AirAsia in Bengaluru airport receives fake bomb threat, sparks security alert in Kolkata

Threat calls

The call turned out to be a hoax after bomb disposal squad found no security threat.

TNM Staff

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The Bengaluru Airport office of low cost airline AIrAsia received a threat call on Sunday warning of possible danger to its flight I5-588 travelling between Bagdogra in north Bengal to Kolkata. The caller warned that he “would not be responsible” if anyone was hurt on board that flight. However, in the end it was proved to be a hoax and all the passengers and crew deboarded the flight safely, and there was no damage to the aircraft. The call prompted the Kolkata airport to declare an emergency for over an hour on Sunday, an official said. Emergency was declared at the airport around 6.05 pm, said a statement issued by the Kolkata airport. The emergency was called off at 7.25 pm. The airline said by the time the threat call came, the flight had already departed from Bagdogra for Kolkata. The travel time between Bagdogra and Kolkata is one hour. AirAsia India operations officials coordinated with Kolkata ATC to affect an immediate landing at Kolkata. After landing, the aircraft was secured with the assistance of airport security staff and all protocols followed. Reports said that following the threat, Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad and fire tenders were rushed to the isolation bay, however a probe revealed that the threat call was a hoax. "AirAsia India is cooperating with all agencies to ensure the security of its passengers. The airline is also facilitating security agencies to establish the whereabouts and investigation of the call. Delays caused due to this are regretted, but we would like to reiterate that we prioritise safety and security of our guests and crew at all times," the airline said. "There were 187 passengers on board, including the crew members. All security checks have been carried out as per the procedure. All the passengers disembarked safely," the statement added. Authorities are yet to establish the identity of the caller. In August, 2018 police in Bengaluru had arrested one MBA graduate who made similar threat calls to the Bengaluru Airport thrice in the same week. The same man was accused of threatening security breach at the  Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna (KSR) railway station in the city. With IANS inputs

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Split of anti-BJP votes a major factor in defeat for Congress-JD(S) in 2 seats in K’taka

Lok Sabha 2019

The cases involved former PM HD Deve Gowda in Tumakuru and R Dhruvanarayana in Chamarajanagar.

Soumya Chatterjee

Representational image/PTI

In the wake of the Congress-JD(S)’s humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, a split in anti-BJP votes may have cost two candidates their seats in Karnataka. The cases involving recognised parties were witnessed in two crucial seats. In Tumakuru, where former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda contested, the defeat was due, in part, to the split of CPI and BSP votes.   The JD(S) patriarch lost to BJP’s GS Basavaraju by a margin of 13,339 votes -- only the second ever electoral loss for the party leader. The CPI candidate standing from the same constituency, N Shivanna, alone polled 17,227 votes. In addition, another 6,013 votes were won by KC Hanumantharaya, of the Bahujan Samaj Party, with whom the JD(S) had allied during Assembly elections in May 2018. Notably, both the chiefs of CPI and BSP, D Raja and Mayawati respectively, had attended the swearing-in ceremony of Deve Gowda’s son, HD Kumaraswamy as the Karnataka Chief Minister. According to reports, the veteran politician had ignored warnings from local Congress leadership of such a scenario occurring. They argued that if the former PM approached the parties himself, they would have withdrawn from the race and paved the way for Deve Gowda’s seventh Lok Sabha term. Similarly, in Chamarajanagar, the difference between outgoing Congress MP R Dhruvanarayana and winning BJP candidate V Srinivas Prasad was a mere 1,817 votes. Here, the BSP candidate Shivakumara alone secured 87,631 votes. Had the BSP and Congress agreed to a pre-poll understanding, the ruling alliance in the state would likely have added this seat to their meagre tally. The Congress and the JD(S) now hold one seat each, down from a combined tally of 11 seats in 2014, when they contested as rivals. The BJP has won 25 out of the 28 seats in the state. While the alliance partners have been decimated, the BJP has secured a 51.4% vote share without contesting in Mandya, where it successfully supported independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh. This meant in most other seats, the BJP candidates won more than 50% of the votes in their respective constituencies.      

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Sumalatha keeps option of joining BJP open after meeting BS Yeddurappa, SM Krishna

Lok Sabha 2019

The actor-turned-politician and wife of late Congress leader Ambareesh won Mandya Lok Sabha seat as an independent with BJP support.

TNM Staff

@kuntavalliguru /Twitter

Mandya MP-elect Sumalatha Ambareesh kept her options open for joining the BJP after meeting state BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa and former Chief Minister SM Krisha on Sunday at their respective residences. Senior BJP MLA and former Deputy CM R Ashoka was also present. “It is my duty to meet everyone and thank them,” she told reporters following her meeting. She said that she will visit the constituency on May 29. “I would like to give credit to everyone who has worked hard for me. It was a tough election, a lot of people did not give me a chance at all,” she added. When asked if she is joining the BJP, Sumalatha said, “There was no provision for an independent MP to join a political party constitutionally. I have the option of giving issue based support to the government.” However, she said that will take the opinion of her supporters before taking any decision on whether or not to join the BJP officially. The multilingual actor and wife of late Congress MP and filmstar Ambareesh defeated Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, in the recent Lok Sabha elections. While she initially sought a Congress ticket, she was denied as JD(S) was given the Mandya seat as per the pre-poll arrangement between the ruling alliance in the state. However sensing groundswell support for her, she chose to contest as an independent in the Vokkaliga heartland, considered a JD(S) stronghold. She got the support of the BJP which has little grassroots presence in the region, and the active support of local Congress leaders who risked suspension from their party to favour her cause. Meanwhile, according to political grapevine, BS Yeddyurappa is seeking a ministerial position for Sumalatha to help the cause of the party in the region, where it currently has very less presence. At the end of counting, Sumalatha won by a margin of more than 1,20,000 votes. Incidentally, at the same time as Sumaltha’s visit, two dissident Congress MLAs – Ramesh Jarkiohli and K Sudhakar – were also at SM Krishna’s residence, along with R Ashoka. However, when asked both Ramesh and Sudhakar told reporters that they were paying a courtesy visit to the leader.            

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More rains to lash Bengaluru, other parts of south and coastal Karnataka over the week

Weather

There will be little or no rainfall in north Karnataka.

TNM Staff

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Moderate rainfall with strong winds lashed across Bengaluru on Saturday evening until the early hours of Sunday. There were isolated incidents of halestorm as well. With rain and thunderstorm, there have been reports of minor waterlogging and multiple trees being uprooted causing damage to property and interruption in power supply over the last 24 hours. Indiranagar, RPC Layout, Vijaynagar, Jayanagar, Kadugodi, Basavangudi. Kalyan Nagar were the affected areas due to trees being uprooted. There has been no harm to life reported in this period, BBMP officials confirmed. Weathermen have predicted that rain in Bengaluru and other neighbouring districts in the Cauvery basin area will continue over the next week before south-west monsoon sets in. The Indian Meteorological Department has said over the course of next week, there will be partly cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain along with thundershowers. “We are expecting some showers over some parts of the state over the coming week due to cyclonic circulation over the region. The rains will be mainly in south interior Karnataka, coastal and Malnad regions. There will be hardly any rainfall in north Karnataka,” Sunil M Gavaskar, Meteorologist, at the Karnataka State Disaster Monitoring Centre, said. Bengaluru and parts of south-interior Karnataka had been receiving light to moderate rainfall over the last two weeks with isolated heavy rainfalls in some places. According to the latest data, while Bengaluru Urban had a 3% deficit in rainfall, Bengaluru Rural had 65% excess rainfall for the pre-monsoon period. While Bengaluru has received copious rains, it has not been widespread across the entire state. “Other than a few districts including Bengaluru, overall for the state the pre-monsoon rainfall has also been deficient,” he added. With a below-par monsoon, the state is staring at another year of drought. “The onset of monsoon is expected to take place on June 6 ( +/- 4 days) by the IMD (Indian Meteorological Department). It will take another two days to reach in Karnataka after it onsets in Kerala. This year for the whole country we are expecting near normal to below normal but we will get a regional-wise forecast in the first week of June. Then we will get to know a little better,” Gavaskar further explained.

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523 children rescued from railway stations across Bengaluru division in 2018: RPF

Child Abuse

In 2019, between January and May 21, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) rescued 257 children from the South Western Railways limits.

TNM Staff

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As many as 523 children have been rescued in Bengaluru division over the last one year, according to Railway Protection Force. This makes the Bengaluru division the worst affected in terms of child trafficking in the entire South Western Railways region. “In the last one year, the RPF team Operation Nanhe Farishthe rescued 523 children who were trafficked into the city for bonded and child labour,” RPF Divisional Commissioner Debasmitha told Deccan Herald. Operation Nanhe Farishte is a special drive to rescue trafficked children.  The RPF said that the number of missing children in India over the last two decades was two lakh.  In 2018, the RPF had rescued as many as 1,299 children (1,125 boys and 174 girls), of which 523 (458 boys and 65 girls) are from Bengaluru division. Hubballi division was the second-worst affected, where 490 children (407 boys and 83 girls) were rescued. In Mysuru, 286 children (260 boys, 26 girls) were rescued in 2018.  In 2019, between January and May 21, 257 children (224 boys and 33 girls) were rescued from  South Western Railways limits.  Of them, 206 children, including 183 boys and 23 girls, are from Karnataka, 13 children— 12 boys and one girl - are from Bihar and nine are from Andhra Pradesh.  Another RPF official said that most of these trafficked children who have been rescued in the Bengaluru division are from North Karnataka.  “We’ve formed a dedicated team in Bengaluru, Mysuru and Hubballi to rescue children from criminals, meant for child trafficking, labour, prostitution and organ trade,” the official told The Times of India.  These statements were made on the occasion of International Missing Children’s Day on Saturday. Officials also said that they have decided to intensify Operation Nanhe Farishte.  To mark the occasion, officials also screened a movie centred around child labour and trafficking. A signature campaign was also started by the Railway officials, urging passengers to inform the police in case of suspicious activity.  To alert the police, passengers can call railway security number 182 or 1098, which is the child helpline number. People can also call 100 to reach the General Railway Police.          

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NDA unanimously elects PM Narendra Modi as leader of parliamentary party

Politics

BJP chief Amit Shah proposed Narendra Modi’s name as leader of BJP’s Parliamentary party.

TNM Staff

The BJP-led NDA unanimously elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi as its leader during the board meeting held at Central Hall in New Delhi on Saturday afternoon. Modi will call on President Ramanath Kovind later in the evening, staking claim to form the new government. BJP National President Amit Shah proposed that Narendra Modi be elected as leader of the BJP’s Parliamentary party. The decision was endorsed by former Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and former Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Thereafter, former Punjab CM and SAD leader Prakash Singh Badal proposed Modi’s name as leader of the NDA parliamentary party. This was endorsed by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, followed by Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray among others. The leaders of the NDA were asked to make their decision and every elected MP in NDA lifted their hands up in unison, there by electing Modi as their leader. Soon after, PM-elect Narendra Modi, took blessings from veteran BJP leader LK Advani. “The people of India have undoubtedly chosen Narendra Modi to become their Prime Minister. By looking at Narendra Modi, the poorest of the poor have a reason to hope that someone like Modi, who is from a poor family can become the Prime Minister too. There is hope for development now. Once again, the people have blessed NDA and Modi because they trusted him,” Amit Shah said. The President of India, on Saturday, signed the order dissolving the 16th Lok Sabha. The ceremony where Narendra Modi will be sworn in as the Prime Minister is expected to be held on May 30. BJP led NDA into a landslide victory in the 2019 General Elections, with the party alone winning 303 seats – 31 seats more than the halfway mark of 272. The NDA came close to the 350-mark, while the UPA, led by Congress suffered a massive defeat. With former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj suffering from health issues, reports say that they may not be inducted into the new cabinet. Reports also stated that Amit Shah may also be offered a ministerial portfolio. However, citing party sources, reports stated it is highly unlikely as the BJP is sure to benefit from Shah being the National President and chief political operator for the party. Old and new faces are expected to be inducted into the new cabinet and reports suggested that the BJP is mulling over giving opportunities to young leaders as well.

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Video of Mangaluru men stranded in Kuwait after being duped by agent goes viral

Migrant Workers

Bengaluru North MP Sadananda Gowda said he had urged the MEA to bring them home safely.

TNM Staff

A video of 35 men from Karnataka’s Mangaluru, appealing to politicians and the media to rescue them from Kuwait went viral on Friday. In a message, the youth said that around 200 men had been cheated by an employment agency by promising them lucrative jobs in Kuwait out of which 35 of them were from Mangaluru. “Prasad Shetty of Manikya Associates (employment agency) took Rs 65,000 from each of us and sent us to Kuwait to work for a company named Carriage. When we reached Kuwait, we were given jobs in a different company. We have been here for six months and have not received our salaries,” the youth alleged in the video. The men said that they were scraping by and did not have enough money for food or water. They pleaded the media and politicians to help them as they did not have money to come back to India. @SushmaSwaraj Honorable Sushmaji, We received this video in Whatsapp. Summary of their plea is: “We are about 35 people from Mangalore - Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Andhra landed up in Kuwait through Manikya Associates Mangalore (Mr. Prasad Shetty) paying Rs. 65,000 each. pic.twitter.com/p650lmORkD — JavanerBedra (@JavanerB) May 24, 2019 "Our families are in very bad financial condition. We do not have money and we are helpless here. The company was providing us two meals a day but now they have stopped that too. We are requesting the media and all political leaders of Mangaluru to help us. There are 200 Indians here, out of whom 35 are from Mangaluru," they said. The youth alleged that Prasad Shetty had allegedly taken Rs 65,000 from each of them and is currently threatening to implicate them falsely in criminal cases and send them to prison in Kuwait. "He (Prasad Shetty) recruited 200 Indians saying we would be working for a company called Carriage but after landing in Kuwait, we realised that Carriage had contracted the recruitment for another company named Enseem, which is blacklisted in Kuwait,” they alleged. The men alleged that upon arriving in Kuwait, a few of them received 20 to 40 Kuwaiti Dinars after multiple requests for a few days and later their employer stopped paying them salaries. They also alleged that the Indian embassy had advised them to escape from the clutches of those running Enseem so they could be deported if the Kuwati police learnt about the incident. The youths appealed to Mangaluru South MLA Vedavyas Kamath in the video and requested him to step in and help. “I have seen the video of the youth, who are stranded in Kuwait and are now suffering without money or food. I am looking into the matter and doing my best to bring them back home safely,” he said. He also stated that he had contacted his friends in Kuwait and asked them to supply food and water to the men immediately. "Copies of their passports have been shared with MEA officials and we have requested them to assist us in the matter,” he added. BJP MP from Bengaluru North DV Sadananda Gowda on Saturday said that he has requested the External Affairs Ministry officials to help bring back the men stranded in Kuwait. “I have urged MEA to bring them back home safely. I have also informed Mangaluru MLA Vedavyas Kamath regarding the developments,” Sadananda Gowda said.

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