Drunk driver arrested for assaulting, harassing couple in Bengaluru

Crime

According to the police complaint, the man used his helmet to assault the woman’s husband when they called him out for staring at the woman.

TNM Staff

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A 34-year-old woman has alleged that she was harassed and molested by a motorcycle rider in front of her husband in Bengaluru’s JP Nagar area. The woman, Amrita* and her husband Raghav* were travelling on a scooter and had stopped at a traffic signal near the Raghavendra Swamy mutt in JP Nagar’s second stage when a man on a bike stopped next to them and began to stare at her. Amrita initially ignored him but then grew increasingly uncomfortable and informed her husband. When Raghav called the man out for his behaviour, the man got agitated. He got off his motorcycle and started abusing the couple. According to the complaint made to the JP Nagar police, he also allegedly molested Amrita. When the couple tried to retaliate and stop him, the man used his helmet to assault Raghav. By then, a crowd had gathered around them. The signal had turned green and drivers of vehicles behind them began to protest that traffic was being held up because of them. Eventually, a BMTC staff member, who was passing by, came to help the couple and helped disperse the crowd. The couple then decided to approach the JP Nagar police to lodge a complaint against the man. The accused followed them to the police station to file a counter complaint against the couple. However, the police arrested the man after verifying the incident with the help of CCTV footage. The police also noted that the man was driving under the influence of alcohol and took him into custody. The accused has been identified as 31-year-old Kiran S, a resident of Gourava Nagar in JP Nagar 7th phase. He is a salesman at a liquor shop in Peenya. Kiran has been booked under sections 354 (sexual harassment), 506 (criminal intimidation), 509 (insult to the modesty of a woman), and 324 (assault) of the IPC

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Train from Bengaluru to Jamshedpur catches fire in Andhra, no casualties reported

Fire

The pantry car of the Yesvantpur-Tatanagar Superfast Express was destroyed in the fire.

TNM Staff

A train that was travelling from Bengaluru to Jamshedpur caught fire at around 2am on Monday in Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district. While no casualties were reported, the pantry car of the train was reportedlydestroyed in the fire. The fire started on the Yesvantpur-Tatanagar Superfast Express when the train was near Rajamundhry. Quick-thinking staff members first tried to douse the fire, but when they realised they would not be able to do so, they separated the pantry car from the rest of the train. The pantry car was destroyed in the fire. No casualties or injuries have been reported yet. Fire broke out in pantry car of train running between Tatanagar and Yeshwantpur at Gollaprollu #EastGodavari #AP in early hours; chain was quickly pulled, pantry car separated from rest of train averting huge accident, saving lives & property #BurningTrain @tweetsreekanth_ @ndtv pic.twitter.com/cKcsqW5Ync — Uma Sudhir (@umasudhir) March 5, 2019 Officials are yet to determine what started the fire. Police officers have arrived at the location to identify the cause of the fire. Several trains scheduled to run between Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam regions in Andhra Pradesh, have been delayed as a result. Earlier in December, two unused, abandoned coaches of a train caught fire and were destroyed at the Kazipet railway station in Telangana. Officials at the station had informed the fire department at once, who were able to quickly put out the fire, though they could not salvage the cars of the train which were gutted in the fire. This is a developing story.

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Cardiologists say Apple is overselling its health rollout while FDA applauds

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2 more succumb to monkey fever in Shimoga, death toll now at 12

Monkey Fever

Monkey fever or Kyasanur Forest Disease is spread by ticks infected with the virus, which can then transmit the virus to humans from other animals.

Dr. Nimeshika Jayachandran

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Shimoga district in Karnataka has been fighting an aggressive battle with the tick-borne Kyasanur Forest Disease, or ‘monkey fever,’ for the past few months. On Saturday, a 38-year-old woman, Poornima S, succumbed to monkey fever, raising the current death toll of the disease to 12. Prior to this another resident of Shimoga, 68-year-old Parshwanath Jain had succumbed to the fever on Friday. Parshwanath Jain and Poornima S had presented with symptoms of monkey fever, and were being treated at a private hospital in the district. Parshwanath passed away on Friday, while Poornima died on Saturday. “The woman who died (Poornima) had some underlying health conditions for which she was undergoing treatment. We did not get any confirmation of the disease in her lab tests. Rather it seems that she died to due underlying cardiomyopathy. The tests done at the lab in Manipal did not confirm the presence of the monkey fever virus, however we have conducted a separate test and the results are awaited,” stated District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Kiran, to TNM. Though Poornima’s initial lab results turned out to be negative for monkey fever, doctors remained convinced that there must have been an error, as she presented with symptoms of the disease. Her samples were sent for testing again at the lab in Shimoga, but those results have yet to be released. Doctors also noted that the immediate reason behind her death was due to the aggravation of an underlying condition, brought on by the fever she presented with, though the fever did not directly result in her death. Dr Kiran further noted that most of the incidents being reported in the area were sporadic ones and that most of the residents in Aralogod area had been vaccinated. It was also reported that a 51-year-old woman, who is a resident of Sagar Taluk’s Nandodi village in the district of Shimoga, died on Sunday due to suspected monkey fever. Kyasanur Forest Disease, or ‘monkey fever’ is caused by a virus which belongs to the flavivirus genus. Humans contract the disease via infected ticks which pass on the virus to monkeys and other animals. A monkey which succumbs to the infection ends up becoming a ‘hotbed’ of infected ticks, and a person who comes in contact with the dead animal is at risk of contracting the disease. Over 90,000 people from the affected regions, which include Sagar, have been given their primary and booster vaccine doses against the disease. Officials from the state health department have been working to closely monitor further outbreaks of the disease.

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‘I am not angry, I am not afraid’: K’taka prof forced to kneel by ABVP speaks to TNM

Controversy

In an intimidating incident, Sandeep Wathar was surrounded by scores of people who declared him ‘anti-national’ for a Facebook post critical of BJP, and forced to kneel.

Soumya Chatterjee

He was branded an ‘anti-national’ for a Facebook post criticising the BJP and its followers. He was surrounded by scores of people, and forced to kneel down and apologise. Twenty-nine-year-old Sandeep Wathar lived through one of the scariest days of his life on Saturday as ABVP activists tried to humiliate and intimidate him in his own college. But days after the incident, the assistant professor at a private engineering college in North Karnataka’s Vijayapura says he’s neither angry with the students who protested, nor afraid of voicing his opinions in future. Sandeep Wathar. Courtesy: Facebook “I think this is a very ridiculous and stupid thing that ABVP did,” Sandeep tells TNM, and with remarkable clarity, he says he’s not angry with the students who protested at all. “They were diploma students, they might have just finished their 10th standard I guess. I don't even blame those who came as protestors, but I want to know who ignited this,” Sandeep says. “Surprisingly there was an ABVP guy who came on Saturday asking me to read out my entire post, and explain it to him as he could not read English. So I do not know on what basis they came to me claiming that I had written an anti-national statement. They could have at least read it or they could have at least taken a translation of the post,” he adds. The ruckus started after Sandeep put out a Facebook post criticising the BJP-led centre for creating a war-like situation amidst the high tension that ensued between India and Pakistan since the Indian Air Force’s pre-emptive strike in Balakot on February 27. He also said that BJP is a party with absolutely no shame. The post read: “Who sounds more intelligent in all this? You **** all bhakts. You will [be] the reason for [the] destruction of millions of lives if this tension escalates. BJP is **** all party absolutely zero shame.” In another post, Sandeep praised Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. When the mob forced him to kneel and plead on Saturday, they also forced him to delete the posts against his wishes. “There were 100 or more people who had surrounded me, I did not have any other option other but to submit to them. I told everybody that I won't delete the posts, Sandeep says, “But people surrounding me forced me to delete it.” A professor at a college in Vijaypura in North Karnataka forced by ABVP activists to kneel down and apologise for his Facebook post criticising the Centre pic.twitter.com/4RE18GSi2M — Soumya Chatterjee (@Csoumya21) March 4, 2019 However, while he was forced to delete the Facebook posts, Sandeep says he stands by them even today – except for the use of expletives. “I used an abusive word, which I am admitting myself. I thought with the amount of hatred they are spreading, they deserve it. The main reason I did that was because they were even abusing the widow of a slain soldier, who died recently in the Pulwama,” he says. “However, people pointed out that being a teacher, I should not have used the F-word. I realised the same then,” he says. Recalling the incident, Sandeep says he was worried for his family. “It was especially difficult to spend the night after the incident. My mother and my father are shaken, they are worried about my future,” he says. “For me, though, nothing has changed,” Sandeep asserts, “I am not afraid of voicing my opinion. I have already been explaining on Facebook as to exactly what happened on Saturday, and how the issue is being covered. It was reported that I had switched off my phone like I have absconded – which is totally untrue.” Sandeep has filed an official complaint with the police, seeking action in the matter. However, he is yet to get an official acknowledgement. He says he wants legal action only against the organisers, and that those above the age of 18 should be dealt with according to the law, while any minors should be let off with a warning. With the protesters demanding his suspension, Sandeep says he has done nothing to deserve it. Instead, he says, “I want the college to acknowledge that I have not done anything wrong. I want to address all the students of the college as students of other departments are making noise claiming I am an anti-national. So I want to explain to them. My students know how I am as a person.”

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Former Union Minister and 4-time Mangaluru MP V Dhananjay Kumar passes away

Obituary

V Dhananjay Kumar served as Union Minister and held multiple portfolios. He was 67.

TNM Staff

Former Union Minister and Congress leader V Dhananjay Kumar passed away in Mangaluru on Monday due to multi-organ failure. V Dhananjay Kumar was admitted to the BGS Hospital in July 2018 as he was suffering from a kidney-related ailment. By December 2018, he had slipped into a coma and his condition worsened over the last few months. He was 67 years old and is survived by his wife Vanitha and two children Pavithra and Parinith.  Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy condoled Dhananjay Kumar's death and said he was "saddened by the death". "Former Union Minister Dhananjay Kumar passed away today (Monday). I am deeply saddened. He was served as a Union Minister and held multiple portfolios. May his soul rest in peace. May his family have the strength to bear the pain his death will bring," Kumaraswamy said. A lawyer by profession, Venur Dhananjay Kumar secured his law degree in 1973 from a college in Udupi and practiced in Mangaluru. A firm believer of the RSS' Hindutva ideology, he soon became an integral part of the BJP’s youth wing. In the 1983 Karnataka Assembly Elections, he contested and won from Mangaluru constituency. The victory made him the first BJP MLA to win an election from Dakshina Kannada region.  In the 1991 Lok Sabha polls, he contested on a BJP ticket from Mangaluru Lok Sabha constituency. He was also one of the first few BJP MPs to be elected from south India, at a time when the Congress party's reach was at its peak. He went on to win Lok Sabha elections three more times from Mangaluru - in 1996, 1998 and 1999. In 1996, Dhananjay Kumar was appointed as the Union Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism. In the NDA government, he was given the portfolio of Union Minister of State for Finance between 1999-2000 and was appointed as Union Minister of State for Textiles between 2000 and 2003. During Yeddyurappa's tenure as chief minister between 2008 and 2011, Dhananjay became one of his closest confidantes. He was known for being staunchly loyal to BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa and was in the news in October 2012 for allegedly making abusive remarks against the central leadership for ousting Yeddyurappa from the Chief Minister's post. He was soon expelled from the BJP and he followed Yeddyurappa as he formed the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP). Dhananjay was even made the state president of the short-lived party. He then rejoined the BJP amid strong opposition after the KJP dissolved. In March 2014, Dhananjay switched allegiances to the JD(S) before returning to the BJP in 2015. However, in 2017, Dhananjay once again jumped ship to the Congress after holding talks with Rahul Gandhi.

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It's official: Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil to contest Lok Sabha polls from Mandya

Politics

Speaking to the media, Nikhil Gowda said that the coalition partners have decided to support his candidacy.

Theja Ram

After months of speculation, the JD(S) has finally decided to give Kumaraswamy's son and actor,  Nikhil Gowda a ticket to contest from the Mandya Lok Sabha segment. On Monday, over 50 persons were hospitalised after a bus turned turtle in Mandya's Maddur. Nikhil Gowda visited the Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences around 10 am to check on the injured persons. Speaking to the media after his visit, Nikhil Gowda said, “Yes, the party's national president and state leaders have decided to give me a ticket to contest from the Mandya Lok Sabha segment. I am here to serve the people.” He was also quick to add, “No, I am not contesting from Mysuru. The party's leaders have spoken with their alliance partners. The Congress and the seniors in both parties have decided to support me.” ‘Have utmost respect for Sumalatha’ When questioned about him going up against actor Sumalatha, Nikhil Gowda said that he has the utmost respect for her and her husband and the late Congress leader Ambareesh. “I do not want to make any statement about Sumakka (referring to Sumalatha). I have the utmost respect for her. I do not want to speak about the contest between us. I will meet her and speak with her. Abhi (Sumalatha's son Abhishek Gowda) is like a younger brother to me. Ambareesh used to treat me like a son. I had spent a lot of time with Ambareesh while shooting for the film, Krukshetra,” Nikhil Gowda said. ‘Not worried about outsider tag’ Over the last few months, since speculation of Nikhil's entry to politics began, there have also been talks of Nikhil being an outsider to Mandya. The JD(S) first family, which is primarily from Hassan district, had always relied on its regional leaders in other parts of Old Mysuru, including Mandya, to ensure a win for the party in these districts. Responding to the tag of an outsider, Nikhil said that he is not worried about it. “I am not worried about it and do not want to say anything further. I am here to stay. I will soon take up residence in Mandya and prepare for the elections," Nikhil Gowda added. ‘People in Mandya want Nikhil to contest’ On Sunday, JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda told reports in Mangaluru that it was not wrong for anyone to want to contest polls. He added that the Mandya and Hassan segments have always been JD(S)’ seat and there was no way a JD(S) candidate would not contest from these two segments. Deve Gowda, however, conceded that he was considering offering the ticket to Nikhil Gowda and that he has been a ticket aspirant for a while. “He (Nikhil) did not say he wants to contest. But people there (Mandya) want him to. He had decided to step into politics only after a couple of years or more but the youth are pressuring him. It may be because of the glamour associated with him, as he a film star," Deve Gowda said. He further stated that he had asked Nikhil if he wanted to contest the Lok Sabha polls. “He should not feel his grandfather was more interested in Prajwal (HD Revanna’s son) and not him. Why should I get the bad name at this age," Gowda added. With Nikhil Gowda’s entry into politics, Deve Gowda now ensured that the third generation of the JD(S) first family are firmly embedded into the party’s politics. Earlier in January, Deve Gowda had announced that his grandson Prajwal Revanna would contest Lok Sabha polls from Hassan. Soon after, Nikhil Gowda, too, began making appearances at political functions and JD(S) party meetings along with his grandfather. Over the last couple of months, Nikhil has openly asked for support from the party workers and the people. As talks of Nikhil’s entry into politics began, JD(S) insiders believed that he may not get a ticket as it would give the opposition a reason to accuse the senior leaders of dynasty politics. “They want to keep the power within the family and looks like it will not change,” a JD(S) leader told TNM.

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