K’taka passengers stumped as railways changes origin of Kannur-bound train overnight

Railways

The train’s origin was suddenly changed from Yeshwantpur to Banaswadi causing several passengers to miss the train.

TNM Staff

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Passengers travelling out of Bengaluru in the Yeshwantpur-Kannur were caught in a fix when the railways took a sudden decision to change the origin of the train from Yeshwantpur to Banaswadi, a station more than 10 km away.  The two stations are also not linked by direct bus connectivity.  The decision affected passengers on Monday night leading to many passengers missing the train while several others attempted to reach Banaswadi station by cabs, which proved to be costly. Several passengers were held up by traffic on the way.  The South Western Railway decided to shift the origin of the train to decongest the Yeshwantpur terminal, reported Deccan Herald.  "It was a sudden decision which left no time for passengers to plan their travel. There was no explanation or notice given before it was decided that the origin of the station will be shifted from Yeshwantpur to Banaswadi," said Sanjeev Dyammanavar, a railway activist based in Bengaluru. The train connects Bengaluru to several regions in northern Kerala including Kasargod, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kannur. Bus fares between Kannur and Bengaluru range from Rs. 900 to Rs. 1200 making it a far more expensive option than a train journey which costs less than Rs. 400.  Yeshwantpur, unlike Banaswadi, is also connected by metro making it more convenient for passengers. Further, around 40% passengers of the train board the train at Yeshwantpur. Commuters are unimpressed by the railways' decision to change the origin of the train since north-Kerala bound trains will only stop at Carmelaram station from now. Trains travelling to southern Kerala stop at KR Puram, Baiyappanahalli and Cantonment stations as well.  A protest was also held by Kerala Samajam, Bengaluru at the Yeshwantpur station against the decision taken by the railways.

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9 Congress, 3 BJP legislators skip Karnataka joint session

Politics

The nine Congress legislators who were absent included the four rebel MLAs -- Ramesh Jharkiholi, Mahesh Kumatalli, Umesh Jadhav and B. Nagendra.

IANS

Despite whips issued by various parties to their legislators to be present on the first day of the Budget session of Karnataka legislature, as many as nine MLAs from the Congress and three from the BJP on Wednesday were found absent from the House. The nine Congress legislators who were absent included the four rebel MLAs -- Ramesh Jharkiholi, Mahesh Kumatalli, Umesh Jadhav and B. Nagendra. One legislator from ruling alliance partner Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), Narayana Gowda, also skipped the House proceedings. With some Congress legislators skipping the joint session, which was addressed by Governor Vajubhai Vala, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators disrupted the House claiming the JD-S-Congress coalition did not have the support of majority. The 10-day legislature session took off on a stormy note with anti-government sloganeering by the BJP legislators, forcing the Governor to end his speech within five minutes. "Our three legislators -- Karunakara Reddy, Doddannagouda Patil and Chinnappa Nimbannavar -- had taken permission from the party leaders for not being able to attend the session due to personal reasons," BJP state unit spokesman Vamanacharya told IANS. The Governor "cannot be delivering" the Budget speech when the government is not in majority, the BJP spokesman alleged. Asserting that the coalition government did not have the support of all their legislators, BJP MLA from Chitradurga district B. Sriramulu said: "H.D. Kumaraswamy must step down as the Chief Minister." "CM has not waived off farmers' loans as promised in the previous Budget and now he is all set to present a new Budget. This anti-farmer government has no moral right to present a bogus Budget when they could not fulfil the promises they made in the last Budget," the BJP state unit later tweeted. Congress leader and state's Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries K.J. George said the BJP was free to move a "no-confidence" motion. "There is no use of the BJP creating a ruckus in the Assembly. If they are uncertain that the coalition has the support of the majority, they are free to move a no-confidence motion," he retorted. Two legislators, H. Nagesh of Karnataka Pragnavantha Janatha Party (KPJP) and Independent R. Shankar, who withdrew their support to the coalition government last month were also not present at the legislature session. Kumaraswamy, who also holds the Finance portfolio, will present the state Budget for fiscal 2019-20 in the Assembly on Friday. In the 225-member Assembly, including one nominated from the Anglo-India community, the Congress has 80, including the Speaker, JD-S 37, BJP 104 and remaining are an Independent and one each from the BSP and the KPJP. Although the BJP has assured the coalition allies that it would not bring a no-confidence motion in the Assembly during the Budget session, the absence of Congress legislators in the House by defying the whip would defeat the money bill due to lack of strength.

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K'taka Bajrang Dal workers held for burning shop on suspicion of cooking beef

Crime

They burnt a makeshift canteen run by two women, and the women had to run from pillar to post as police did not file FIR.

Prajwal Bhat

Five Bajrang Dal workers, including a minor, have been arrested in Sakleshpur, Hassan district, for allegedly burning a makeshift canteen run by two women on the suspicion that beef was being cooked. The incident occurred on January 31 at the APMC Ground in Sakleshpur when the group allegedly ransacked the stall, overturned the vessels and gas cylinder, burnt it and threatened to set Khamrunnisa (70) and her daughter-in-law Shamim (50) on fire. The police officials investigating the incident, however, have confirmed that no beef was being cooked at the stall. Five persons were arrested in connection with the incident on Tuesday, Hassan SP AN Prakash Gowda told TNM. Mohammed, son of Khamrunnissa, who also operates an auto-rickshaw in Sakleshpur rushed to the spot upon hearing news of the attack. However, when he reached, the stall was already on fire.  Shamim and Khamrunissa are residents of Raghavendra Nagar in Sakleshpur. The duo have been running a stall at the fair on the APMC ground for several years, specialising in chicken and mutton dishes.   Khamrunissa, however, told TNM that the police refused to register the FIR when they approached them on Thursday. “We were at the police station till 11 pm that day and the police dismissed our complaint without citing a reason. The police then came forward and urged us to file a complaint the day after the attack,” she said. Khamrunissa  She also said that among the hundreds of people who attended the fair on the day of the attack, none have come forward as witnesses. "It was a fair and a lot of people were witness to the attack. Even though we spoke to some of them, nobody has come forward to be a witness," she said. The duo remain defiant and added that they will not close down the stall in spite of the attack. “We have worked hard to set up the stall and keep it running every year. The people who attacked us were wrong but we will not cower down,” she adds. The arrested persons have been identified as Karthik, Deepu, Prathap, Raghu, and a minor. Karthik is the president of the local unit of the Bajrang Dal. The police have booked the five accused under IPC sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 354 (assault on women), 427 ( causing damage), 436 (committing mischief by fire) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

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BJP top grosser, spender in 2018 Karnataka polls: ADR report

Politics

The BJP was the highest grosser with Rs 213 crore and spent nearly Rs 139 crore, also the most.

IANS

As much as Rs 356 crore were collected and Rs 170 crore were spent by political parties which contested the May 2018 Karnataka elections. The BJP was the highest grosser with Rs 213 crore and spent nearly Rs 139 crore, also the most. The Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) which is ruling the state in coalition with the Congress has not made public its election expenditure. Political parties are required to submit details of their expenditure to the Election Commission within 75 days of completion of Assembly Elections. According to a report by election watchdog Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), released on Tuesday, the BJP collected Rs 213.47 both at the centre and state levels, which is nearly 60 per cent of the Rs 356.04 crore collected by the 13 national and state parties that contested the assembly polls. The Congress was the next, amassing Rs 104.83 crore followed by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) with Rs 17.06 crore. The BJP led on the expenditure front as well, spending Rs 139.04 crore of which a little over Rs 103 crore were expended on publicity and nearly Rs 18.5 crore on travel. The Congress was a distant second spending nearly Rs 34.5 crore of which Rs 23.79 crore were towards publicity. The Samajwadi Party spent a little over Rs 9 crore. The AIADMK, which declared that it did not receive any funds, spent Rs 5.1 crore in the polls. The parties spent almost 70 per cent of their funds on publicity and nearly 17 per cent on travelling. The election was held on May 12, 2018 and results were out on May 15.

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Groups quietly mount Medicaid expansion ballot campaign in Florida

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K'taka headmaster refuses to help in minor's marriage plot, gets attacked

Crime

Hussein Saab was beaten up by the minor student’s father and relatives after he refused to help in illegally changing the girl’s date of birth.

Theja Ram

For 47-year-old Hussein Saab, headmaster of the government high school in Vijayapura’s Sindagi taluk, minor girls being married off is a grave concern. On Tuesday morning, when he advised the parents of a 16-year-old girl against getting her married, things took an ugly turn. Hussein was beaten up by the minor girl’s father and relatives after he refused to take part in the task of illegally changing the girl’s date of birth. Speaking to TNM, Hussein said, “It was around 11.30 or 11.45 in the morning yesterday (Tuesday) when one of my student’s father, Raju Melinamane, and his brothers came to the school and said they wanted to talk to me about something important.” Raju Melinamane allegedly asked Hussein to sign a letter stating that his daughter was born in 2001. “The girl was born in 2003. They wanted me to sign the letter so they could obtain a fake birth certificate. I was appalled. I have seen parents do so many underhand things to get their daughters married. But approaching a headmaster and asking him to participate in such illegal activities was a first for me and it was shocking,” Hussein said. Taken aback by Raju’s request, Hussein allegedly advised him to wait until his daughter was of legal age to get her married. This did not sit well with Raju, who allegedly began shouting at Hussein and threatening him. “When we started talking, he was polite. It looked like he came here expecting me to go along with his plan. When I refused, he began yelling and making threats,” Hussein said. Refusing to help in the illegal act, Hussein claimed he told Raju that he would inform the police. “That’s when Raju and the two other people, who I assume were the girl’s relatives, began beating me up. Initially Raju took me by my shirt collar and dragged me away with them. I don’t know where they took me after that because I was in a state of panic, but later I realised I was in an empty plot of land. There Raju and his men beat me up,” Hussein said. Once Hussein became unconscious, Raju and the unidentified men allegedly fled. Hussein later woke up and went straight to the Sindagi Police and filed a complaint. The police have registered a case against Raju and two unknown persons under sections 363 (kidnapping) and 307 (attempted murder) of the IPC. Speaking to TNM, Nirmala Surpura, the District Child Protection Officer for Vijayapura, says that child marriage is widely prevalent in the district. Despite the numerous awareness camps and counselling sessions her team conducts every month, she said people seem to be averse to changing their minds. “These kinds of incidents, where family members of the minor girls beat up other people who stop them from marrying off their daughters is very common. You can say that it happens all the time. There has not been a single child protection officer in our district who has not been assaulted for trying to stop child marriages. In fact, I have been beaten up so many times. Last year one of the enforcement officers named Lakshmi had gone to stop a child marriage. The girl’s parents pushed her into a room and locked her up. In another case, the girl’s mother and aunts grabbed me and began beating me up,” Nirmala alleged. Between April 2018 and January 2019, the Vijayapura District Child Protection Unit has stopped 76 child marriages and FIRs were registered in four cases. “In two cases, in spite of warnings given and despite us stopping the marriages once before, the parents got the minor girls married. In two cases, we obtained an injunction order from the court and stopped the marriages. If we get scared and not stop these marriages, we will never get anything accomplished. We go, we get beaten and we file cases against them. That’s our routine,” Nirmala added.

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Tusker killed by poachers in Karnataka, body wasn't discovered for two weeks

Crime

Forest department officials said that they were distracted by preprations for the Chikkaluru Fair held from January 21 to 26.

Prajwal Bhat

For more than two weeks, a tusker shot by poachers lay dead in the Kothanur range of the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka. Chikkaluru forest officials say that they discovered the elephant's body, whose tusks were removed from its now-shrivelled carcass, on February 3, about 15 to 20 days after the animal was killed. "The tusker was killed in an interior part of the forest area but now that it has come to our notice, we have registered a case and an investigation to find the poachers is underway. It appears to be the work of highly skilled and technical people who have removed the tusks from the animal after applying acid," Assistant Conservator of Forest, Ankaraj told TNM. After jarring photographs of the animal's body were shared, officials began investigating the incident. He noted that forest officials were distracted by preparations for the Chikkaluru Fair held from January 21 to 26.  "We had concentrated our efforts on ensuring that the people who visit Chikkaluru for the fair do not enter the forests in the area. We have missed this incident taking place in the interior part of the forest," Ankaraj added. However, wildlife activists accused the forest officials of negligence, particularly since the incident had occurred close to an anti-poaching camp, which is around 5 kilometres away from the spot where the animal was found. "We are asking why the death of the animal did not come to light for almost one month. Poaching is going on unabated here and people have locally made guns which they are using to kill animals," wildlife activist Joseph Hoover said. This is the same area where notorious bandit Veerappan was infamous for poaching elephants. Camera traps had exposed the menace of poaching in the forests of Kollegal and Chamarajanagar in 2017. Poachers were seen using locally-made guns to kill deers prompting forest officials to further investigate the modus operandi of poachers and install more CCTV cameras in the forests.

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