Gauri Lankesh murder: K'taka HC denies bail for man alleged to have sheltered killers

Crime

Mohan, an acupuncturist at Mundadka in Dakshina Kannada district, will continue to be lodged at Bengaluru Central Prison.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka High Court has refused to grant bail to Mohan Nayak, an accused in the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh. Mohan, an acupuncturist at Mundadka in Dakshina Kannada district, will continue to be lodged at Bengaluru Central Prison.  Justice BA Patil hearing the case observed that there was enough material against the accused to suggest that he was an active part of the crime and not peripheral to it as he claimed.  He has been accused of providing SIM cards and making arrangements for a rented house in Bengaluru where the suspects stayed before killing Gauri Lankesh in September 2017 in front of her residence at RR Nagar in Bengaluru. He later gave up the premises after the murder, reported The Hindu.  The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case had said that the suspects on-ground to execute the murder of Gauri Lankesh were lodged at a house at Kumbagodu, around 15 km from Gauri Lankesh's residence. This house was given out by Mohan to the suspects as they planned the murder.  Mohan is the 11th accused in the case and was arrested in July 2018 by the SIT probing the case. He had claimed that there was no concrete evidence linking him to the crime and that he had no history of being involved in criminal activities.  Mohan has also been linked to the Sanathan Sanstha and is facing charges under section 302 (murder), 120-B, 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 114 (abettor present when the crime is committed), 118 (concealing design to commit offence), read with section 35 of IPC, section 3 of Karnataka Control of Organized Crimes Act (KCOCA) and sections 3 and 25 of the Arms Act, as per the Times of India.  

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Bengaluru techie arrested for allegedly raping MBA student at birthday party

Crime

The woman later tried to withdraw her complaint but the police refused her request.

TNM Staff

Bengaluru police arrested a 26-year-old software engineer for allegedly raping an MBA student at a birthday party in Doddanekundi in the city on Saturday. A 24-year-old woman who was present on the occasion, was made to consume alcohol by Adithya K, who then allegedly raped her.  She claimed that when she was asleep in a bedroom, Adithya entered the room and assaulted her. She could not push him away since she was drunk. Police officials arrested Adithya based on the complaint made by the woman at HAL Police Station. “We registered a case of rape and arrested Adithya, who claimed he was under the influence of alcohol when the incident took place. We have followed all procedure, including medical examination of the woman and the accused, before arresting him. He was produced before the magistrate and remanded in judicial custody,” a police officer told Times of India.  The accused Adithya is a resident of Doddanekundi near HAL and hails from Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh. He works for a software firm in Marathahalli and lived with his friend Arif who was celebrating his birthday on Saturday.  While the complainant later wanted to withdraw the case, the police refused to do so, detaining Adithya in Parappana Agrahara central jail. The woman made the request after she was asked by her friend and Adithya repeatedly but the police have refused the request stating that the FIR has been registered and that this is a serious offence, reported The New Indian Express.  The woman hails from Tamil Nadu and lives in a PG in the city. According to police, the woman was left alone in the house with Adithya after the other friends left the house to get food. 

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Karnataka Congress cracks whip, seeks disqualification of its ‘rebel’ MLAs

Politics

The four MLAs are Ramesh Jarkiholi from Gokak, Mahesh Kumathalli Athani, Umesh Jadhav from Chincholi and B Nagendra from Bellary.

TNM Staff

The Congress in Karnataka on Monday approached Speaker Ramesh Kumar seeking disqualification of four of its ‘rebel’ MLAs and suspected turncoats, for defying the party whip. Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara and KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao submitted a petition to this effect to the Speaker in his chamber under the anti-defection law. The infamous four were reportedly in touch with the BJP in their alleged plan to dislodge the Kumaraswamy government and failed to appear for a special legislative party meet called ahead of the budget session on February 8. The four MLAs who now face the risk of disqualification are former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi from Gokak, Mahesh Kumathalli Athani, Umesh Jadhav from Chincholi and B Nagendra from Bellary assembly seats. The move came as announced by Siddarmaaiah on February 8 following the CLP meet, despite the legislators apparently claiming that they were still loyal to the party. “Show-cause notices were issued seeking their explanation. They responded saying they were loyal to the Congress and wouldn’t leave the party. I wrote back, asking them to personally meet me and justify their stand. They didn’t come,” Siddaramiaah had then said. “I mentioned all these things in the CLP meet and the unanimous opinion was that I should proceed further to take legal action under the anti-defection law. Sufficient opportunity was given to these MLAs. Therefore, I’ve decided to approach the Speaker with a petition requesting him to take action under the anti-defection law of Schedule 10 of the Constitution,” he had added. This development comes amid a hectic day in the state assembly where the issue of horse-trading against the BJP in the light of a fresh audio clip dominated proceedings, with Ramesh Kumar himself being part of the conversation allegedly involving BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa. On the insistence of the Congress leaders including former CM Siddaramaiah and Minister of Panchayatraj Krishna Byre Gowda, the Speaker asked CM Kumaraswamy to form a special investigation team and probe the matter within 15 days. The BJP, however, opposed the inquiry claiming that they do not have faith in any probe conducted by a state government agency.  

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Reviving a folk instrument: This Mangalurean is teaching youth to play the ghumat

Music

Joel Pereira, one of the last known players of the instrument, is training students of a local college to play the Konkani folk instrument.

Harsha Raj Gatty

While the ghumat was once a popular percussion instrument used by the Konkani community of the coastal districts of Karnataka, today it is on the verge of extinction due to the dearth of players. Now, one of the last known players from the Catholic Konkani community who is keen on not letting the tradition die has taken up the task of its revival by training students and passing on the legacy of the culturally significant instrument. 55-year-old Joel Pereira says that he learnt to play the ghumat from his father and famed ghumat player Joachim Pereira, who in turn learnt it from his father Alex Pereira. Joel has been training around 40 students of Mangaluru’s Milagres College to play the folk instrument as well as teaching them the traditional songs that usually accompany the ghumat. “I have taken up one-day workshops on ghumat. I trained a batch of students at Belman in Udupi district and also the seminarians at St Joseph Seminary, Mangaluru. However, this is the very first time that I have been invited as a resource person for a certificate course,” says Joel. Joel Pereira teaching a class The instrument was a must at Catholic Konkani roce (pre-wedding ceremony) and wedding ceremonies till about 60 years ago. Joel says his grandfather picked up the skill by just watching ghumat troupes. However, today apart from a few Konkani cultural programmes, the instrument – basically an earthen pot with two mouths, where the larger is covered with the skin of the monitor lizard – is rarely seen. “The main reason could be that people find the instrument primitive. While Konkani communities such as the Kudubis and Kharvis are passionate about the instrument and use it for their celebrations, among Catholic Konkanis it is no longer prominent, as most of the celebrations today have a western influence,” says Joel. Joel says that his troupe used to be invited to perform at traditional Konkani ceremonies such as the roce, but over the years the requests have stopped. “Very few are aware of the instrument and its significance. Last year we received a request from only one family,” he adds. Joel Pereira's troupe Joel got an opportunity to professionally teach the instrument to students when Milagres College started a three-week certificate course on the ghumat. “There are 40 students who have taken up Konkani as an optional subject in their graduation course. Last year, we had brought a person to show them how the ghumat was played and a few days later, some students expressed interest in learning the instrument,” says Fr Michael Santhumayor, Principal of Milagres College. Fr Santhumayor approached the Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy with a proposal for the course, which the Academy approved and also decided to fund. “We could not think of anyone other than Joel to teach the course, as he is one among the very few families that still play the instrument and know the tunes of the songs that are sung while playing the ghumat,” says Fr Santhumayor. Most of the songs sung with the ghumat are passed down through the generations verbally. There are holy songs such as ‘Ruzai Saibin’, ‘Santh Francis Xavier’, ‘Sath Sacramenth’, songs that impart values and advice, and the ones that are sung in traditional Konkani ceremonies. “Through the course, Joel is passing this rich legacy to the next generation,” says Fr Santhumayor. Fr Santhumayor adds that the biggest challenge for him while starting the course was procuring ghumats. He had to contact people from the Kudubi tribe in Uttar Kannada to make them for him. With the certificate course coming to an end and in view of its immense success, Fr Santhumayor plans to continue the course with Joel continuing as the resource person. Students with their certificates The first batch of students trained by Joel are all set to perform at other colleges and events in the near future to inspire other youth. As for Joel, who made sure that his children Kenny, who is pursuing engineering, and Kate, who is in Class 11, are trained in the traditional instrument, he says he is happy that educational institutions are making an effort to revive the dying art form. Story by www.storyinfinity.com (Subs and Scribes Media Ventures LLP).

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Mallikarjun Kharge, HD Deve Gowda raise ‘Operation Kamala’ in Parliament

Politics

Ahead of the session, Congress MPs had staged a protest against BJP’s alleged attempts to dismantle the Congres—JD(S) coalition in Karnataka.

TNM Staff

During the Question Hour in Lok Sabha on Monday, it was a controversy from Karnataka that took centre stage. The discussion was about the recently released audio clip by Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy which allegedly captures BJP Karnataka chief BS Yeddyurappa offering a bribe to Sharan Gouda, a JD(S) MLA’s son in an attempt to dislodge the Congress-JD(S) coalition in power in the state. This comes just three days after Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy made the explosive reveal in a press conference. Speaking in the House, Congress legislature party leader in the Lok Sabha and Gulbarga MP Mallikarjun Kharge, read out the contents of the tape amidst huge ruckus from the ruling MPs. “In my constituency, BJP State President Yeddyurappa has spoken to the son of the MLA from Gurmitkal, and offered him money and ministerial positions," Kharge said. Read: 'I met Sharanagouda but audio tape is doctored', claims BS Yeddyurappa Support came from former Prime Minister and Hassan MP HD Devegowda, who claimed that BJP has repeatedly tried to poach MLAs from the Congress and JD(S) in the state. "I request the government that Operation Kamala should not happen in the country. It has happened since 2009. 10 people of Congress and JD(S) resigned and within 24 hours of being made ministers. I am asking for an amendment in Constitution to protect against this," he said, even as BJP MPs rose in uproar. Responding to the charge, Union Minister and BJP MP from Bengaluru North constituency DV Sadananda Gowda rubbished the allegations and termed the entire audio tape incident as “fake”. "Inside Congress, there is a big fight. Their MLAs fought each other and one MLA has been hospitalised due to this. They are not able to keep their house in order. These people are doing all these fake activities in Karnataka," Sadananda Gowda retorted. Earlier in the day too, Congress MPs had protested in front of the Gandhi statue inside the Parliament complex in Delhi against BJP’s alleged involvement in ‘Operation Kamala’ in Karnataka. The demonstration was led by Kharge along with AICC Secretary Karnataka-in-charge KC Venugopal. “Say no to political horse-trading?”, “Operation Kamala— Death of Constitution” and “White money or black money?” read some of the placards carried by the MPs. Curiously, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Karnataka on Sunday, took on the coalition government in the state on several matters, kept mum on the audio tape issue.     

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Ruckus in K'taka Assembly over Yeddyurappa audio tape row, Speaker orders probe

Politics

Congress urged the Assembly to discuss the contents of the tape while BJP MLAs asked the Speaker to disregard it.

TNM Staff

The explosive allegations made by Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy against the BJP in Karnataka was the topic of heated discussion in the State Legislative Assembly on Monday. Minister of Rural Development, Law and Parliamentary Affairs and Congress leader Krishna Byre Gowda read out the conversation in the audio tape released by Kumaraswamy on Friday and urged Speaker Ramesh Kumar to discuss its contents. "First, we should understand who has spoken these words - whether it is someone unconnected or whether it is someone in a position of responsibility.. It is not contempt of just the Speaker, it is contempt of the House," Krishna Byre Gowda said.  He appealed to the BJP to prove beyond reasonable doubt the identity of the person speaking in the purported conversation.  Read: How Sharanagouda, a young JD(S) worker, allegedly trapped BJP bigwig Yeddyurappa BJP legislators erupted in protest over the calls for discussion about the tape. While Yeddyurappa remained silent, BJP MLA JC Madhuswamy responded to the appeal by asking the Speaker that the contents of the tape should not be discussed in the Assembly. "Why should we discuss this in Assembly? It has not happened inside the Assembly. There are courts to prove or disprove this," he said.  Krishna Byre Gowda responded to this question by reminding the House that the Assembly recognises breach of privilege outside the House. But in spite of his appeals, Speaker Ramesh Kumar refused to allow the discussion to continue and stated that one of the reasons for his decision was the fact that his name was involved in the conversation. " I don't know whose voice it is. I should not wrongly accuse Yeddyurappa or anyone. If I have to speak, it has to be proven beyond proof that a person of responsibility has spoken this. I am not interested to discuss this subject - contents of the conversation of the tape - in the House because I am losing my ground and because I am involved in it," he said.  In the tape released last week, the voice purported to be that of Yeddyurappa is heard telling a JD(S) legislator's son, " 15 MLAs are ready to resign and it will be accepted by the Speaker" . The same voice is also heard saying Speaker Ramesh Kumar is a good friend. Yeddyurappa has since admitted that he held a meeting with Sharanagouda but claimed that the audio is doctored.  In the Assembly, in spite of the Speaker's attempts to move the discussion on to a different topic, the explosive allegations made in the audio tape continued to dominate conversation during the morning session.  Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also weighed in on the contents of the tape. "Taking action based on this tape is important and discussion on this is also important. This is a black mark on democracy." he said.  Eventually, the Speaker, asked CM Kumaraswamy to probe the tape within 15 days."Form a special investigation team and probe this within 15 days and put the issue to rest," Ramesh Kumar said.   Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy announced that he will order a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into the incident, which was also opposed by BJP MLAs, who called for the Speaker to order a probe instead. The other topics for discussion in the Assembly were left untouched on Monday morning with the debate over the audio tape taking centre stage. Speaker Ramesh Kumar tried to bring an end to the discussion and also requested that other topics needed to be taken up in the question hour in the afternoon session.   The contents of the audio tape was also brought up in the Parliament session in New Delhi with Gulbarga MP initiating the discussion on the tape. Gurmitkal Assembly constituency falls under Gulbarga Lok Sabha constituency.  

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‘HD Kumaraswamy has become a punching bag’: PM slams Cong-JD(S) coalition in K’taka

Politics

The PM also accused the coalition government of betraying the farmers of the state.

IANS

Terming the 8-month-old JD-S-Congress coalition government in Karnataka a 'majboor sarkar', Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday dubbed its Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy a "punching bag" of everyone in the state. "Kumaraswamy has become a punching bag of everyone in the state, especially the Congress leaders, who have been threatening to unseat him from day one and challenging him daily," Modi said at a massive BJP rally in Hubbali, about 400 km from Bengaluru. Wondering who was in charge of government in the state in view of the infighting between the two coalition partners, the Prime Minister said he never saw a chief minister like Kumaraswamy (of Janata Dal-Secular) being so helpless and made to cry in public by "arrogant" Congress leaders. "The opposition parties want to thrust a similar 'majboor sarkar' at the Centre after the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. It is for the people like you to decide whether you want such a fledgling government or strong (mazboot) government, which the BJP is providing since 2014," Modi told the gathering of about 1 lakh in the KLE Institution ground on the outskirts of the city. The Prime Minister also accused the coalition government of betraying the farmers of the state by promising to waive their crop loans but not able to do even after seven months. "Though the Chief Minister promised to waive crop loans of 43 lakh farmers from across the state, only 60,000 of them have benefitted so far. The Congress and JD-S are playing with the lives of poor for vote banks. Even one-third of them did not benefit while their middlemen prospered," Modi alleged. Union Minister DV Sadananda Gowda, BJP's state unit leaders BS Yeddyurappa, Jagadish Shettar, Prahlad Joshi and Muralidhar Rai were also present on the occasion.

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