Karnataka Congress announces first list of candidates for bye-elections

Politics

The bye-elections are slated to be held on December 5 in 15 Assembly constituencies.

Theja Ram

The All India Congress Committee on Thursday announced the names of candidates for eight of the 15 Assembly constituencies, where the bye-elections are slated to be held on December 5. The party has carefully selected both veteran and new leaders to contest polls in several crucial segments. The bye-elections were necessitated after 13 of its legislators rebelled and resigned in July this year. This led to the fall of the Congress-JD(S) coalition. The Congress has been faced with the task of selecting worthy candidates as the rebel leaders are likely to be offered tickets to contest the bye-elections by the BJP. Here is the list of eight candidates: Yellapur: Bhimanna Naik Bhimanna Naik is the incumbent Uttara Kannada District Congress Committee President. Bhimanna Naik was chosen over another major contender Prashant Deshpande, former Revenue Minister RV Deshpande’s son. Congress insiders say that the high command wanted to show its appreciation for “loyal party workers” by choosing him over Prashant. Bhimanna Naik had contested the 2018 Assembly elections on a Congress ticket from the Sirsi segment and had lost to Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, the incumbent Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. Hirekerur: BH Bhannikod A veteran Congress leader, BH Bhannikod has been elected from the Hirekerur segment twice before. He first contested elections in 1989 from this constituency on a Janata Dal ticket and won the elections. He lost in 1994 and in 1999, he quit the Dal and contested as an independent and won. He contested once more in 2013 as an independent and won the elections. In the years 2004, 2008 and 2018 he lost to the then Congress BC Patil, one of the disqualified MLAs who rebelled. Ranebennur: KB Koliwad A four-time MLA from Ranebennur and a veteran leader in Karnataka state politics, KB Koliwad, who has held crucial governmental positions, is a Congress veteran. He, however, lost to Karnataka Pragnyavanta Janata Paksha (KPJP) candidate R Shankar alias Pendulum Shankar in 2018 by a very slim margin. KB Koliwad was the Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly in 2013. Prior to that, he served as the Minister of State for Drinking Water Supply in the SM Krishna cabinet. He has been elected as the MLA from Ranebennur in the 1985, 1989, 1999 and 2013 elections. Chikkaballapur: M Anjanappa A controversial candidate, the Chikkaballapura District Congress Committee President M Anjanappa has finally bagged the ticket to contest against his archrival Dr K Sudhakar. In 2013, M Anjanappa, a loyal Congress member, was unhappy when the high command decided to offer the Chikkaballapura ticket to Dr Sudhakar. At the time, M Anjanappa had also camped in New Delhi and had openly expressed his dissatisfaction over being sidelined. Despite his attempts to bag the ticket, Dr Sudhakar was chosen to contest as he was close to former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. KR Puram: M Narayanaswamy The former KR Puram block Congress President and former aide of disqualified Congress MLA Byrathi Basavaraj, M Narayanaswamy has been chosen to contest against heavyweight and rebel Byrathi Basavaraj. M Narayanaswamy was appointed as the Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) on the recommendation of Byrathi Basavaraj, who was his former mentor. M Narayanaswamy is also a close associate of Congress leader DK Shivakumar and organised his arrival bash in Bengaluru on Saturday.  Mahalakshmi Layout: M Shivaraj M Shivaraj is currently the BBMP corporator from the Shankaramata ward in Mahalaksmi Layout. Congress sources say that the party is showcasing Shivaraj as its fresh face as he has not been mired in controversies unlike other corporators in the constituency. M Shivaraj is also a close associate of former Home Minister and Congress veteran Ramalinga Reddy. Hoskote: Padmavati Suresh The wife of Hebbal MLA Byrathi Suresh, Padmavati Suresh has been chosen as the candidate to contest in Hoskote. Padmavati is the sister-in-law of Congress rebel and disqualified MLA Byrathi Basavaraj. Since September this year, Padmavati began campaigning for the Congress in Hoskote and soon it began making statement against heavyweight MTB Nagaraju, another Congress rebel. Nagaraju was a very close associate of Siddaramaiah and his betrayal has led the former CM to throw his weight behind Padmavati. Siddaramaiah has also paid numerous visits to Hoskote and repeatedly called Nagaraju a betrayer. By pitting his close associate – Byrathi Suresh’s wife, who is also from the Kuruba community, Siddaramaiah aims to defeat his former loyalist. Hunsur: HP Manjunath The Congress’ choice of candidate from Hunsur is unsurprising. HP Manjunath had contested on a Congress ticket from this segment in 2013 and had won. However, due to anti-incumbency, he had lost to JD(S) candidate AH Vishwanath in the 2018 elections. Vishwanath had defected from the Congress to JD(S) in 2017 after a fallout with Siddaramaiah. Vishwanath, who expected a ministerial berth, was ignored by the JD(S) top brass. He led the rebellion against the coalition government and has on multiple occasions criticised former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy. Vishwanath is likely to contest from a BJP ticket in the bye-elections. 

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Mangaluru roads get facelift, but only along VP Venkaiah Naidu's proposed travel route

Civic Issues

Residents have been complaining about the poor state of roads and alleged apathy of officials in fixing them for weeks now.

TNM Staff

File image

A visit by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu to the port city of Mangaluru will be a blessing for some of its residents. With the impending visit on November 2 to National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Suratkal for its convocation, authorities want to ensure that the VVIP has a bump-free ride.  This comes after days of discontent among residents over the poor state of roads and the alleged apathy of the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) in fixing it. Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh held a meeting with concerned officials and asked them to undertake immediate repair work including in the stretch of highway from Kulur to the NIT. Following the meet chaired by the Deputy Commissioner, concerned officials have now divided the road stretch into three small parts amongst themselves. TNM had earlier reported how earlier in the month, people in the city had joined in protests after a 33-year-old social activist Arjun Mascharenas went on a silent-solo-protest. The protest was two weeks after some activists had held a protest at the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) headquarters and even met the top officials. The protests had triggered a kneejerk reaction from the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). Officials had then done some patchwork in the damaged stretch at Nanthoor Circle towards Mangaluru city centre. But overall the state of roads remain grim with the Mangalore City Corporation polls scheduled to be held on November 12. But even then activists pointed out that while the main highway on which the Vice President will travel is getting repaired, there is no work done to improve the service roads. Gopal Krishna Bhat, a civic activist based in the city, said, “In Mangaluru, we have three culprits—-the MCC, the NHAI and the state PWD department. While it is true the rains have been relentless since June, the bad quality of roads can’t be ignored. This is a well-known system to make money for the contractors now. They don’t do simple road laying properly. So, every time it rains, everything washes away. 20-30 years back too, it used to rain but roads were not this bad.” He alleged, “Some roads are so bad that there is no tar left. People can grow crops there if they want to. And no politician is better than the other. We have written a letter to the Prime Minister’s Office and Nitin Gadkari (Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways) as well but there has been no improvement.” TNM could not reach the Deputy Commissioner’s office for a comment. 

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K’taka CM sacks Ballari Urban Development Authority Chairman after BJP members protest

Politics

Karnataka CM Yediyurappa rescinded the appointment of the body's chairman after multiple BJP members threatened to resign.

TNM Staff

 The appointment of Dammur Shekhar as chairman of Ballari Urban Development Authority (BUDA) has been rescinded, after more than 40 BJP members in Karnataka's Ballari district threatened to resign in protest.    Dammur was appointed on Saturday and took charge of BUDA on Monday. However, his appointment was revoked by Karnataka Chief Minister Yediyurappa following protests by BJP leaders in Ballari.  "We opposed the appointment of Dammur Shankar since it has not been three years since he entered the party. There are several others who are suitable for the role and have been with the BJP for longer. We are also opposed to the manner in which this appointment was nominated and accepted", says Channabasavagouda Patil, the president of the Ballari BJP unit.  BJP's Ballari district unit president Channabasavanagouda Patil and general secretaries KA Ramalingappa and Pujappa were among the leaders who announced their resignations in a press meet in Ballari on Tuesday.  The appointment had sparked a revolt within the Ballari district unit of the BJP since Dammur is a close aide of Ballari City MLA G Somashekara Reddy. A functionary of the Ballari BJP unit based in Ballari City who is close to Somashekara Reddy said that most of the party members who have resigned are from outside the city. "The appointment of Dammur Shankar was for the development of Ballari city but it was opposed by many people, mostly from BJP leaders outside Ballari city. We did not consult with the district unit for this reason but after listening to their views, the appointment was withdrawn and we will come up with a different person for the role," said the BJP worker. The leaders claimed that Dammur Shekhar was appointed despite opposition from the district unit of the BJP. They point to his connection to Somashekara Reddy as the reason for his appointment at the expense of committed and more experienced party leaders. Somashekara Reddy is the brother of Gali Janardhana Reddy, a former Union Minister and the prime accused in the 2011 Ballari mining scam. Even though Janardhana Reddy is prohibited from entering Ballari district by the Supreme Court (he has taken up residence in Molakalmuru on the border of Ballari and Chitradurga districts), his influence in the BJP's selection of candidates and decision-making in Ballari came to the fore during the 2018 Assembly elections. The development comes amid the BJP's preparations for the bye-elections in nearby Vijayapura Assembly constituency on December 5. The former Congress rebel and disqualified MLA Anand Singh is said to be preparing for the Vijayanagara  constituency bye-elections, where he plans to re-contest on a BJP ticket if the Supreme Court gives interim relief for the disqualified MLAs. Ballari's BJP unit including Somashekara Reddy are opposed to the idea of Anand Singh contesting on a BJP ticket. "There will be no appointment till the bye-elections since the BJP is focused on winning the Vijayanagara Assembly constituency. The district unit of the BJP will work together to achieve this," said a functionary of the BJP in the district.      

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Obamacare is stronger than ever — and a Trump-backed lawsuit could destroy it.

Enrollment opens this week with the insurance markets in good shape, but a federal court decision expected soon could spell new trouble for the law.

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Gun rights of Kodava community extended till 2029

Law and order

A petition in the Karnataka High Court had challenged the privileges enjoyed by the community for over a century.

TNM Staff

The Kodavas, an ethno-lingual community from Karnataka’s Kodagu district, are one of the few in India that are allowed to possess and carry firearms within the district. Now, the Ministry of Home Affairs has extended the special provision that exempts the community from getting a gun license till October 31, 2029. This applies to any person who is ‘Coorg by race’ and every Jamma tenure holder in Kodagu. “The arms or ammunition carried or possessed by any person being Coorg by race and every Jamma tenure holder in Coorg and herein exempted whilst residing or travelling outside the district of Coorg shall not exceed one rifle with 100 rounds of ammunition for the same and one smooth bore breech or muzzle loading gun with 500 cartridges or the equivalent in leaden shot and gunpowder,” according to the order issued through gazette notification on October 29. It was signed by Joint Secretary SCL Das. A petition filed in the Karnataka High Court in 2015, revived in 2018, threatened the privileges enjoyed by the community. The exemption has been in place for the last 158 years. The petitioner in the case, Chethan YK, a retired army captain from Kodagu, argued that the exemption amounts to discrimination on the basis of caste. The Kodava community has a long history with guns, and historians say that their culture is intrinsically linked with firearms. There are festivals in which gunshots are fired in the air, and a gun salute is performed when a child is born or a person dies. The British had granted the exemption for the people of Coorg to possess firearms in 1861. The exemption was then issued by the Union government in 1963 under the provisions of the Indian Arms Act, 1959. Also read: Caste inequality or cultural birthright? The debate over Kodava community’s gun rights

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Why DK Shivakumar is raking up a fight over a proposed medical college in Karnataka

Politics

On Tuesday, DK Shivakumar told the media that he would not allow the medical college to be shifted to Chikkaballapura from his constituency of Kanakapura.

Theja Ram

Former Karnataka Medical Education Minister DK Shivakumar returned to Bengaluru four days ago after a 50-day stint at New Delhi’s Tihar jail on allegations of money laundering. Three days after his return to Karnataka, DK Shivakumar has stirred up a controversy about a medical college that was to be constructed in his constituency in Ramanagara district’s Kanakapura. During the 2018-19 budget, the Congress-JD(S) coalition government had announced the construction of a medical college in Kanakapura. At the time, DK Shivakumar held the Medical Education and Water Resources portfolios. Shivakumar claimed that the then Chief Minister Kumaraswamy had also given the go-ahead for the project and was supposed to lay the foundation stone for the construction of the medical college in July this year. However, after the political turmoil that led to the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in July, the new BJP government decided to shift the proposed medical college from Kanakapura to Chikkaballapura, which was the constituency of disqualified Congress MLA Dr K Sudhakar. On Tuesday, DK Shivakumar told the media that he would not allow the medical college to be shifted to Chikkaballapura. “We wanted a government medical college in my constituency (Kanakapura). This was one of the major reasons why I had asked for Medical Education portfolio during the coalition rule, even though Rahul Gandhi had offered me two other bigger portfolios. When Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister, he had allotted land and had also sanctioned the proposal to open a medical college in Kanakapura. Kumaraswamy was also supposed to lay the foundation stone in July. But that did not happen,” DK Shivakumar told the media. DK Shivakumar alleged that once the Congress-JD(S) coalition collapsed, the BJP, which owed Dr K Sudhakar for rebelling against the Congress-JD(S) combine, decided to drop the plan to construct a medical college in Kanakapura and shift it to Chikkaballapura. “When the construction is set to begin, they (BJP) are indulging in vendetta politics. It was my dream project. I will not allow the medical college to be shifted to Chikkaballapura at any cost. I will sacrifice my life at the Vidhana Soudha if I have to, to ensure that the college is constructed in my constituency,” DK Shivakumar said. Soon after DK Shivakumar made the statement, Dr K Sudhakar, disqualified Chikkaballapura MLA challenged the Congress leader, stating that he would ensure that the medical college is constructed in his constituency and not Kanakapura. “DK Shivakumar does not have to sacrifice his life. We are constructing the medical college to save lives. He thinks Kanakapura is Karnataka. It is just a taluk. The previous government had decided that every district would get a medical college. When he was Medical Education Minister, he should have released the funds for it but he did not. It is because of this step-motherly treatment that I resigned,” Dr K Sudhakar said. The former legislator and Chairman of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board also said that he would get Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to lay the foundation stone for the medical college in Chikkaballapura. “Before the bye-elections, I will lay the foundation stone for the college and this is 100% true. And I will get Yediyurappa to lay the foundation stone. There is already one medical college coming up in Ramanagara under Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences. The government has decided to construct one in Chikkaballapura. I will retire from politics if the government fails to construct the college here,” he added. The row over the medical college is being perceived by many in political circles as DK Shivakumar’s strategy to discredit rebels from the Congress who led to the fall of the government in July. During the Assembly session held in July ahead of the vote of confidence, DK Shivakumar had openly challenged the rebel leaders and had vowed to ensure their defeat in the bye-elections. True to his word, DK Shivakumar has now plunged into the battle to discredit the rebels, and at the centre of this campaign is the medical college and Dr K Sudhakar. Congress leaders, especially DK Shivakumar, have time and again said that the rebels resigned from their posts due to the promise of money and power they were allegedly offered by the BJP. With the bye-elections slated to be held on December 5, DK Shivakumar, known as the party’s troubleshooter, is already building up a narrative to discredit his detractors and the row over the medical college is just the tip of the iceberg, sources say. Shivakumar and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah are believed to have put their weight behind Sharath Bacche Gowda, son of BJP MP Bacche Gowda, who is mulling over contesting on a Congress ticket. Sharath Bacche Gowda was an aspirant for the BJP ticket from Hoskote. However, disqualified MLA MTB Nagaraj is being seen as the BJP face in Hoskote, thereby angering Sharath, who has on several occasions expressed his displeasure over the issue openly. “Discrediting the rebels is the first strategy. Dr Sudhakar has a huge following and being a Vokkaliga leader, it became doubly important for DK Shivakumar to ensure that Sudhakar (also from the Vokkaliga community) does not gain popularity in Old Mysuru region as it would split the Congress vote bank. The plan is to bring out allegations against each rebel one by one, to show that they have taken favours from the BJP and resigned,” the Congress source said.

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Two Bengaluru pujaris allegedly rob house of devotee after making duplicate key

Crime

The two pujaris had allegedly stolen gold jewelry worth Rs 8 lakh.

TNM Staff

Representational image/ pixcy.com

Police in Bengaluru said they have arrested two pujaris after the duo allegedly robbed gold valuables from a residence in Srirampura after accessing the house with a duplicate key. The two have been sent to judicial custody and all the stolen goods have been recovered. The two have been identified as Nagaraj (42), who hailed from neighbouring Chikkaballapura, and Lakshmana (38), a resident of Srirampura. Lakshmana is a local pujari in the area and performs pujas in the neighbourhood temple. He had come to the house as he visited their house to perform many rituals. Reports said it was only when the two had come to the house to perform one such ritual they conspired to carry out the alleged theft. According to police, the price of the stolen gold jewelry worth Rs 8 lakh. The Sampigehalli police arrested them after a complaint was lodged by Pavan Gowda who resides in the house in Srirampura along with his mother.  Police said that the duo had made a duplicate key after Pavan had given Lakshmana his car for some errand. Along with the car key, it also had a copy of the house key with which Lakshamana made a copy. Police said the theft was committed on October 17 when the mother-son duo were away in Dharmasthala. Investigators said the duo parted with only 200 gm of gold as recenty they had deposited other valuables in a bank locker. The complainants approached the police after they found their house ransacked once they returned. Police started the probe and found there was no forced entry into the crime scene and the duo was nabbed after studying locations of their cellphone. Police said the two have also allegedly confessed to the crimes after interrogation.

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Man who went missing from Badami found crushed to death 2 days later in Bengaluru

Accident

Police said that Hanumantha had come to the CCI godown in Bengaluru in the early hours of Sunday.

TNM Staff

Representational image| Official website

Police in Bengaluru on late Tuesday night said that they found the body of a man who had been missing from Bagalkot in Badami since Sunday. Whitefield police said 45-year-old driving assistant T Hanumantha’s body was found crushed under a goods container of Container Corporation of India in their jurisdictional limits. His body was found when the container was being picked up on Tuesday night. According to investigations, he had died instantly when a container was offloaded by a crane. Even his phone was found crushed as a result of the accident. Police said that Hanumantha had come to the CCI godown in the early hours of Sunday along with driver Venkatesh. While Venkatesh had gone to report to the manager, Hanumantha stayed in the vehicle. However, once Venkatesh returned, he could not spot his colleague. Venkatesh did not worry much thinking that Hanumantha must have gone out to drink. But he was alarmed when Hanumantha did not return on Monday morning too and even his family called to inform that he has not returned home. When he tried to reach him on his phone, he found that it was switched off. Police are now looking out for a man who was on duty for operating the crane on the night of the accident. A case of death due to negligence has been registered. This incident comes close to a year after three workers— all of them in their 20s, were crushed to death in a freak accident that took place inside a warehouse located in nearby Seegehalli area. All the three died after heavy racks filled with crates full of goods, fell on them like dominoes after one of the racks was apparently overloaded. The warehouse was operated by a Delhi-based supply chain management startup Holisol Logistics since June 2017.

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Three men in Karnataka booked for tying firecrackers to stray dog’s tail on Deepavali

Crime

In a disturbing video, three men are seen tying firecrackers to the tail of a stray dog, lighting it on fire and then laughing as the scared dog tries to run away.

Soumya Chatterjee

Days after a video of an incident of cruelty against a street dog went viral on social media, the police in Karnataka has identified the three accused. In the disturbing video, three men are seen patting a street dog as they tie a string of crackers to its tail. The three men are seeing laughing as the crackers start lighting up the dog is seen helplessly trying to run away from it. While many posts on social media were shared stating the incident had taken place in BTM Layout in Bengaluru, police said the incident actually took place in Shivamogga district. Speaking to TNM, Mico Layout police confirmed that the incident did not take place in their jurisdictional limits and said the bike was traced to Bhadravathi. The accused have been identified as Bharath, Mithun and Nithin, all of whom are between 19-21 years of age. Officials at the Bhadravathi Rural Police Station said the accused have been booked under sections of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and have been questioned. A police official said, “The incident occurred on October 26 in Singamane village, Bhadravathi. It is a non-cognisable offence and we will file a charge sheet after the investigations are over.” The incident has also brought the issue of the archaic British era law which does not give police nor the courts any teeth to punish offenders who are cruel to animals. As per the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 the punishment for animal cruelty is not severe. In most cases, the accused are imposed upon a fine of an amount between Rs 50 and Rs 100 and are let go without any actual punishments.  Animal rights activists have time and again fought for stringent punishment against animal cruelty and attributed the cause of growing apathy towards stray animals to the lax punishments as the accused are not scared about the consequences of causing physical harm to animals. Activists in Bengaluru said that they will meet the state police chief on the issue.      

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UK journo files equal pay case against BBC, but Indian media have long way to go

Media

While Samira Ahmed reportedly receives 440 British pounds per episode, a male BBC host Jeremy Vine, receives 3,000 pounds an episode.

Nikhita Venugopal

In a case that could set a historic precedent towards narrowing the gender pay gap in journalism, BBC presenter Samira Ahmed has launched a landmark equal pay case against the British public service broadcaster. According to The Guardian, Samira says she was paid 85% less than a male presenter at an equivalent level. Her case is being supported by the National Union of Journalists.  Samira is reportedly demanding back-pay worth hundreds of thousands of pounds for her work on Newswatch, a programme presented by Samira since 2012 that allows viewers to air their comments and concerns on the BBC's coverage. While she reportedly receives 440 British pounds per episode, a male BBC host Jeremy Vine, who presents the programme Points of View, receives 3,000 pounds an episode.  In the case, Samira’s side will argue that both Newswatch and Points of View are similarly-presented programmes that last about 15 minutes. Both programmes allow viewers to voice their opinions, and Samira is arguing that she deserves equal pay. However, the opposition is expected to argue that the programmes are not similar and are different formats for different audiences, reports say.  Samira arrived at the central London employment tribunal on Monday morning. The case will be heard over the next seven days.  In a statement, Samira said, “I love my job on Newswatch, despite it being difficult and challenging.” She continued, “I know that it is an important part of demonstrating the BBC service to all its audiences and the licence-fee payers. I have a sense of pride working for a public service broadcaster which seeks to represent the diversity of Britain and its licence-fee payers.” “On the back of my BBC ID card are written the BBC values, which include ‘we respect each other and celebrate our diversity’ and ‘we take pride in delivering quality and value for money’. I just ask why the BBC thinks I am worth only a sixth of the value of the work of a man for doing a very similar job,” she said.  In India, a long road remains towards gender parity in media houses. Independent journalist Geeta Seshu noted that while journalists in the UK fight for equal pay for equal work, societal pressures against women only add more obstacles in that path in India. She described a situation in which two women TV journalists complained of discrimination basis of dark and fair complexion. “On top of discrimination in the wages, there are other forms of discrimination. Even amongst women, there is basis on the discrimination of skin colour.”  “That is the extent of discrimination. We are talking about a completely different situation in India,” she continued. “The BBC has been fighting and working on parity at a very different level. We are still at the bottom. We are struggling to even put our foot on that first rung.” The International Women’s Media Foundation’s 2011 Global Report on the Status of Women in the News Media found that women in Indian media companies are paid less on average in both higher and lower pay ranges. That includes senior and top management in various roles. In middle management, junior level and technical professional levels, the salaries between men and women were found to be more similar, though women were found to have little involvement in both creative and technical areas of news production, the report said.  Additionally, a survey conducted earlier this year found that women in India earn 19 percent less than men across industries. Samira’s and Carrie’s fight for equal pay in the media industry is now part of a decades-long battle in multiple countries. In 1970, sixty women employees of Newsweek in the United States filed a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in regards to the magazine’s sexist policy that favoured men in staff writing roles. Women occupied jobs like researcher, mail girl and low-level reporters. That dispute — chronicled in the 2012 book The Good Girls Revolt and later turned into an Amazon Prime series — ended in historic victory for the women. Newsweek agreed to take steps towards creating equal employment opportunities for women in writing, reporting and news coverage roles.  For the BBC, this is the second high-profile case it has faced in recent years. Last year, the BBC admitted that its former China editor Carrie Grace had been paid significantly less than her male colleagues. It had reportedly told Carrie that she would be paid in line with North America editor, Jon Sopel, at an annual salary of around 200,000 to 250,000 British pounds, but her salary was actually 135,000 British pounds. She resigned from the post after accusing the BBC of creating a “ secretive and illegal” pay culture. The BBC apologised to Carrie and offered her a payout, which she donated to charity. 

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Senate Democrats fail in bid to block Trump’s Obamacare opt-out

Several Democratic senators were absent for the vote, contributing to its wide margin of defeat.

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Bengaluru residents blame metro authority for damaging roads in Jayanagar

Civic Issues

Responding to the protests, the BMRCL said they will fix the issue within two weeks once the rain stops.

Soumya Chatterjee

An angry group of residents in Bengaluru’s Jayanagar on Wednesday gathered in protest against the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) at the Bannerghatta Raod-Swagath Road junction near Sagar Hospital. The protest was on the issue of the poor condition of the 1 km-long stretch of road from Dairy Circle Junction to the Sagar Hospital Junction for over a year. BMRCL is building the Dairy Circle Metro Station in the vicinity and has turned the 3+3 lane road to a 2+2 pothole-filled road. In addition to the bad roads, there is no safe space for pedestrians as well.  Protestors said the BMRCL had taken over a major part of Bannerghatta Road for the construction of the Metro Phase-II (Reach 6), leaving the reduced road space in a very bad condition. Wednesday’s demonstrations come two weeks after Mayor Gowtham Kumar inspected the stretch and asked the BBMP officials to repair the roads following complaints. But he was told it was the BMRCL’s responsibility as it has started the metro expansion work.  Even BTM Layout MLA and former minister Ramalinga Reddy  (formerrly MLA of Jayahanagar) had written to the BBMP and BMRCL to repair the roads. With rain, the situation has become worse as the dusty roads have turned to a patch of untarred mud road and another part full of potholes. This naturally has resulted in slowing down of traffic movement in the already clogged roads for more than a year now. Girish Smith, a regular commuter of the stretch says due to the present condition of the road, travelling between Dairy Circle and Jayadeva junction (2.5 km) via this stretch sometimes takes an hour. The BMRCL has taken over the Tilak Nagar side of the road for the station and had made a temporary road but did not make any amenities for walkers. Arun Prasad, one of the organisers of the protests by Bahujan Samaj, said, “We have been demanding that the BMRCL repair the roads and make minimum facilities. The condition of the road is leading to two-wheeler riders falling down and slowing down of ambulances. The road leads to Jayadeva and many other hospitals. We know how crucial the ‘golden hour’ is for heart patients. But they (BMRCL) are saying now that they are not being able to lay roads as it is raining. But where were they when it was not raining?” Ramaiah, Security Officer of a car showroom on the road echoed Arun’s views. “We are daily suffering because of this. There is so much road dust and once it rains, there is slush which slows down traffic even further. This is continuing for more than a year now and people are suffering.” BMRCL promises remedy The protests on Wednesday however, prompted the BMRCL to respond swiftly. M Ramesh, Deputy Chief Engineer of the BMRCL (Reach 6), said, “Our MD (Ajay Seth) has already surveyed this stretch and instructed for road restoration. But now due to rains, we cannot start the work. As soon as the rain stops, then within two weeks’ time, we will make the road motorable and fix the footpaths.”  He added, “You can see, we have already finished some of the other stretches. In addition in the entire stretch we are carrying out patchwork but the rain has been relentless.”

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Forced to stay onshore due to Cyclone Kyarr, Udupi fishermen face huge losses

Cyclone Kyarr

The impact of the cyclonic storm meant that fishermen in Karnataka's coast had to return to the nearest harbour at a time that is considered peak fishing season.

Prajwal Bhat

Malpe Fishing Harbour/ Photograph by Akshay Pai

The end of the monsoon season usually brings cheer for Shankar and his family, residents of Bengre, a coastal village in Karnataka's Udupi district. But this year, the onset of Cyclone Kyarr meant that fishermen like Shankar, 60, had to refrain from entering the sea in the past week. "The sea is too rough and we are unable to send boats for deep-sea fishing," says Shankar, pointing to a colorful line of boats jostling for limited space at the fishing harbour in Malpe. "These are boats which would naturally be in the sea at this time for 5-7 days but instead, we either have to go fishing in the river where the catch is not very high or find other jobs." The cyclonic storm Kyarr was centered in the Arabian Sea for much of last week but its impact in Karnataka was highest in the state's three coastal districts - Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada. The rains began as early as October 18 and continued till October 27 forcing fishermen to abandon fishing and return to the nearest harbour. Most of the boats which returned are still docked at the harbour as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) continued to advise fishermen against venturing into the sea. The IMD forecasted fresh rains in Udupi from October 31 . "This (break in deep-sea fishing) represents a loss of anywhere between Rs 8 to Rs 15 lakh per boat because the fishermen have missed at least one fish landing," explains Yathish Baikampady, a former President of the Moguveera Vyavastapaka Mandali, an organisation working for the welfare of fishermen in the coastal districts. Fish landings are catches of marine fish landed in a domestic port. According to Yathish, almost all fishing boats in the three major ports - Mangaluru, Malpe and Karwar - in the three coastal districts have returned to the nearest fishing harbour. In Udupi district alone, around 2,000 boats are registered as deep-sea fishing boats in the Arabian Sea. All of them returned to the harbour after the IMD initially warned fishing boats against venturing into the sea on October 20. Some fishermen registered in Udupi were fishing off the coast of Karwar and Goa when they were forced to return to the harbour nearest to them.  Fishing harbour in Malpe The rains reduced in Udupi on Monday and clear, sunny skies were reported across the district. Fishermen were keen to take advantage of sunny conditions and set out for deep-sea fishing. "These are forces beyond our control but if the boats are not at sea, then the earnings are reduced. This will be a burden on everyone connected to the fishing industry including the boatowners, crew workers and their families," adds Yathish. However, officials in the district issued fresh advisories to fishermen against venturing out into the sea. "We are urging fishermen not to venture out into the sea until the weather is clear for a few days since there is forecast of fresh rains on October 31," says Ganesh K, Deputy Director, Udupi Fisheries Department. Fishermen lamented the timing of the cyclone's impact in Karnataka. It comes just two months after heavy rains delayed the traditional resumption of deep-sea fishing activities in the coastal parts of the state. Fishermen in Karnataka's coastal districts are barred from venturing into the sea for two months of the year in June and July. The deep-sea fishing activities resume in earnest from the month of August and reach a peak in September, which is marked by 'Palke Booruni', a day on which the resumption of fishing activities is celebrated by fishermen. However, a spell of heavy rains in Karnataka at the start of August caused floods and landslides in coastal, Malnad and northern parts of the state. The rains meant that the resumption of fishing activities were delayed till September. "Fishermen usually have multiple jobs since the fishing season does not go on for the whole year. So many fishermen are either doing agriculture, coolie work or business to bide their time while waiting for the weather to improve," Shankar adds.   

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11 Bengaluru youth performing ‘wheelies’ on airport road detained by cops

Law and order

The police officials in plainclothes filmed the youth performing stunt before detaining them.

TNM Staff

Eleven men who were caught performing wheelies and other bike stunts were detained on Monday by Bengaluru rural police officials who posed as unsuspecting motorists. The police officials filmed the youth performing stunts between Doddaballapura and Devanahalli before detaining them.  Police officials at Doddaballapura Town police station received information about a group of men speeding towards Devanahalli in bikes. A team of 10 police officers in plainclothes led by inspector S Raghavendra and sub-inspector Venkatesh reached the spot on two-wheelers and waited for the bikers. Raghavendra explained that in a short while, a gang of bikers arrived and began performing stunts like wheelies and riding without holding the handle. Police officials followed them posing as interested motorists and filmed their act. On reaching Doddaballapura town, police officials blocked them and revealed their identities before detaining them and seizing their vehicles, reported Times of India. Police said that there was a total of 17 bikers and six of them are still absconding although their bikes were seized. All arrested men were between the ages of 18 and 23 and residents of RT Nagar, Hebbal and Nagawara, reported Deccan Herald. It included eight bikers who were students while the rest were recent graduates seeking jobs. The men were arrested but later on Tuesday, they were let off with a stern warning and told to return to the police station with their parents. The operation by Bengaluru police comes amid a crackdown on men performing dangerous wheelies on the road to the Bengaluru International Airport leading out of the city. Bengaluru Rural Superintendent of Police Ravi D Channananavar said that the police will continue the operation and keep a vigil on the roads on the city's outskirts.

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'Trying to remove chapter on Tipu Sultan from textbooks': Karnataka CM to TNM

Crime

Madikeri MLA Apachu Ranjan has written to the government asking for an order to remove the chapter from history textbooks.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday said that the state government is trying its to remove material related to Tipu Sultan from middle school history text books. Speaking to TNM, Yediyurappa said, “I am against Tipu Sultan and I am against Tipu Jayanthi. Our government will not allow the celebration of Tipu Jayanthi. We are trying everything we can to remove Tipu Sultan from school textbooks.” Yediyurappa’s statement comes two days after Karnataka Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Suresh Kumar released a statement regarding the formation of a committee to look into the issue. Controversy erupted over the issue of removing a chapter on Tipu Sultan from school textbooks when Madikeri MLA Apachu Ranjan wrote a letter to Minister Suresh Kumar, asking him to issue an order to remove the chapter from history textbooks. “Tipu Sultan was concerned about expanding his kingdom and his religion but he has not fought for the freedom (of the country). We cannot call him a freedom fighter. He supported the French and persecuted Kodavas in Coorg (now Kodagu) and Christians in Mangalore (now Mangaluru),” Apchu Ranjan’s letter stated. Apachu alleges that Tipu converted tens of thousands of Christians to Islam in Mangaluru, and questioned how he could be called a freedom fighter. In the letter, Apachu also alleges that Tipu was against Kannada since the language used in his kingdom was Persian. On October 28, Suresh Kumar acknowledged Apachu Ranjan’s letter and stated that a committee comprising experts and Apachu Ranjan would be formed to determine whether the chapter on Tipu Sultan must be removed. “We will discuss the issue and come out with an answer within three days,” Suresh Kumar’s letter stated. Tipu Sultan ruled the erstwhile Mysore Kingdom from 1782 to 1799 and was involved in multiple battles against the British East India Company for territory in modern-day south India. The BJP government decided to cancel Tipu Jayanti celebrations this year. The celebration has been held every year in November since 2015, started by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government. Every year since, on the days leading up to the celebration, BJP and pro-Hindu groups ran a campaign against Tipu Sultan. However, the Congress government led by then CM Siddaramaiah had continued to celebrate it.     

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Will ask Speaker to revoke ban on TV cameras inside K’taka Assembly: CM Yediyurappa

Karnataka Assembly

On October 9, Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri had stated private TV channels will not be allowed to record the proceedings of the House

TNM Staff

PTI

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday stated that the government will ask the Karnataka Assembly Speaker to reconsider the ban he imposed on TV channels on photographing and video-graphing the proceedings of the Assembly. The Chief Minister stated that he will hold talks with the Speaker and that things will go back to the way they were by the next Assembly session. "When I say something, it means that I will do as I say, 100%. By the next Assembly session, I will ensure that things will go back to the way they were. I will hold talks with the Speaker and tell him to change his decision," Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said. Earlier this month, on October 9, Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri had stated that while journalists will be allowed to sit in the press gallery, private TV channels will not be allowed to bring in their cameras and record proceedings using their cameras or even phones. Similar to Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TV, the output of the live proceedings will be shared by the Assembly. At the time, shortly after the Speaker announced his decision, the Chief Minister's Office tweeted from its official handle stating that Yediyurappa would request the Speaker to revoke the ban. However, a few hours later, the tweet was deleted. At the time, sources with the BJP had said that the tweet was deleted because Yediyurappa's statement could have given the media the impression of infighting within the BJP. "His statement was against party diktat so the tweet was taken down," the source added. The call on the ban was taken by the BJP national leadership, the source said.  After the Speaker’s decision, print, digital and television journalists working in the state including a number of photographers and videographers of regional and national news organisations held a protest at the Gandhi Statue in Maurya Circle in Bengaluru against the ban on TV cameras.  The protesters referenced the incident which occurred in 2012 when television news channels capturing footage of the then Karnataka MLA and minister Laxman Savadi watching porn inside the Assembly. The incident caused an uproar following which Laxman was forced to resign from his position as minister. He is currently the Deputy Chief Minister and the Minister of Transport in the state. 

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5 dead in bus accident near Tumakuru in Karnataka, scores injured

Accident

At least 45 people were onboard the bus which was headed to Koratagere from Tumakuru.

TNM Staff

Screenshot/Twitter/RakeshPrakash

A private bus going from Tumakuru to Koratagere in Karnataka met with an accident on Wednesday morning. At present 5 passengers are reported to have lost their lives and at least 40 others have sustained injuries. Visuals of the accident show the bus collapsed on its side with some individuals trapped inside. “The accident happened around 8.50 this morning (Wednesday). There were around 45 people onboard. There was an auto that the driver was attempting to overtake, which led to the bus losing control and toppling,” said one witness speaking to TNM. The accident occurred around 8.50 am on Wednesday morning at Koratagere taluk’s Jetty Agrahara. Over 30 people who were on board were shifted to a nearby hospital after sustaining severe injuries. The Tumakuru police control room confirmed that the current death toll is 5. JC Madhu Swamy, the Minister for  Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation, who is from the Chikkanayakana Halli constituency in Tumakuru District has reached the spot. According to early reports of the incident, many of the passengers were on the way back to their homes from Deepavali holidays. As the driver was speeding and in a rush to overtake the auto, he lost control and this led to the bus collapsing on its side. (This is a developing story)

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Heritage Beku: Activists upset as HC paves way for demolishing building in Cubbon Park

Environment

What has angered activists is not just the permission to destroy the heritage structure, but also the permission for new construction inside the park itself.

Soumya Chatterjee

A section of citizens in Bengaluru is upset that the Karnataka High Court has given a green light to demolish a heritage building inside Cubbon Park to make way for a seven-storey annexe building for the high court. What has angered activists is not just the permission to destroy the heritage structure, but also the permission for new construction inside the park itself. The heritage building in question is a pre-19th Century-era building abandoned by the erstwhile Karnataka Government Insurance Department (KGID), which has gone through some modifications over the years. A Change.org petition has been started seeking the reversal of the order and has got more than 700 signatures (at the time of writing) within a single day. The order was passed by a single judge bench Justice PS Dinesh Kumar on October 17, while hearing a petition by HC registrar Rajendra Badamikar, which was filed in 2014. The registrar had approached the court seeking its permission to cut and remove 17 trees in the area, which currently houses the old Election Commissioner’s office and the KGID building. While the high court allowed the demolition of the heritage structures, it did not grant permission to cut the 17 trees.  This will be the first new building to come up in the Cubbon Park premises after a ban on further construction was put in place by an HC division bench in 2001. Also Read: ‘We are gutted’: Bengaluru's heritage enthusiasts upset as colonial-era house razed Priya Chetty Rajagopal, who initiated the campaign and heads the group ‘Heritage Beku,’ said she has faith in the courts and hopes that the court will revisit the decision. She stated that along with Heritage Beku, many other civic groups will carry a series of campaigns to prevent the building from being razed. “The issue of Cubbon Park getting modified is non-negotiable. The issue is emotive as well as Cubbon Park, just like Lalbag and the Vidhana Soudha, is an identity of Bengaluru. And if you see, in the last 60-80 years, the 300-acre plus area has quietly come down to 220 acres. The bottom line is that the fence is eating the crop,” she said. She added, “But we have tremendous faith in the courts, as we can see in the landmark judgements regarding the rule surrounding crackers, or the judgement on the tree committee and the tree census. The Draft Revised Master Plan 2031 specifically covers heritage guidelines and we should abide by this. As a beloved, iconic and highly emotive aspect of our city’s skyline and history, we must do all we can to preserve our Cubbon Park and our public space.” Read: Bengaluru's heritage Russell Market may face the axe for Smart City plan Read: B’luru activists protest loss of heritage building, century-old vet hospital to be demolished Leo Saldhana, a senior advocate and coordinator of the Environment Support Group, said he and others are considering to approach the same court to reverse the order.  “Issue here is that it is not clear whether the issue of land-use change as seen for heritage buildings has been advocated or not. But apart from the trees, the question remains about the land use and the heritage value of the building in question,” he said. He added, “If this issue has not been addressed then the Division Bench can be approached. The order is very brief and one has to go through the pleadings to understand further. But it does not seem to be in concurrence with the earlier orders and sometimes orders can be bad in law and can be challenged.”  “The other technicality which needs to be relooked into is whether a single bench order is acceptable when there is a principal bench order protecting Cubbon Park. That is also a question that needs to be tested. So the 1998 order said that we not only protect a park full of trees but also a park which is full of history.”  

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16 K'taka PFI activists practising for parade held on suspicion of 'weapons training'

Arrest

All 16 activists were released on bail a day later, after it was found that the activists were merely preparing for the PFI's annual parade that is to be held in February.

Prajwal Bhat

PFI Annual Parade: Image for representation

Tension prevailed in Mandya's KR Pete on Monday after 16 activists of the Popular Front of India (PFI) were arrested on suspicion that they were involved in weapons training.  All 16 activists, who were arrested on Sunday from Alambadi village in Mandya, were released on bail a day later after it was found that the activists were merely preparing for the PFI's annual parade held in February. "Normally, practices for parades are carried out in school grounds and other open areas. This was a remote area and we thought they might be involved in weapons training. So, we took them into custody for enquiry and we realised that it (the gathering) was practice for their annual parade,” Mandya SP K Parashuram told TNM. According to the police, the activists had gathered at an open space near a remote sugarcane field. The police filed a suo motu case after receiving information from local residents living in the area about the gathering. Police also said that few activists had prior cases registered against them. Meanwhile, on Monday, during the bail hearing at the premises of the court complex in KR Pete town, the lawyers appearing on behalf of the PFI activists claimed that they were stopped by a section of lawyers and members of pro-Hindu groups and were asked to not argue for the accused persons in court.  A team of advocates had arrived in KR Pete from Bengaluru to move bail applications for the arrested activists. Eventually, the court granted conditional bail for all the accused persons.  "There was pressure on lawyers (who moved bail applications) to not even represent our activists in court. This is the direction in which we are headed," Ashraf, a member of PFI, said to TNM.  This was confirmed by Mandya SP, K Parashuram, who added, "There were lawyers who agitated against the lawyers who were applying for the activists' bail but no untoward incident was reported." Ashraf also alleged intimidation by the police and accused the cops of targeting PFI.  "The people who own and maintain the open area did not file a police complaint. The police are justifying it by claiming that it was being held in a remote area. We want to ask why the police and the media are targeting an organisation working for the minorities. This is a cause for concern," Ashraf added. PFI celebrates February 17 every year as Popular Front Day. This year was the 12th anniversary of the formation of PFI by merging like-minded organisations across several states.

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Pulse Check and the future of health

Listen in as POLITICO’s Dan Diamond interviews leaders at the 2019 Milken Institute Future of Health summit.

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VIP treatment to Sasikala in prison: A year on, prime accused still not questioned

Crime

The prime accused in the case is retired IPS officer HNS Rao, who was posted as the DG Prisons when the scandal over VIP treatment to Sasikala broke out.

Soumya Chatterjee

More than a year since the Anti-Corruption Bureau in Karnataka started probing the VIP treatment given to influential prisoners like former AIADMK Chief VK Sasikala at the Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara jail, the ACB is yet to question the prime accused in the case.  Top sources have confirmed to TNM that the prime accused in the case, then-DGP (Prisons) HNS Rao has not been questioned yet. This despite the fact that the officials of the ACB had sought a clearance from the Karnataka Home Department to probe the former IPS officer, as mandated by law to probe senior government officials. TNM has accessed a copy of the letter, written in June 2019, seeking clearance. However, no clearance has been given yet, sources say. The ACB had in March 2018 registered an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act against the then-DGP (Prisons) HNS Rao and other jail officials, including Krishna Kumar and Anitha, who were the jail superintendents. The most sensational claim against Rao was that a bribe of Rs 2 crore was allegedly given by Sasikala’s aides in exchange for her special privileges inside the jail. Read:  Yes, Sasikala got special privileges in jail: Details of Vinay Kumar panel findings The FIR was registered by the ACB after then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had accepted the recommendations of retired IAS officer Vinay Kumar commission report. Vinay Kumar was tasked with an independent probe when then DIG (Prisons) IPS Officer Roopa D had blown the lid off an alleged bribery racket involving Rao.  Other than the irregularities regarding VIP prisoners, the ACB had also sought sanction in an alleged lapse in norms by Rao to spend Rs 11 lakh in a total of public money for only 1-2 days of training each costing more than Rs 1 lakh or more. These training for jail officials were in batches of 20-30. Another allegation that the ACB has found, as was pointed by Roopa, was that a certain amount of money was sanctioned for ‘annual maintenance funds for mobile jammers’ when in fact, no mobile jammers ever existed. Home Department refuses to comment When asked about the letter seeking clearance to probe Rao, Rajneesh Goel, Additional Chief Secretary to the Home Department, denied knowledge about it and declined to comment further on the issue saying, “You should ask the ACB.” “Neither the ACB nor matters concerning IAS/IPS officers come under me,” BK Singh, Secretary to Government, the Home Department (PCAS), Bengaluru, told TNM. Despite multiple efforts, TNM could not reach IGP ACB Chandrasekhar for a comment.   A source in the police department said, “How can Rajneesh Goel claim that he has no knowledge about it. At least even if he has no guts to take a stand, he should seek an opinion from his higher-ups, which include the Home Minister. But why is he sitting on the file?”   ‘This amounts to dereliction of duty’ Speaking to TNM, Justice (retired) Santosh Hegde, former Lokayukta and former Supreme Court judge said, “This inaction can be termed as ‘dereliction of duty’ because they are supposed to supervise these investigations. This can also be punished under disciplinary rules.” He added, “Under the jail manual, there are certain restrictions to prisoners, with regards to freedom of movement, food and other facilities. When these restrictions are not followed, then it should be presumed that this relaxation is made for collateral reasons. These collateral reasons cannot be legally acceptable. In the earlier days, these instances were unusual, depending on the status of the person but now it is becoming very common. In my opinion, these irregularities have to be highlighted so that the public will know about it and only public reaction can control this.” Read: VIP treatment at Bengaluru prison: IPS Roopa to finally get inquiry commission report Until January 2019, the state government had kept the Vinay Kumar Commission report under wraps and had even rejected information under the Right to Information Act. The report had found that the prison officials had falsified several records for VK Sasikala – the aide of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa – and her sister-in-law Ilavarasi, both of whom have been lodged at the Parappana Agrahara jail in connection with a disproportionate assets case.  Among the irregularities found by the Vinay Kumar Commission were: an entire corridor with five rooms being left empty for Sasikala’s use under the guise of providing security to her, extended visiting hours and falsification of records to cover this up, and free movement within jail premises with the help of jail officials. The report also highlighted that while the prison officials had claimed that this was done as a security measure, as Sasikala – being a high-profile prisoner – could face threats, the officials had done nothing to investigate the source or scope of these threats even several months after she was lodged in the prison. The report also takes note of the cramping caused in the rest of the cells occupied by other female convicts because Sasikala was given five rooms. Previously, TNM had reported that the ACB had issued notices for questioning to VG Pugazhendi, a Bengaluru-based functionary of the AMMK, the TTV Dhinakaran-led offshoot of the AIADMK. At that time, it came to light that even eight months into the probe, the ACB officials reportedly did not even visit the jail premises to probe the case. Read more here: VIP treatment in Bengaluru prison: Is ACB dragging its feet on corruption charges?  

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'Attack on democracy’: Activists condemn arrest of writer Doddipalya Narasimha Murthy

Crime

Police officials said that Narasimha Murthy was detained over serious charges including under the Arms Act and the Explosives Act, which date back to 1994.

Prajwal Bhat

Activist and writer Doddipalya Narasimha Murthy, General Secretary of Swaraj India and Secretary of the Gauri Media Trust set up in memory of journalist Gauri Lankesh, was arrested by police officials in Raichur district.  The arrest was made on October 24 when Narasimha Murthy was in Raichur as one of the speakers at a public discussion on ‘Alternate Media’. Police officials said that Narasimha Murthy was detained over serious charges including under the Arms Act and the Explosives Act which date back to 1994.  "For over 20 years, there have been multiple court warrants for his arrest. He has been found now and upon identification, we have executed the court warrant. We will be interrogating him over the cases", Raichur Superintendent of Police (SP) CB Vedamurthy told TNM. Narasimha Murthy was produced in court and remanded to judicial custody till November 6. In a statement, Raichur police officials stated that a case was registered against Narasimha Murthy at the Yapaldinni (Raichur Rural) police station in 1994 under the Arms Act and under sections 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy), 307 (attempt to murder), 147 (rioting) and 148 (rioting with arms) of the IPC. In 2001, another case was registered in the same police station under sections of the Indian Explosives Act and under sections 143, 147 (rioting), 355 (assault), 385 (extortion), 386 (extortion and grievously hurting a person, 307 (attempt to murder).  A third case was registered in Netaji Nagar police station under sections 307 (attempt to murder) and section 341 (wrongful confinement of a person). In 2016, another case was registered against him in Bengaluru's Jayaprakash Nagar under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.  Narasimha Murthy is a journalist, activist and writer based in Bengaluru. He regularly contributed to the Gauri Lankesh Patrike and is currently the Secretary of the Gauri Media Trust. The trust, in a statement, called for the police to conduct a fair and thorough investigation and raised questions over whether his arrest was a case of mistaken identity. "He is known in society for fighting for the oppressed causes and writing in different media spaces on various issues consistently from the past two decades.  He has been doing activism consistently including the struggle against BMIC Corridor publicly and is not an absconding person as claimed by the police,”  the statement said.  Narasimha Murthy has also regularly appeared in events organised by the Gauri Media Trust in Bengaluru and in several other socio-political gatherings in the city. Narasimha was also integral to the relaunch of the newspaper 'Nyaaya Patha' in memory of slain journalist Gauri Lankesh. His arrest was condemned by over 921 activists including freedom fighter HS Doreswamy; National President of Swaraj India, Yogendra Yadav; farmer rights activist Chukki Nanjundswamy; among several others. "He has been living for the last 25 years at his residence in Bengaluru.  He has taken part in several public protests and worked as a journalist with newspapers. This is an attack on democracy by the police and the ruling government," a statement jointly signed by activists stated. In a letter written to Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, the group of individuals called for a fair investigation into the charges and for Narasimha Murthy to be released from his pre-trial detention. 

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Suspected Bangladeshi immigrants, who were detained in B’luru, to be deported in a week

Law and order

60 suspected Bangladeshi immigrants, many who were working as daily workers, were rounded up by the Bengaluru police.

TNM Staff

NRC Detention Centre Karnataka

Police in Bengaluru on Monday said that they will deport 60 alleged Bangladesh nationals back to their country within a week's time. Sandeep Patil, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) said all the persons who were detained on Saturday will be housed in the government-run shelter home. It was earlier reported how police arrested 29 men, 22 women and nine children who are suspected to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh who were living in shanties in peripheral areas of the city falling under Ramamurthynagar, Bellandur and Marathahalli police station limits. Many of the people were employed as daily wage labourers and worked either in the construction sector or collected scraps. Some of them were also employed by the contractors of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Earlier reports have said that  those detained, who have been living here for a considerable time, may also have obtained identification documents such as Aadhaar and Voter ID cards illegally. Those detained were rounded up during a raid by the Central Crime Branch police who were probing the issue of illegal migrants after an intelligence report. The CCB on Monday said that they have already written to the Foreigner’s Regional Registration Office. Police also said that they have arrested four persons — Mohibulla, Fairoj Khan, Masud and Jama —  who are suspected to have been the “agents” who brought those detained. According to police, the 60 people were allegedly brought in the country through the “porous” Indo-Bangla border in West Bengal with the promise of jobs without any passport or visa.  Police further said that they are working with the FRRO and the Border Security Force which secures the border with Bangladesh for their deportation. Earlier on Sunday, the police said they are  looking to book the agents who brought them here.

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Karnataka CM Yediyurappa to present Rajyotsava awards on Nov 1: Full list

Awards

The state government has released a list of 66 awardees for this year.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Minister for Kannada and Culture CT Ravi, on Monday announced a list of Kannada Rajyotsava winners who will be awarded by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Rajyotsava Day,  November 1. The day is celebrated every year as part of the state’s tradition. Even last year, then Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy had hosted the Rajyotsava utsav at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. According to previous reports, on November 1, 1956, Kannada-speaking areas of the erstwhile Bombay and Madras presidencies, along with an old Hyderabad region, merged with old Mysore to form the new southern state. Originally formed as Mysore state, it was renamed Karnataka in 1973 during the tenure of Chief Minister Devaraj Urs. Here is the list of winners:  Literature Manjappa Shetty Masagali  B Rajashekarappa  Chandrakanth Karadalli Saraswathi Chimmalagi  Theatre Parashuram Siddi  Pal Sudrashan  Hooli Shekhar  N Shivalingaiah  HK Ramanath  Bhargavi Narayan  Music Chote Rahmath Khan Nagavalli... Nagavalli Nagaraj Dr Muddu Mohan Srinivasa Udupa Folk Art Neelgararu Doddagavibasappa Holabasaiah Dundaiah Sambalad Bheemsingh Sakaram Rathod Usman Saab Khadar Saab Kotresha Chennabasappa Kotrappanavar K R Hosalayya Sculpture V V Deshpande K Jnaneshwar Painting Ramesh Rao Mohan Sitanoor Sports Vishwanath Bhaskar Ganiga Chenada A Kuttappa Nandita Naganagoudar Yoga Srimathi Vanithakka Kumari Khushi Yakshagana Dr. Shridhara Bhandary Bayalata Y Mallappa Gavayi Films Shailashree TV Jayakumar Kodaganura Education N R Gunjaal Prof T Shivanna Dr K Chidananda Gowda Dr. Gururaj Karajagi Miscellaneous Dr Vijay Sankeshwar N T Shantha Gangadhar Dr Channaveera Shivacharya LT Gen BNBM Prasad Dr N Someshwar K Prakash Shetty Journalism B V Mallikarjunaiah Cooperation Ramesh Vaidya Social service S G Bharathi Kattige Channappa Agriculture B K Deva Rao Vishveshwar Sajjan Environment Saalumarada Veerachar Shivaji Chatrappa Kagnekar Organisations/groups Prabhat Art International Sri Patanjali Yoga Shikshana Samiti, Hanumanthapura Medicine Dr Hanumantharaya Pandit Dr Anjanappa Dr Nagarathna Dr G T Subhash Dr Krishna Prasad Judiciary Kumar N Expats Jayavanth Mannoli Gangadhar Bevinakoppa B G Mohandas Cottage industry Navaratna Indukumar Literary criticism K V Subramanyam

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