lying outside the hospital for more than ten hours after the incident with the police giving various reasons for the delay in removing the body. The Bowring Hospital’s police outpost is barely at a stone throw’s distance from the spot where the dead body of Srinivas was lying.

Meanwhile, the suicide of Srinivas, a HIV positive patient, has also presented a unique problem to the staff of the forensic department, which has been entrusted with the task of performing a post-mortem.

The absence of clinical facilities at the hospital for performing a post mortem on a HIV/AIDS patient has become a source of serious concern for the forensic department staff at the hospital. “We run into high risks while conducting post-mortem on HIV/AIDS cases as the body is cut open and we are exposed to fluids and blood. Our staff needs to be cautious while working on the post-mortem”, a doctor said.

However, the Hospital is not even in a position to deny conducting a post-mortem on the deceased. For, the police register all such cases of unnatural deaths and a post-mortem has to be conducted in accordance with provisions of law.

Removal of Shivaji’s portrait sparks tension in Bidar

The removal of Shivaji’s portrait from a makeshift platform by police authorities has triggered violence in Bhalki in Karnataka’s Bidar district with angry activists belonging to Maratha organizations going on a rampage, setting fire to a government jeep and stoning several buses.

Violence erupted after the police and revenue officials removed the portrait of Shivaji, which hung from a pole on a makeshift platform in the middle of the road in Mehkar village, lying close to Karnataka’s border with neighbouring Maharashtra.

Soon a large number of activists belonging to Maratha organizations congregated at the spot and took serious exception to the removal of Shivaji’s portrait.

Trouble began after the unruly mob assaulted revenue officials on duty and burnt down his jeep. Angry activists also stoned several buses belonging to the state-owned Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses. One person, who was waiting at the bus stand, was injured. He was shifted to a private hospital in Hyderabad.

Soon, the police reached the spot and resorted to caning to bring the situation under control. A total of 61 persons were arrested on charges of indulging in violence. They were produced before the court and remanded in judicial custody till November 27.

An undeclared shut-down was witnessed in entire Bhalki taluk in Bidar, which is lying on Karnataka’s border with Maharashtra. Several shops had downed their shutters.

Meanwhile, the activists took out a march in protest against the arrest of 61 persons by the police and submitted a memorandum to the office of the Tahsildar of Bhalki. Apart from demanding the immediate release of the arrested persons, the protests sought the construction of Shivaji Circle in Mehkar village and restoration of Shivaji’s portrait. They also called for suspension of the officials responsible for the removal of the portrait.
Minister in charge of Bidar district Bandeppa Kashempur visited Mehkar village and held talks with the police officials and people’s representatives

BJP hopeful of bagging CM’s post after Kumaraswamy’s term concludes

BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has expressed confidence of succeeding H D Kumaraswamy as Chief Minister of Karnataka after the latter completes his 20-month tenure at the helm in October 2007.

Participating in a Meet the Press programme in Bangalore, Yediyurappa said the BJP enjoyed a good understanding with JD (S) and he had faith in Kumaraswamy handing over the Chief Minister’s post to him in accordance with the pact arrived at between the coalition partners before the JD (S)-BJP Government was formed on February 3, 2006.

According to an agreement between the coalition partners, H D Kumaraswamy and B S Yediyurappa will become Chief Ministers of the coalition Government for 20 months each. Reposing faith in JD (S) leadership, Yediyurappa said Kumaraswamy, who has already completed ten months at the helm, would be handing over the top post to him after ten more months.

He said the coalition Government had been formed after talks between himself, Kumaraswamy and senior leaders of the BJP in Karnataka. Even the BJP’s central leadership had approved the pact. “It is a unique experiment for the BJP in South India to deliver good governance with the agenda of development and welfare for all sections of the people”.

Yediyurappa came down heavily on the Opposition Congress for trying to topple the coalition Government. “The Congress party will not succeed in its endeavour”, Yediyurappa said.

Congress leaders have openly expressed skepticism of JD (S) leadership handing over the post of Chief Minister to BJP after the completion of the first 20 months of the coalition rule. The Congress leaders have also predicted the premature collapse of the coalition Government after the ensuing by-polls to Chamundeshwari assembly constituency from where former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is seeking re-election on the Congress ticket.

CBI to probe corruption charges against CM

The probe into the Rs 1.5 billion bribery charges against Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and his two cabinet colleagues has taken a new turn with the State Government-appointed U L Bhat Commission of Inquiry deciding the seek the assistance of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in probing the scam.

The CBI probe will however be subject to the direction and control of the U L Bhat Commission, a statement issued by Justice Bhat said.

The Bhat Commission’s unexpected move to rope in the CBI for an investigation into the bribery charges contradicts the firm stance of the H D Kumaraswamy Government against a CBI probe into the matter.

BJP legislator Janardhan Reddy had kicked up a political storm in Karnataka by accusing Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and two of his cabinet colleagues of collecting Rs 1.5 billion as bribe from illegal mine owners of Bellary district on the floor of the Legislature a couple of months ago.

Though the Opposition Congress party had demanded a CBI probe into the matter, the JD (S)-BJP coalition had chosen to reject the demand, suspecting the impartiality of the investigating agency, which came directly under the control of the Congress-led Federal Government. Instead, the State Government had appointed a Commission of Inquiry headed by U L Bhat.

But, the Bhat Commission has been forced to seek the CBI’s assistance in the probe as Reddy and others had failed to appear before the Commission and produce documents and evidence in support of the charges against the Chief Minister.

In its statement, the Commission also said that it is of the opinion that an “investigation by the State police officers against the head of the State Government and his colleagues could lead to embarrassment to all concerned and unlikely to create confidence in the public inspite of the high level of integrity of the State police officers”.

Reacting to the Commission’s decision to seek CBI probe into the mining scam, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said he will not restrain the Commission from going ahead with its decision. “I will direct the Chief Secretary to provide all facilities as requested by the Commission”, he said.

BJP MLC Janardharn Reddy described the Commission’s decision as a “victory” for his efforts. Claiming that he had been seeking a CBI probe into the scam from day one, Reddy said he was glad that the U L Bhat Commission itself has sought for a CBI probe.

“I will decide on furnishing documents and evidence related to the scam after the CBI takes over the investigations”, he said.

Quota for Muslims proposed in police force

The Karnataka State Minorities Commission has proposed a 15 per cent quota for Muslims in the police force in communally sensitive areas of the State.

“In Dakshina Kannada district comprising Mangalore and other communally sensitive areas of coastal Karnataka, it is recommended that at least 15 per cent of the police force should be drawn from the Muslim community, which has been adversely affected by the riots”, Chairman of the Commission K S Mohammed Masood said in his latest report submitted to the Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy last week.

He said that it is imperative that the police force should have Muslim police also as a “control and precautionary mechanism”.

The Commission’s report comes in the wake of the recent communal violence in Mangalore, which claimed the lives of two Muslims and hit the community hard.

Masood suggested that suitable dedicated policemen drawn from the minorities should man the police stations in communally sensitive areas. The Commission is of the view that in offices of Inspector General of Police, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Assistant Commissioner of Police and in sensitive police stations, some persons belonging to the minority community should be posted as sub inspector or at least as police constables.

The report also urged the State Government to appoint Muslims in the offices of Deputy Commissioner, Zilla Panchayat, Assistant Commissioner, Headquarters’ Assistant to Deputy Commissioner in Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada and Udupi districts.

With a view to increasing the surveillance in sensitive areas, the Commission has suggested constitution of peace committees comprising representatives from all communities. “These committees, with Principal Secretary to the Department of Home as Chairperson, should be assisted by a police cell headed by an officer of the rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police”, Masood said in his latest report.

Indian army to don new fatigue

The million-strong Indian Army is all set to bid goodbye to its grey and green combat fatigue. The soldiers of the Indian Army are all set to don a multi-colour camouflage uniform similar to that of US Army.

According to Commander of Karnataka and Kerala Sub Area Brigadier Clement Samuel, the Army headquarters is working on a new combat fatigue aimed at ensuring that a solider merges with background and is not all that visible to the enemy.

Against the combination of grey and green combat dress presently adorning the Indian soliders, the new fatigue will be a mixture of khaki, light green, brown and grey. However, the pattern of patches on the Indian Army’s combat uniform will be different from that of the US Army. “The white patches on the dress will be smaller”.

Brigadier Clement Samuel said field trials are being conducted in many places including Bangalore. The Indian Army has taken up field trials in different terrains like deserts, jungles and coastal areas to ensure that the new fatigue is comfortable in all climatic conditions.

Once the Indian Army adopts the new uniform, the practice of using combat fatigues of different shades in different terrains will also be done away with, according to the Brigadier.

The Ordnance factory at Kanpur has already come out with the new cloth that is superior in terms of texture, longevity and camouflaging effect. “More importantly, it breathes easier”.

After the field trials, the Army headquarters in New Delhi will receive inputs from various units and take a final decision. “It may approve the new dress as it is or even suggest some modifications”, a senior officer said.

The formal changeover to the new fatigue is expected to begin soon after the Army headquarters gives its stamp of approval for the new uniform and starts providing the new materials to all its units. Select stores across the country will be identified and permitted to sell these uniforms to ensure that others do not misuse military uniforms.

Use of black money in elections inevitable - Gowda

Former Prime Minister and JD (S) supremo H D Deve Gowda has revived the debate on use of black money in elections by emphatically claiming that political parties cannot face elections without financial help from the business community.

“No party can face the elections without black money. Whether it is the Congress, BJP, JD (S) or any other party, all are dependent on the money from businessmen to fight elections”, said Gowda while addressing a convention of former legislators in Bangalore.

Gowda, whose JD (S) is engaged in a bitter electoral battle with his friend-turned foe Siddaramaiah in the December 4 by-elections to the assembly from Chamundeshwari constituency in Mysore near here, virtually pleaded helplessness in curbing the role of black money in politics.

“I don’t know whether to blame to the voters or the politicians for the role black money plays in elections. Businessmen usually stake their money on the horse that is likely to win the electoral race. The weaker parties are treated like beggars and have to settle for crumbs”, Gowda said.

Gowda even veered towards corruption among politicians during his address. “Everyone associates politicians with corruption irrespective of the political party they belong to. A politician will be ready to go to any extent to politically finish his rival. But, all politicians cannot be branded as corrupt. There are honest politicians too. But, there is no system to identify these honest legislators”, Gowda said.

Gowda's observations on black money in politics comes in the midst of the heat and dust kicked up by high-voltage campaigning for Chamundeshwari assembly constituency where is party is pitted against Siddaramaiah, who is now with the Congress.

Advani trains guns on Pakistan over terrorism and Kashmir

Less than a year after his praise for Pakistan’s founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah kicked up a row in the Sangh Parivar, BJP stalwart and leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L K Advani trained his guns on Pakistan and termed it as an “epicenter of terrorist activities”.

Addressing a public meeting organized by the BJP at Bangalore on Sunday, Advani came down heavily on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for agreeing to launch a joint operation with Pakistan against terrorism.

He likened the joint operation against terrorism by the two countries to an “investigation into the Mumbai blasts of 1993 by Maharashtra police and Dawood Ibrahim, the alleged mastermind behind the explosions”.

He sought to recall that the erstwhile National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government had rejected Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s “adamant” stand that “what was happening in Jammu and Kashmir was a freedom struggle”. The NDA had put off the idea of issuing a joint statement with Pakistan in view of Musharraf’s “obstinate” stand, he said.

Advani also laid the blame for the plight of Muslims in the country squarely at the doorstep of Congress party. “Muslim community is relatively poor, mostly illiterate, has lower access to education and lower representation in public and private sector as the Congress party, which ruled India for more than 40 years, kept the community in the dark all these years”, he said.

He appealed to the Muslim community to build more educational institutions and adopt a progressive line of thought. “To be recognized in the mainstream, Muslims should adhere to modern system of education instead of traditional madrassas”, Advani said.

Advani also opposed the proposal to introduce religion-based reservation in the country. He said the BJP would continue to oppose the United Progressive Alliance’s (UPA) move to introduce reservation to Muslims on the basis of religion at the behest of Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

“The BJP will not compromise on the issue. We will resist any move by the Government to introduce reservation to Muslims tooth and nail”, he said.

On the issue of clemency for Afzal Guru, who has convicted for masterminding the terrorist attack on the Parliament House in 2001, Advani called upon people to send letters, telegrams and e-mails to the Prime Minister to thwart Presidential pardon for him.

“By defending Afzal, Advani said the Congress politicians were nullifying the supreme sacrifices made by over a dozen security personnel on December 13, 2001, at the Parliament House.

High Court leaves decision on Shobha Yatra to Government

The Karnataka High Court refused to pass fresh orders against the conduct of Shobha Yatra and other rituals proposed to be conducted by the Sangh Parivar at the disputed cave shrine of Bababudangiri in Chickmagalur district, but cited its earlier order to restrict rituals to those in practice prior to 1975.

“All citizens whether they are Hindus or Muslims are bound by the religious practices that existed prior to 1975 at the shrine and still in force by virtue of earlier orders passed by the High Court”, observed the division bench of High Court comprising Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph and Justice S Abdul Nazir.

The High Court’s observations came in the wake of a petition filed by K Nissar Ahmed, Shahabuddin Khan and M R Sundaresh, all or whom claimed to be devotees of the shrine. They petitioners had sought a direction from the High Court to the State Government to ban the controversial Shobha Yatra and Datta Mala Abhiyana planned by the Sangh Parivar in the interest of peace in the society.

Though the High Court refused to pass any fresh directions to the State Government on the issue, the Government authorities were reminded of their responsibility to maintain law and order at Chickmagalur during the annual Datta Jayanthi celebrations scheduled to take place on December 3 and 4.

The High Court observed that the State Government and the district administration of Chickmagalur are well aware of their legal position and their duties and obligations to implement the court orders to enforce law and order. “The law enforcing authorities are bound to take effective steps to prevent violation of court orders”, the division bench observed.

The court, however, refused to accept the petitioners’ apprehension that the state was not taking steps to maintain law and order at the disputed shrine, which would result in breakdown of law and order, communal clashes and blood shed. “The materials produced by the petitioners would show that the authorities were aware of the correct legal position, their obligation to enforce law and order and they are prepared to face any situation. The court has no reason to doubt the bonafides or earnestness of the Government in the regard”, the division bench said.

BrahMos to be inducted into IAF next year

The air-to-ground version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile will be inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) by the end of 2007.

BrahMos Aerospace Executive Director S Mohapatra told reporters that the process of developing the air-to-ground version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was almost complete. “It will be fitted on to Sukhoi 30 aircraft. It will be an important addition to our strength”, he said.

Mohapatra, who was at Bhalki in Karnataka’s Bidar district to lay the foundation stone for the library building of Rural Engineering College, said the ground-to-ground and water-to-ground versions of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles had already been inducted into the Army and Navy respectively.

“Performance of the missile is excellent. We have conducted eleven test trails and each time we have hit the bull’s eye. The performance of a missile is decided by how best you hit targets and not how many times you fire it”, Mohapatra said.

He said BrahMos moves faster than sound. “It is a special ram jet engine. It is one of the best weapons systems in the world”, he said.

BrahMos Aerospace is a company established jointly by the Governments of India and Russia with the sole purpose of developing the missile.

The BrahMos Aerospace unit at Hyderabad was working hard to increase the proportion of indigenous elements inside the missile. “The indigenous elements amount to 40 to 45 per cent now. They will be increased to 65 per cent in due course”, he said.

Mohapatra also revealed that the two Governments are planning to export the missile. “Talks on towards this end. Discussions at the highest level are expected to be held when Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin arrives in New Delhi as a special guest during the Republic Day celebrations in January next year”, Mohapatra said.

MES decries Centre’s move on Belgaum row

The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) has decried the Federal Government’s affidavit filed before the Supreme Court opposing Maharashtra’s claim on certain Marathi-speaking areas of Belgaum in Karnataka.

Claiming that the Federal Government had meted out injustice to Marathi-speaking people in Belgaum and other border areas of Karnataka, MES is now looking towards leaders in Maharashtra to chalk out is next course of action.

MES legislator from Belgaum Manohar Kinekar took exception to the Federal Government’s failure to consider the aspirations of Marathi-speaking people in the border areas before filing its affidavit in the Supreme Court.

But, Kannada organizations in Karnataka have welcomed the affidavit, which backs the State Government’s stand on the border row.

The Federal Government has submitted to the Apex Court, which is hearing a case on the border dispute before Karnataka and Maharashtra, that it was “neither feasible nor desirable” to demarcate borders of a state on the basis of one language. For, such a solution has severe practical problems and consequences.

Though the language of the people was one among the several criteria for the inclusion of any area in a state, the affidavit said the Federal Government as well as the Parliament had considered all relevant factors during the passing of the States Reorganization Act.

Hence, the Federal Government submitted before the Apex Court that it was in favour of settling the long-standing border row between Karnataka and Maharashtra through mutual negotiations.
The Federal Government’s affidavit has come as a dampener to the hopes of MES, which has been spearheading an agitation for merger of Belgaum with Maharashtra. But, the Kannada organizations in Karnataka have urged the Federal Government to implement the Mahajan Commission report to resolve the border dispute.

Hotel rents in Bangalore set to fall

After scaling new heights in the last few years, the room rents in five star hotels in Bangalore are set to fall on account of the huge addition in room inventory.

According to market research analysts, the average room rent of five star hotels in Bangalore, which has already started steadying at the current level of Rs 13,576, will dip by at least 20 per cent over the next three to four years. With supply beginning to catch up, the room rents in five star hotels across Bangalore are expected to sink to the 2003-04 level over the next three to four years.

From a total of 1,581 rooms in the premium segment at present, Bangalore is expected to have 4,300 rooms by 2010. About 150 to 200 rooms will be added in the next fiscal and another 825 rooms in 2008-09. “The major supply glut is expected to come in 2009-10 when 2,100 rooms will be added to the inventory”, according to Benaifer Jehani, research analyst from Cris Infac.

Major hotel groups are looking to set up new properties in Bangalore over the next three to five years.

But, hotels in Bangalore already witnessed a slight drop in occupancies during September-October this year. A two per cent drop in occupancy was recorded during September this year in comparison to the same period last year and research analysts attributed the dip to prevailing high average room rent.

Though the average room rents are likely to remain at the same level for most part of 2007, a dip in the rent can be expected from August 2007 by when the addition in room inventory would start, according to Amol Roy, a research analyst from Pioneer Intermediaries.

Buses torched as Congress workers protest warrant against D K Shivakumar

Buses were torched and stones were pelted as hundreds of Congress workers took to the streets in Bangalore and different parts of Karnataka yesterday to protest the issue of non-bailable warrants against fourteen members of former Minister D K Shivakumar’s family in connection with the mining controversy.

Several buses belonging to state-owned Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) were stoned by irate Congress activists, who marched through the streets of Bangalore to register their protest against the JD (S)-BJP Government’s “vengeful” attitude towards political rivals.

Shivakumar’s stronghold of Kanakapura near Bangalore witnessed a large turnout of Congress workers, carrying placards and staging road blockades. The demonstration took a violent turn with protestors setting fire to three state-owned buses in Kanakapura.

The issue of non-bailable warrants to Shivakumar’s wife, brother, sister, besides eleven other relatives and employees of the mining company owned by the former Minister has given a new turn to the illegal mining controversy in Karnataka, which had come out in the open following bribery charges against Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy.

The mobile squad of Karnataka’s Forest Department carried out a raid on the Iron Ore Company belonging to Shivakumar in Bellary district and registered a case of illegal storage of iron ore. Shivakumar’s family has been accused of illegally hoarding 276,000 metric tonnes of iron ore worth more than Rs 270 million.

Shivakumar’s company has also been charged with illegally exporting iron ore worth Rs 470 million.

In a press statement, Deputy Forest Conservator P Rajashekar said the illegal stock of iron ore had been confiscated and cases had been registered under Karnataka Forests Act and Indian Penal Code.

The records seized from the company indicated unauthorized mining and evasion of royalty to the Government, according to officials.

But, Shivakumar said his mining business was perfectly legal, but the ruling JD (S) had foisted false cases against his family members as part of the “vindictive” politics.

The Government’s move to issue non-bailable warrants against his family members was a “desperate” attempt on the party of the ruling JD (S) to “restrict” him from participating in the campaigning for the crucial by-elections in Chamundeshwari assembly constituency in the State, he said.

Ruling out the possibility of seeking bail for his family members, Shivakumar said he would wait for the officials to come and arrest his wife, sister and brother. “I will face the consequences”, he said.

JD (S)-BJP to field common candidate against Congress in Karnataka by-polls

Coalition partners Janata Dal (Secular) and BJP have arrived at a pact to field a common candidate against Congress nominee Siddaramaiah in the crucial by-polls to Chamundeshwari assembly constituency in Karnataka, scheduled to be held on December 4.

Three days before the last date for filing nominations could end on November 17, the Janata Dal (S) leadership has managed to convince the BJP to cede the seat for a JD (S) candidate. The understanding between the JD (S) and BJP was reached at a meeting of the co-ordination panel of the coalition partners held in Bangalore on Tuesday.

The JD (S), which has already shortlisted the names of six aspirants, is expected to announce its nominee on Thursday. Former MLA A S Guruswamy, who had defeated Siddaramaiah during the 1999 assembly elections, and Shivabasappa are among the front-runners in the race for the party ticket.

The electoral alliance between the coalition partners came after weeks of public posturing by the BJP that it would prefer a triangular contest involving BJP, JD (S) and Congress to supporting the its coalition partner JD (S).

The poll understanding came after JD (S) supremo H D Deve Gowda intervened in the matter and spoke to BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa in the matter.

The by-polls have become a prestige issue for the JD (S), which is keen on defeating former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who had quit the JD (S) and joined the Congress after developing differences with Deve Gowda.

Deve Gowda’s son and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said the electoral pact between the coalition partners would pave the way for increased understanding between the two parties at the political level.

Even though the BJP had ceded the seat to JD (S), BJP leaders and Ministers would campaign for the joint candidate of the coalition partners, Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said.

However, the Congress party has dismissed the electoral pact between the coalition partners as “irrelevant”. The party expressed confidence that Siddaramaiah would win with a thumping majority even if the JD (S) and BJP fields a joint candidate.

“The electoral pact will have no bearing on Siddaramaiah’s prospects. He will win hands down”, newly appointed Federal Minister for Information and Publicity Ambarish told reporters in Bangalore yesterday.

Suspected terrorists undergo narco-analysis and polygraph tests

The two suspected Pakistani militants arrested in Mysore last month underwent narco-analysis and polygraph test at the Forensic Sciences Laboratory (FSL) in Bangalore.

The duo – Mohammed Fahad and Ali Hussain – were brought to Bangalore early on Monday. While Mohammed Fahad underwent a polygraph test, Ali Hussain was subjected to a narco-analysis test, police said.

The two suspected terrorists were brought to Bangalore with their faces covered amidst heavy security after the Mysore Court allowed a petition by the police to subject them to scientific tests and granted three days time for the purpose. Apart from the polygraph and narco-analysis tests, which were conducted on Monday and Tuesday, the two of them are scheduled to undergo brain-mapping test on Wednesday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mysore, Balakrishna told reporters that the scientific tests are being conducted to find more leads in the investigation. “Certain statements already recorded would be corroborated with the revelations they make during the scientific tests conducted in sub-conscious state”, he added.

The two suspected terrorists had been caught by the police in the early hours of October 27 after a gun battle on the outskirts of Mysore. The duo were planning to target the Vikasa Soudha, the stately building housing the State Secretariat in Bangalore. A satellite phone, an AK 47 rifle, compact discs with maps of Vikasa Soudha and chemicals used in the manufacture of bombs had also been recovered from them.

Book on ants reveals interesting aspects

“While Bangalore alone has 125 species of ants; the whole of United Kingdom has only 55. Ants of a particular species can jump 18 cm and shut their jaws at 198 km per hour. An average ant carries ten times its weight”.

These are some of the interesting aspects of a 208-page book “On A Trail With Ants: A handbook of Ants of Peninsular India” brought out by two entomologists of Bangalore.

Sunil Kumar, an entomologist, who has worked with the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and Ajay Narendra of Research School of Biological Science, Austrian National University, have explored the world of ants in their book, which was released by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Karnataka, Ram Mohan Ray in Bangalore on Monday.

Though ants are omnipresent, people’s knowledge about them has been very little. “They are one of the best ecological indicators. By studying ants, one can learn a lot about the ecology of the region”, said Narendra.

Ants are known for teamwork. Each ant knows and performs its role selflessly and diligently. Since their undergrounds nests are prone to fungus attack, they produce the required chemical that insulates their nest. “They come back home the same way they went out because they leave a trail of chemical called phermones all along the path”, Narendra said.

The book also throws light on the fact that ants had the highest biomass content among vertebrates. “If you put an elephant on one side of the weighing scale and enough ants on the other side, the ants will outweigh the pachyderm”, Narendra said.

A large number of ant species are found in Bangalore. “A total of 36 species of ants were seen in the backyard of one house in Basavangudi”, Narendra pointed out.

How does an average ant carry ten times its weight? According to Sunil Kumar, it is possible because the ants have six legs and a flat body that is close to the ground. “This makes a lot of difference in terms of gravitation pull”, he said.

The authors of the unique book, which also has 170 photographs of different species of ants and more than 20 illustrations, will be useful for not only students of entomology, but also the general readers.

Search engines to unearth tax evaders in India

Federal Minister for Finance P Chidambaram said the Government will soon deploy innovative search engines to track down tax evaders in the country.

“A small number of tax evaders believe they are clever. But that is no longer true. We will have more information that you think we actually have”, said Chidambaram after inaugurating the country’s first Large Tax-payer Unit (LTU) in Bangalore.

The process of tracing tax evaders had been hampered by limited access to information. “But, all that will change soon as a group of professionals was working on several innovative search engines that would help in collecting information on tax evaders”, he said.

Soon after the search engines and developed and deployed, the Government will be better equipped to go after the defaulters, he said.

The Government would also open similar LTUs in Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata to serve as a self-contained tax administration office with a single window facility for all matters relating to Income Tax, Corporation Tax, Service Tax, Central Excise etc. Tax-payers, paying taxes amounting to more than Rs 50 million can opt for paying their taxes through these LTUs.

A total of 83 large tax-payers in Bangalore including multinational giants like Toyota Kirloskar Motor, ABB Ltd, Volvo etc are eligible to join the LTU in Bangalore. There are more than 200 such large tax-payers in Delhi, 282 in Mumbai, 132 in Chennai and 131 in Kolkata. “There are a total of 830 entities in India, which were eligible to join LTUs”, he said.

The cost of tax collection was the lowest in India at 0.67 per cent and the figure is expected to drop to 0.64 per cent, Chidambaram added.

Coalition partners JD (S) and BJP set to fight against each other in by-polls

The friendly relationship between coalition partners JD (S) and BJP in Karnataka has turned sour with both the parties insisting on fielding their own candidate in the crucial December 4 by-polls to Chamundeshwari assembly constituency from where former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will be seeking re-election as a Congress candidate.

Though the coalition partners agree on the need to field a joint candidate to take on the formidable electoral might of Siddaramaiah, the leaders have not been able to reach a consensus and are insisting on fielding their own candidate and are prevailing upon the other to support their nominee.

The relationship between the coalition partners has turned so frosty in the run-up to the by-elections that Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy of the JD (S) and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa of the BJP are not seeing eye to eye. The differences between the coalition partners became apparent when Kumaraswamy and Yediyurappa made independent trips to New Delhi recently and called on Federal Ministers separately.

With Yediyurappa firm on fielding a BJP candidate in the by-polls, Kumaraswamy has been talking only to BJP’s Karnataka unit President D V Sadananda Gowda to finalize a common candidate from the JD (S) for the Chamundeshwari by-polls.

The by-polls have turned out be a high-stakes electoral bout for the JD (S), which is facing its first election after Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy assumed power in February this year. The bye-elections have become a prestige issue for not only Kumaraswamy, but also his father and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda with whom Siddaramaiah fell out and joined the Congress.

Guinness record for 50 concerts in 24 hours

A 32-year-old Veena artiste from Bangalore has made it to the Guinness Book of World Records by performing the highest number of concerts in 24 hours.

Veena Maestro N Karthik’s feat of performing a total of 50 concerts in 24 hours at different auditoriums across Malleshwaram in Bangalore was recently recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records, which has sent him a certificate and a letter of appreciation.

Karthik has now replaced Adam Tas of South Africa as the world record holder for the highest number of concerts in 24 hours. Tas had performed 41 gigs

A marketing executive by profession, Karthik had adhered to the rules set by Guinness Book of World Records to achieve his rare feat. Each concert was not only held at a recognized venue with a minimum audience capacity of 300 people, but also lasted for 15 minutes as stipulated by the Guinness Book of World Records.

All the concerts were of a professional standard and the performer was either paid or the entry for the concert was by tickets kept for sale.

Interestingly, Karthik could set the new world record as he had chosen Malleshwaram, one of the most well-known music areas in Bangalore with a total of 55 auditoriums in a single locality. Karthik chose 50 out of them. Most of the music halls he chose were within a radius of three kms. For, Karthik knew it would be impossible to commute long distances in traffic-choked Bangalore. He had to proceed from one hall to another every 15 minutes.

After receiving the certificate and letter of appreciation from Guinness Book of World Records, an elated Karthik told reporters that he had achieved the feat with the help of a 20-member team, besides three vehicles and three veenas.

“When I am performing at the first venue, tuned veenas would be kept ready for me at the next two venues. The record was a result of six months of planning”, he said. Though all went as planned, the record breaking feat encountered hurdles at a couple of venues when the security guards denied them entry. However, we managed to complete 50 concerts in 24 hours.

Karthik’s record will figure in the 2008 edition of Guinness Book of World Records as the 2007 edition has already been published. Karthik, who is a marketing professional, hails from a family of musicians with both his parents being performing artistes.

Congress legislator discharged, but one bullet remains in the body

Congress legislator Prabhakar Kore, who had been shot at and wounded by his nephew in Belgaum recently, was discharged from the hospital.

Dr M V Jali, Managing Director of KLE Hospital, where Kore underwent treatment for the bullet injuries, said two out of the three bullets had been removed by surgical procedures. “The third bullet lodged deep in the liver has not been removed as it was not causing any immediate concern to his life”, he said.

Kore, who is also the Chairman of one of Karnataka’s leading education trusts, had been rushed to the KLE hospital on October 19 after his nephew Jagadish Kore shot at him with a country-made revolver over property disputes.

Emerging from the hospital with a shawl draped over his shoulders, Kore’s eyes filled with tears as he addressed reporters. Accompanied by his son and daughter, Kore attributed his “rebirth” to the almighty, who he thought wanted him to continue social service for some more time.

A visibly weak and emotional Kore thanked the public, who had conducted mass prayers for his health. “I don’t know how to express my gratitude to all the people, who prayed for my recovery”.

Kore disclosed that many of his well-wishers were in favour of taking him to Mumbai for further treatment. “However, the doctors at KLE did not allow that”, he said. Kore will require at least a fortnight to recover, doctors said.

BJP plans to take out two rath yatras for Datta Jayanthi celebrations

The BJP in Karnataka has decided to raise the pitch on the controversial Bababudangiri-Datta Peetha issue by taking out two rath yatras across the State ahead of the Datta Jayanthi celebrations scheduled to be held at the disputed cave shrine in Chikmagalur district on December 3 and 4.

After a meeting between BJP’s core group in Karnataka and the RSS leadership in Bangalore, BJP’s state unit President Sadananda Gowda told reporters that rath yatras would start from Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada district and Mysore on November 20. The rath yatras will culminate in a public meeting at Chikmagalur on November 26.

All the BJP legislators and MPs will participate in the public meeting at Chikmagalur along with an estimated 25,000 people, he said.

However, the BJP’s decision to take out rath yatras from Dakshina Kannada, which recently witnessed communal violence, and Mysore, which is bracing up for a crucial Assembly by-polls on December 4, has become a source of concern for the Government.

Also, the BJP has firmly rejected a proposal from its coalition partner JD (S) to field a joint candidate against the Congress nominee and former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The party is adamant on fielding its own candidate in the by-polls.

The JD (S), which had frustrated the attempts of the BJP to take out a Shobha Yatra during the Datta Mala Abhiyan campaign at the disputed cave shrine of Bababudangiri last month, is expected to create fresh obstacles for the BJP’s plans of taking out rath yatras in the midst of the election campaign. For, the rath yatras had the potential for creating a law and order problem and the BJP would not hesitate to make political capital out of such turn of events.

However, BJP’s Karnataka unit President Sadananda Gowda said the purpose behind the yatras is to create an awareness among the general public on the Datta Peetha issue as “certain groups” were trying to create unnecessary controversy by wrongly interpreting the court orders on the issue.

He said BJP’s Karnataka unit Secretary and MLA V Sunil Kumar will lead the rath yatra starting from Dharmasthala while the BJP’s Youth Wing President and MLA C T Ravi will lead the other rath yatra beginning from Mysore.

In view of the likely opposition to the rath yatra from the JD (S), C T Ravi said he and his followers will not hesitate to defy Government orders if any restrictions are placed on the rath yatra. Ravi, who made a vain bid to break into the disputed cave shrine at Bababudangiri and religious rituals, said BJP legislators will not give up its ideological stance just for the sake of sharing power.

Communally sensitive tag sought for coastal districts in Karnataka

In the wake of growing number of incidents of communal trouble in the three coastal districts of Karnataka, the State Minorities Commission has urged the Federal Government and State Government to declare the coastal area of the State as “communally sensitive” areas.

Commission’s Chairman K S Mohammed Masood told reporters that declaration of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttar Kannada as “communally sensitive” areas will ensure that more attention is paid to the region by police forces to avert any untoward incidents.

Mangalore and its outskirts in Dakshina Kannada witnessed communal violence a month ago, leading to the loss of two lives and property worth several million rupees. “If special attention is not paid, the situation may worsen in the region”, Masood cautioned.

Though no area in the entire nation has been given such a tag, Masood said the Commission favours such a proposal for coastal Karnataka to ensure that communal problems do not recur in these regions.

A special police force, modeled along the lines of the anti-naxal force of Karnataka, should be created and deployed in the specific areas, where communal clashes had taken place repeatedly.

The Karnataka Minorities Commission is scheduled to submit its report on the communal violence in Mangalore to Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on November 18. Masood cited transportation of cattle as the main reason for the communal violence in Mangalore. He said the Commission would discuss the matter with religious leaders of both the communities, besides political leaders in a bid to thrash out a solution.

Masood also said that the Commission, during its probe, had found out that the police had arrested a total of 180 innocent people and 83 of them had been sent to Bellary jail. Two persons had died while five people had sustained serious injuries in the violence.

The Commission will communicate to the State Government on the need to depute minorities in the police and administration to ensure a secular set-up.

Ship Lift facility commissioned at Karwar Naval Base

India’s first Ship Lift facility was commissioned at Karwar Naval Base along the western coast of the country.

The Ship Lift facility will help lift the ships that arrive at the naval base for repair from the sea on to the land. “It was also the only base in the country to have a direct fuelling facility for ships and hence could be considered as one of the most modern in the world”, Commander in Chief of the Western Naval Command Vice Admiral Sangram Singh Byce said while inaugurating the facility.

The Vice Admiral inaugurated the facility from the control tower in the naval base premises by lifting INS Dhunagiri, a 2,600 tonne warship, out of the waters in 20 minutes. The Karwar Naval Base can now boast of a world class facility for repair of naval ships, he declared.

The second phase of work on the naval base at Karwar called Sea Bird project will begin next year as the Federal Government had given its approval. The second phase includes construction of a naval air station. Work on the second phase is expected to be completed in ten years time, Byce said.

Karnataka flays Maharashtra over letter to Kerala on border dispute

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy came down heavily on Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil for writing a letter to Kerala Chief Minister V S Achutanandan suggesting an alliance against Karnataka on the border dispute.

Speaking to reporters, Kumaraswamy sought to remind the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra that his action went against the federal set-up in the country. “It has the potential to disturb the unity and integrity of the country”, Kumaraswamy said in a strong reaction.

Kumaraswamy was reacting to the letter written by Patil to Achutanandan suggesting the formation of a joint front by Maharashtra and Kerala against Karnataka on the border. While Belgaum is the bone of contention between Karnataka and Maharashtra, Kasargod district in Kerala is the point of disagreement between Karnataka and Kerala.

Kumaraswamy called upon the Federal Government to initiate action against Patil for repeatedly making “irresponsible” statements on the border dispute between the two states. “These type of statements could trigger a serious law and order problem”, he said.

The Karnataka Chief Minister said the issue of Belgaum had been long settled by the Mahajan Commission report. “Such statements will not help resolve issues between states. It is a foolish statement”, he said.

Echoing the same views, Karnataka’s Minister for Home M P Prakash hoped Achutanandan ignores the letter sent by the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister. Prakash also expressed surprise over the silence maintained by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Federal Minister for Agriculture Sharad Pawar on the issue.

It may be mentioned here that Patil had written a four-page carefully worded letter to Achutanandan, emphasizing the need to bring in legislative and judicial measures to “rein” in Karnataka, which not only has a border dispute with Maharashtra over Belgaum, but was also seeking the transfer of Kasargod district in Kerala.

“In a nut-shell, both Maharashtra and Kerala have sufferred because of the adamant and unjustified stance taken by Karnataka over our respective border issues. It seems to have thrown to winds the very essence and spirit of linguistic creation of states”, Patil said in the letter.

Describing Achutanandan as the senior-most Chief Ministers among the Southern states, Patil sought an audience with him to formulate a common strategy against Karnataka.

ISRO sets the ball rolling for India’s manned mission to moon

Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) ambitious manned mission to moon received a shot in the arm with eighty senior scientists from various scientific establishments across the country giving the green signal for not only launching an Indian into space by 2014, but also placing a man on the moon by 2020.

The senior scientists, who met at the ISRO headquarters in Bangalore for a brainstorming session on various aspects of the twin space programmes, were unanimous in suggesting that time was appropriate for India to undertake such missions.

ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair told reporters that the senior scientists, who participated in the meeting, were “overwhelmingly positive” to the India’s manned space mission. The preliminary estimated cost for the manned space mission is Rs 100 billion, spread over a period of eight years.

Apart from Nair, well known scientists including Prof U R Rao, Prof Roddam Narasimha and Prof Yash Pal, besides scientists from Defence Researdh and Development Organization (DRDO), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), National Aeronautics Laboratory (NAL) took part in the meeting.

Wing Commander (Retd) Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to walk in the space, also took part in the meeting. “We should have gotten there sooner”, said Sharma, who was part of the Russian Soyuz T-11 mission in 1984.

“I have been in favour of the manned mission since ten years. I think we are a bit late in arriving at this decision, but I am happy that we have finally made it”, he said. He also remarked that the timelines proposed for the space mission are “realistic”.

Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) Dr B N Suresh presented to the gathering of scientists at the meeting the studies carried out by ISRO during the last four years to examine the technological challenges of a manned space mission and the Indian capability to undertake such a mission.

According to a press statement from ISRO, the concept of a manned space mission includes the development of an autonomous Orbital Vehicle, which could be launched by India’s Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle.

Though ISRO had matured in many technologies required for a manned space mission, new developments were required in life support systems, improved reliability and safety, besides crew escape system. “While some of the facilities required are available in the country and can be used with augmentation, a few have to be established afresh”, the ISRO press statement said.

Sealing drive begins even in Bangalore

Taking a cue from New Delhi, the civic authorities in Bangalore have begun targeting Information Technology (IT) companies and firms operating out of houses and villas in Bangalore in blatant violation of land use norms.

Officials of Bangalore City Corporation and Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force descended on posh Sadashivanagar area with an army of 50 personnel and sealed a total of eleven properties over the last forty-eight hours including software firms.

Civic officials warn that the sealing drive, which began at Sadashivanagar area, known for large colonial bungalows, is just the beginning. “The owners and builders have obtained building plan sanctions for residences, constructed it like a residence too, but are using it for commercial purposes”, said Bangalore City Corporation’s Joint Commissioner Jayaram.

The civic authorities decision to seal illegal offices came after a public interest litigation was filed in the Karnataka High Court by Sadashivnagar Residents’ Welfare Association against the violation of land use norms in parts of the area, which was turning out to be menace to the residents. “Only offices operating out of houses have been sealed”, Jayaram said.

Apart from software firms, the civic authorities have also sealed a travel office, a clinic, and a chartered accountant’s office.

Factional fight surfaces in Karnataka BJP

Factional fight resurfaced in the Karnataka unit of the BJP, which is a partner in the ruling coalition Government in the State, after a section of the party legislators expressed their dissatisfaction over the style of functioning of party’s state unit President Sadananda Gowda.

Party legislators loyal to former Federal Minister Ananthakumar, who has a long-standing feud with Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, made a strong pitch for replacement of Sadananda Gowda at a party meeting held in Bangalore. Sadananda Gowda’s failure to visit North Karnataka came in for sharp criticism at the party meeting with a majority of the legislators seeking a change of leadership in the party’s state unit.

Though the meeting had been convened by Yediyurappa to mollify the disgruntled legislators, who had been complaining about JD (S) leaders for treating them with indifference, the meeting ended with the party leadership discussing their own internal differences.

A majority of the legislators, who had favoured replacement of the party’s state unit President, pointed out that as many as 50 out of the 79 assembly seats won by the BJP came from North Karnataka. Yet, Sadananda Gowda had not bothered to tour North Karnataka.

Accusing him of confining himself to his native Mangalore, besides Bangalore and Mysore, the disgruntled BJP legislators said the party would be alienating its workers in North Karnataka if Sadananda Gowda continues in the post.

The strong demand for a change of leadership in the party’s state unit by the party legislators loyal to Ananthakumar has gripped the party leadership forcing Yediyurappa and his supporters to leave for New Delhi to hold talks with the national leadership of the party. Yediyurappa and a host of senior leaders, who are identified with his group, left for New Delhi on Monday evening.

Meanwhile, Sadananda Gowda refuted charges that he had ignored North Karnataka. “I will not accept the charge that I have ignored North Karnataka”, he said.

But, BJP legislators loyal to Ananthakumar said a change in the post of party’s state unit President has become inevitable if the party has to retain its hold in North Karnataka. The BJP legislators even took exception to the punitive action recommended by the party leadership against former Federal Minister Basavaraj Patil Yatnal, a leader from North Karnataka, by Sadananda Gowda reportedly at the behest of Yediyurappa.

New software to check second-time Haj pilgrims launched in Karnataka

Karnataka’s Haj Committee has introduced software that screens applications of Haj pilgrims and identifies those who try to go on Haj for a second time within five years of their first pilgrimage.

Inaugurating the software called “Hajkar software”, Karnataka’s Minister for Wakfs and Haj Zameer Ahmed Khan said the new software would store the names, photos and addresses of all the pilgrims, who have gone on a Haj pilgrimage. “This will help us identify people, who try to undertake a second pilgrimage within five years of their first one”, he said.

Citing the rules of the Central Haj Committee, Zameer Ahmed Khan said people, who have undertaken a pilgrimage to Haj in the last five years are not entitled to make use of the Government quota again. “But, over 30 per cent of applicants violate norms and, as a result, first-time applicants lose out a chance. We go this software developed to prevent this kind of misuse”, he said.

With people going on a pilgrimage to Haj entitled to a Government subsidy, many pilgrims opt for a place in the Central Haj Committee’s quota. “Many people prefer the Haj Committee rather than private travel agents for a pilgrimage to Haj because of the subsidy”, he said.

The software, which had been developed at a cost of Rs 380,000 can compare photos with data pertaining to past applicants and help the Haj Committee give priority to first-timers, Zameer Ahmed Khan said. The State Haj Committee will also exchange the data with the Central Haj Committee, he said.

Meanwhile, quota for Haj pilgrims from Karnataka has been increased to 6,600 this year from the 4,500 last year. The first batch of Haj pilgrims will leave Bangalore in the wee hours of November 23. “The first of the three flights scheduled for November 23 will leave Bangalore at 12.10 am”, Zameer Ahmed Khan said

Karnataka’s low cost airliner offers tickets for Rs 9

Low cost carrier Air Deccan is offering tickets for as low as Rs 9 to mark Karnataka’s fiftieth formation day.

More than 100,000 tickets priced at Rs 9 (plus taxes) will up for grabs on all the routes Air Deccan operates for travel upto March 25, according to a press statement from Managing Director of Air Deccan G R Gopinath.

The bookings for the low-priced tickets, which opened on Sunday, can be made on Air Deccan’s website www.airdeccan.net

To commemorate the golden jubilee of Karnataka’s formation, the low cost carrier has also launched air services from Bangalore to Hampi, the erstwhile seat of Vijaynagar empire and a popular tourist destination. The Bangalore-Hampi flights will commence from November 15.

“The Golden Jubilee of Karnataka’s formation is a matter of great pride for all of us, who dwell or belong to this great state. The Government has a slew of projects and celebrations underway and we want to take the festivities to the skies”, Gopinath said in the press statement.

Karnataka Minister appears in television advertisements, courts controversy

Karnataka’s Minister for Higher Education D H Shankarmurthy, who had kicked up a row by terming legendary ruler Tipu Sultan as “anti-Kannada” a few weeks ago, has now landed in a fresh controversy by appearing in a television advertisement.

The sight of D H Shankarmurthy endorsing the distance education programmes offered by Bangalore University in advertisements appearing on regional television channels has raised the hackles of Vice Chancellors of other Universities in Karnataka.

The Vice Chancellor of Karnataka’s oldest University - the University of Mysore - Prof J Shashidhar Prasad came out openly against the Higher Education Minister for promoting the distance education programmes of Bangalore University. “When there are other Universities also like the Mysore University offering distance education programme, how can the Higher Education Minister promote the programmes of only one University”, Prof Prasad questioned.

Seeking to remind Shankarmurthy that he was the pro-chancellor of all the Universities in Karnataka in his capacity as the Minister for Higher Education, Prof Prasad said it was highly improper on the part of Shankarmurthy to appear in advertisements promoting programmes of one particularly University.

Just like Bangalore University, Prof Prasad said Mysore University too had launched distance education programmes, which will commence from the coming academic year. Governor T N Chaturvedi, who is the chancellor of all the Universities in the State, had already given his approval for the distance programmes offered by Mysore University, he said.

Shankarmurthy, who had to apologize to douse the raging fire over his controversial comments against Tipu Sultan, is now finding himself at the centre of another controversy with Vice Chancellors of various Universities in Karnataka criticizing him for endorsing the distance education programme of just the Bangalore University.

Chief Justice of India expresses concern over trial by media

Expressing concern over the recent trend of trial by media before judgments are pronounced on cases pending before courts, Chief Justice of India Y K Sabharwal appealed to the judges not to be distracted by the public perception of cases and to go by the evidence placed before them in the courts.

“Trial by media would prove destructive to the society in the long run. The media should think about the fate of the person to whom injustice is caused by this”, Sabharwal said.

The Chief Justice of India raised the issue twice during his visit to Bangalore – while addressing the 13th state level conference of Judicial Officers and at the valedictory of the Karnataka High Court’s Golden Jubilee celebrations.

Apparently provoked by the recent programmes on television channels that sought to project certain persons involved in high profile murder and rape cases as either “guilty” or “innocent” even when the matter was sub-judice, Sabharwal said it was the evidence on record that was crucial to decide whether the accused in a criminal offence is guilty or innocent. “I have asked the judges to go by the evidence placed before them”, he said.

He said the trial by the media creates confusion in the minds of the judges. “If this continues, there can’t be any conviction. Judges will be in a dilemma as the media would already have given a verdict”, he said with resentment.

“Judges would also be worried about their reputation when they have to deliver a verdict against the projected public perception”, Sabharwal said. “Today, we know the reach of the media. We have so many 24-hour television channels. Trial by media will have serious reflection on the judiciary. We can’t ignore them”, he said adding that he had advised judges to go by the evidence on record before deciding the cases.

Stinking rich Government official lands into Lokayukta net

A Government official, who was taking home a salary of Rs 14,000 every month, was found to have amassed wealth amounting to a staggering Rs 60 million when sleuths of the Lokayukta, the anti-corruption cell of Karnataka, raided his residence in Bangalore.

As a Karnataka Administrative Officer (KAS) R Rameshappa had served in various key posts in the Government of Karnataka during the last three decades. Presently, he is the Chief Executive Officer of Karnataka’s Khadi and Village Industries Board.

After seizing documents pertaining to a spacious house in Bangalore, two flats, two sites, and 27 acres of farm land in Chitradurga, besides gold and silver jewellery from his palatial residence at Padmanabhanagar in Bangalore, the Lokayukta chief Justice Santhosh Hegde said Rameshappa had amassed wealth and assets around 300 per cent more than his known sources of income.

Rameshappa, who had joined Government service at a modest salary of Rs 2,500 per month three decades ago, had served as Superintendent in the Excise Department, private secretary to a Minister, deputy commissioner of Bangalore Development Authority and other prominent posts.

The raid also yielded a car, a motorcycle, silver articles worth 12 kgs, gold worth 120 grams and cash worth Rs 650,000. Apart from investments in various financial instruments, Rameshappa had a bank balance of almost a million rupees, Hegde said.

The Lokayukta sleuths also recovered Scotch whisky bottles, which alone were worth more than Rs 60,000. Among the household articles, which were worth another Rs 650,000 was a video camera and expensive watches.

The investigation into the assets of Rameshappa was still continuing, said Hegde and added that the full extent of wealth amassed by him will be known only after the interrogation is complete.

Maharashtra Dy CM performs pooja for Belgaum

After challenging the “sovereignty” of Karnataka Government over Belgaum during a recently held public meeting, Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil has now sought divine intervention for the merger of Belgaum with Maharashtra.

Mr Patil arrived at the famous temple town of Pandharpur in the border district of Solapur along with his wife and performed a special pooja for the acquisition of Belgaum and other Marathi-speaking areas of Karnataka. Patil is understood to have also prayed for the safety and protection of Marathi-speaking population residing in Belgaum from the oppression of Karnataka police.

Patil told a group of reporters from Belgaum that he had visited Pandharpur to fulfill the wishes of Marathas in Karnataka and hoped that their plea to be part of Maharashtra is fulfilled.

Reacting to Karnataka Government’s recent threat to file a case against him for his “provocative” statements against the Government, Patil dared the Government of Karnataka to file a case against him. “If the Karnataka Government has any guts, let is file a case against me for speaking against it at Belgaum”, he said.

When the Karnataka Government was holding its maiden Legislature Session at Belgaum last month, Patil addressed a parallel rally convened by Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) in Belgaum and argued for merger of all Marathi-speaking areas of Karnataka with Maharasthra, much to the chagrin of Karnataka Government.

Patil’s decision to perform a special pooja for acquisition of Belgaum and other Marathi-speaking areas of Karnataka comes close on the heels of a similar pooja performed by the Marathi community in Belgaum during the Ganesha festival seeking the transfer of areas dominated by Marathi-speaking population to Maharashtra.

Suspected terrorists to undergo narco-analysis

The two suspected terrorists from Pakistan, who were arrested after a late-night shoot-out in Mysore near here last week, would be subjected to narco-analysis tests.

The trail court in Mysore granted permission for a narco-analysis of Mohammed Fahad and Ali Hussein, the two suspected militants, after the police team interrogating them submitted a petition in the regard. The investigators seek to gather more information about their activities during the narco-analysis tests.

However, the narco-analysis is expected to be carried out after a team of policemen from Jammu and Kashmir arrives in Mysore for interrogation. One of the accused Ali Hussein is said to be facing 19 cases booked by the Jammu and Kashmir police. The local police are awaiting the arrival of their counterparts from Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, Mysore City Police Commissioner Pravin Sood said sleuths from Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) had arrived in Mysore to monitor the investigation.

The seizure of incriminating documents, a large cache of arms and ammunition, an AK-47 rifle, chemicals used in the manufacture of explosives, a satellite phone and 20 sim cards among other items from the two suspected terrorists had generated a lot of interest in the Union Government, according to Sood.

While Fahad is a post graduate in Analytical Chemistry from Karachi University and had arrived in India on a Pakistani passport, which has an official Indian visa, Ali Hussein had sneaked into India from the borders at Kashmir. Sood said the police had enough evidence that the duo had tried to obtain an Indian passport through fraudulent means.

Indo-US counter terrorism drill in Belgaum

A total of 160 US Marines are participatingin a counter-terrorism drill along with an equal number of Indian soldiers in a semi-urban terrain inBelgaum district in Karnataka.

The counter-terrorism drill named Shatrujeet 06 is afollow up to the similar joint Indo-US exercise held at Pendleton in the US during June last year. India and US are jointly holding the anti-terrorism training capsule with a view to sharing mutual experiences on counter terrorism operations.

A total of 160 personnel each from Rifle company of 21 batallion of Punjab regiment of Indian Army and 2/4 Marine Regiment US are participating in the joint drill, which is also focused on sharing of intelligence, communication, weapons and equipment, besides use of minimum force to achieve desired military objectives, precautions to ensure nil or minimum collateral damage.

The second in the series of Shatrujeet counter-terrorism drills is seen as a continuation ofa process aimed at strengthening bilateral ties between India and the United States in the areas ofpolitical, military and economic importance after the September 11 terrorist strike on the US.

The ten-day-long joint military exercise by the armies of two largest democracies is expected to end with a validation exercise based on cordon and search operations. While Commanding Officer of 21 Punjab Infantry Battalion Colonel Vijay B Nair leads theIndian contingent, Major J Scrabeck of 2/4 US Marines Corps leads the US Marines.

The joint anti-terror exercise has also given the US Marines an opportunity to experience the quintessentially Indian sport of Kabaddi and learn the basics of cricket. Clearly fascinated by Kabaddi, theAmerican troops are understood to be playing the game even in the barracks.

Hostage rescued, kidnappers killed in shoot-out

In an action-packed encounter, the Bangalore police gunned down two notorious criminals after rescuing a real estate businessman held hostage by them for over a week.

The realtor, who had been kept chained and beaten black and blue by his captors, had been admitted to a hospital in Bangalore, where he is recovering.

The sequence of events, leading to the rescue of the hostage and killing of the captors, began on the day of Eid Ul Fitr when the real estate businessman Nazir Khan was returning to his house in Hoskote on the outskirts of Bangalore after celebrating the festival in his father’s house in a village nearby.

The vehicle in which Nazir Khan and his family was travelling was waylaid by a six-member gang on the road. The gang-members threatened Nazir Khan at gunpoint and kidnapped him.

Soon Nazir Khan was bundled into a waiting vehicle, taken away and hid in the house of one of the gangster’s sister in Austin Town in Bangalore. The gangsters then called Nazir Khan’s family and demanded a ransom of Rs 20 million. When the family members expressed their inability to mobilize such a huge sum of money, the gangsters reduced the ransom to Rs 8.5 million.

Meanwhile, the family of Nazir Khan approached the Hoskote police, which in turn got in touch with Bangalore Police. A team of policemen led by Assistant Commissioner of Police B K Shivaram swung into action and traced the calls to one Tippu, a rowdy-sheeter in Bangalore.

Tippu’s arrest led to the arrest of one more associate Mastan, both of whom confessed that they were part of the six-member gang that had abducted Nazir Khan and that the hostage had been kept in the house of a fellow kidnapper in Bangalore. Police raided the house late on Tuesday night and rescued Nazir Khan, who was in a bad shape after being chained and beaten.

Tippu also confessed that the kingpin of the gang Gafoor had planned to kill Nazir Khan and had asked him to bring the hostage to Kaigondanahalli lake.

In a carefully laid out trap, the police hired an autorickshaw and went to the banks of Kaigondanahalli in disguise. A police jeep with armed personnel kept a watch from a distance.

Around the appointed time, a white ambassador car arrived at the spot and halted about 50 yards ahead of the autorickshaw. The king-pin Gafoor, 32, and his associate Goru, 30, alighted from the car and called out to Tippu. But, they soon realized that the people in the autorickshaw were policemen and opened fire. The policemen, who were wearing bullet-proof vests returned the fire. Hit by a hail of bullets, Gafoor died on the spot while Goru succumbed to the bullet injuries in the hospital.

Police said Gafoor was wanted in a total of 26 cases of robbery, dacoity, kidnap and extortion while Goru was wanted in two cases of kidnapping for ransom.

Bangalore to become Bengaluru

The fiftieth formation day of Karnataka was marked by the re-christening of its capital City Bangalore as Bengaluru amidst a mixed reaction from the people and industry.

Bangalore is not the only City in Karnataka, which will be shedding its English name considered to be legacy of the colonial rule. The second-tier cities like Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli and Belgaum will also be called as Mysoru, Mangluru, Hubbali and Belagavi respectively.

Though the Kannada puritans are gung-ho about the re-christening of Bangalore into Bengaluru, sections of the IT industry, which has made the City its base and contributing to its cosmopolitan nature, have expressed certain reservations.

But, the Government’s firm resolve to replace the anglicized name of Bangalore with a more local Bengaluru is in tune with similar name changes effected by the Governments of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, which renamed their capitals as Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata respectively during the last few years.

The renaming of Bangalore, which has now become synonymous with the vibrant IT and BPO industry, came about after well-known Kannada litterateur and Jnanpith awardee U R Ananthmurthy made the demand last year.

He reasoned that Bengaluru came to be called as Bangalore because of the inability of the colonial rulers to pronounce the original name properly. But, he said the re-christening of Bangalore as Bengaluru is not as difficult as it is being made out to be.

“In Kannada language, U is a great enabler”. Just like Bangalore becomes Bengaluru by adding a U, Ananthamurthy said any English word can be made into a Kannada word by adding a U. “Chair becomes Chairu, Table becomes Tablu”, he said.

Despite a formal announcement by the Government of Karnataka, Bangalore will not be able to sport its new name till certain administrative procedures are followed. The State Government has to secure a clearance to its proposal from the Federal Government, place the same before the State Cabinet and publish it in the gazette after calling for objections.

“All this will take atleast 45 days”, according to a senior official in the Department of Kannada and Culture in Bangalore.

Karnataka’s fiftieth formation day observed

Hoisting of a separate Karnataka flag in Gulbarga and stone-throwing on Rajyothsava procession in Belgaum marred an otherwise boisterous celebration of Karnataka’s fiftieth formation day yesterday.

Ahead of a spectacular ceremony planned by the Karnataka Government in Bangalore on Wednesday evening, the golden jubilee of Karnataka’s formation day or Rajyothsava Day was celebrated with pomp and pageantry in various districts of the State with Ministers hoisting the state flag at officials functions. Cultural and folk programmes added colour to the festive spirit in various districts of the State.

But, the Hyderbad-Karnataka Struggle Committee hoisted a separate flag in Gulbarga on the occasion to highlight the historical neglect of the region by successive Governments of the State. Hundreds of the activists staged a black flag demonstration at the official Rajyothsava Day function in Gulbarga, forcing the police to intervene and take them into custody.

MLA and Chairman of the Hyderabad-Karnataka Struggle Committee Vaijyanath Patil told reporters that they were observing the fiftieth formation day of the State as a “black day”. The formation of Karnataka had not brought any benefit to people of Hyderabad-Karnataka region, which continues to remain backward. “The dreams of the people have not been fulfilled”, he said.

With the regional imbalance in the State continuing to grow, the Rajyothsava Day is no occasion for people of this region to celebrate, he said. The State Government continues to focus its developmental activities in Bangalore and Mysore, where the industry is concentrated.

A similar black flag demonstration was also staged by activists of the Hyderabad Karnataka Struggle Committee in the adjoining districts of Raichur and Bidar, where hundreds of people were arrested for either hoisting a separate flag or staging a black flag demonstration.

The border town of Belgaum, which has become a bone of contention between Karnataka and neighbouring Maharashtra, witnessed some tense moments when miscreants stoned the Rajyothsava procession.

The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES), which has been seeking the transfer of Belgaum and other Marathi-speaking areas of Karnataka to Maharashtra, took out a cycle rally holding black flags through the streets of Belgaum yesterday to mark the Rajyothsava Day. Security had been beefed up in Belgaum for the occasion.

HSBC scam accused Nadeem Kashmir secures bail

A fast track court in Bangalore has ordered the release of Nadeem Kashmiri, who was accused of fraudulently diverting funds from HSBC account holders during June this year.

Kashmiri, 24, a former employee of HSBC’s off-shore centre in Bangalore, had been arrested by the police after he was accused of diverting 233,000 pounds from the accounts of HSBC customers by accessing their confidential information and passing it on to his associates in the UK.

However, Kashmiri has maintained that he is innocent and claimed that the police had not placed any material before the court to prove that he had transferred money from the bank accounts of the customers for his personal benefit. Kashmiri also claimed that the bank authorities had made him a scape-goat. Despite brain-mapping, polygraph and narco-analysis tests performed on him, Kashmiri claimed that the authorities had not collected any evidence against him.

Though the HSBC bank’s internal investigation had revealed that Kashmiri had accessed confidential information about its customers and passed the same to his associates, investigators admit that they have little information about these associates. The Corps of Detective (CoD), which is investigating the case, is corresponding with the UK police on the issue.

However, the fast track court ordered the release of Kashmiri on bail on the grounds that the offence with which he has been charged is bailable.

Meanwhile, the CoD officials said further investigation into the case depends on what information they get from the UK police.

Maratha organizations in Karnataka oppose Maharashtra’s stand on Belgaum

Several Maratha organizations in Karnataka have decided to stand by Karnataka on its border row with neighbouring Maharashtra on the disputed frontier district of Belgaum.

Several Maratha organizations in the State including the Karnataka Maratha Parishat, Karnataka Kshatriya Maratha Sangh and Karnataka Marathi Welfare Association passed a resolution in Bangalore to oppose Maharashtra Government’s demand for merger of Marathi-speaking areas of Belgaum with Maharashtra.

The Maratha organizations have decided to file an affidavit in the Supreme Court seeking the implementation of Mahajan Commission Report, a long-pending demand of the Karnataka Government. Several Maratha leaders, who participated in a convention in Bangalore on Sunday, emphasized the need to counter Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi’s (MES) efforts to secure the merger of Belgaum with Maharashtra.

“Marathi-speaking people in Karnataka are not interested in identifying themselves with Maharashtra and we will file an affidavit to this effect in the Supreme Court, which is hearing the petition filed by Maharashtra Government seeking the transfer of Belgaum to that state”, said a resolution adopted at the convention of Maratha organizations in Bangalore, which was chaired by former Minister P G R Sindhia.

Speaking on the occasion, Sindhia said a delegation of leaders representing Maratha organizations in Karnataka will shortly meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and submit a memorandum expressing their stand on the border issue. “MES is exploiting the Maratha community and the name of Shivaji for its political benefit. Even Marathas settled in Belgaum are proud of having belonged to Karnataka and MES is aware of this. Bit , it is misleading the people for the sake of its political motives”, Sindhia said.

“We are leading a peaceful and contented life in Karnataka. The Government, the entrepreneurs and litterateurs are co-operating in our progress. We are happy to remain as people of Karnataka and we will convey this to the Supreme Court”.

Another former Minister S R Morey said the border dispute is a closed chapter. “Nobody should encourage the forces, which are trying to rake it up afresh”, he said