3 Bajrang Dal activists arrested for allegedly threatening K’taka Congress leader

Crime

The alleged threat was made after BJP candidate Nalin Kumar Kateel won from Dakshina Kannada constituency in the Lok Sabha Elections.

Harsha Raj Gatty

Mithun Rai | Photograph by Dhruv Khanna

Dakshina Kannada police arrested three persons in connection with the threat of beheading issued to District Youth Congress President Mithun Rai, who recently contested as the Congress candidate for Dakshina Kannada in the Lok Sabha Elections. Three persons, who belong to the Bajrang Dal, were arrested in Bantwal for allegedly issuing the threat to Mithun. The alleged threat was made during celebrations at Badakabail Junction in Bantwal on May 23 after BJP’s Nalin Kumar Kateel won from Dakshina Kannada constituency. According to the police, Nishanth, Sachin and Karthik were part of the group who not only allegedly hurled expletives at Mithun Rai but also threatened to break his limbs and decapitate him if he interferes in Bajrang Dal matters. The video, which is currently being circulated on social media shows a person wearing a saffron headband and holding the Bajrang Dal flag, hurling abuses and threats in Tulu at Mithun Rai. Reacting to the video, Mithun Rai told the media that the threats don't discourage him to continue his fight against elements that incite communal hatred in the coastal district. “In case beheading me will restore peace in the district and put an end to communal disharmony, I am ready to sacrifice myself. I am not the one to go into hiding after receiving threats. I will always be found in Mangaluru in Congress office, you can come right there,” he responded. The district police came across the viral video and registered a suo motu case. Meanwhile, Mithun Rai met Superintendent of Police BM Laxmi Prasad and filed a complaint.  Story by Story Infinity (Subs and Scribes Media Ventures LLP.)  

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New Bengaluru-Mysuru flight from June 7, to operate 5 times a week

Air Travel

The 70-seat ATR-72 flights will ply between the two cities on all days of the week barring Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

TNM Staff

Pic courtesy: www.airindia.in

From June 7, passengers can fly from Bengaluru to Mysuru, as a new regular flight connecting the two cities is being launched under the central government’s UDAN scheme. The announcement was made by Pratap Simha who got re-elected for the second time in the recently concluded 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Mysuru-Kodagu seat. “Will flag off the Bengaluru-Mysuru flight on June 7th. Thank u @narendramodi ji and @jayantsinha ji,” the MP-elect tweeted on Monday. Will flag off the Bengaluru-Mysuru flight on June 7th. Thank u @narendramodi ji and @jayantsinha ji. pic.twitter.com/6i0AqOkmjw Pratap Simha (@mepratap) May 27, 2019 Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his first term as part of a Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS). The flights will be operated by government-run Air India’s subsidiary Alliance Air. The 70-seat ATR-72 flights will ply between the two cities on all days of the week barring Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Fares for this price will start as low as Rs 1,365 and the fares can go up to a maximum of Rs 5,000 following the dynamic pricing model as per the UDAN scheme guidelines. The flights will leave Bengaluru at 10:30 am and land in Mysuru at 11:25 am. The return flight will depart at 12 pm and land in Bengaluru at 1 pm. Alliance Air had earlier operated similar flights between the two cities for 10 days during the Dasara festival in October 2018 to cater to the festival rush of international travellers. The service was started following a Memorandum of Understanding between the state government-run Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) and Alliance Air. At that time, the special prices had started at Rs 999. At present, the fastest train Chennai-Mysuru Shatabdi Express which travels six days a week takes two hours to cover the distance between the two cities. The two cities are little more than 150 km apart and it takes more than four hours to cover the distance by road during the day owing to traffic congestion on the road to Mysuru. Further, regular bus fare costs at least Rs 129 and Rs 330 for a luxury bus, run by the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation.

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B'luru DCP 'Singam' Annamalai quits, says IPS officer's death made him 're-examine' life

Administration

In a letter to his friends and well wishers, he confirmed the resignation and also cited the death of IPS officer Madhukar Shetty as one of the reasons for re-examining his own life.

Prajwal Bhat

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Bengaluru (South) Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Annamalai K has resigned from his position. In a letter to his friends and well wishers, he confirmed the resignation. "Last year my visit to Kailash Mansarovar was an eye opener as it helped me to see my priorities in life better. Madhukar Shetty sir's death in a way made me to re-examine my own life. All good things had to come to an end and have decided now my time in kakhi is done. I planned and wanted to leave post the Lok Sabha elections as I didn't want to inconvenience this government just before the elections by resigning. If my resignation has caused any anguish for you, my sincere apologies for that. I honestly believe I have to do this now. It's been an emotional time for me and my best friend who happens to be my wife as well helped to smoothen it out," he wrote in the letter.  Madhukar Shetty, a 1999 batch IPS officer from Karnataka, passed away in 2018 after a prolonged illness.  An upright officer known for having a played a significant role in exposing the Ballari mining scam, the 47-year-old had cardiac complications.  While there has been speculation that Annamalai's resignation means he will now enter politics in his home state of Tamil Nadu, he clarified in the letter that he will be taking time off following his resignation for now.  Annamalai took over as DCP of Bengaluru (South) in October 2018. He is a graduate of PSG College of Technology in Coimbatore and Indian Institute of Mangaement, Lucknow. A 2011 batch IPS officer, Annamalai hails from Karur in Tamil Nadu. He was first posted as the Assistant Superintendent of Police, Karkala sub-division in Udupi district in 2013. He was later promoted to SP of Udupi on January 1 2015.  Upon taking charge, he earned a reputation for cracking down on criminal activities in the coastal district. He was also popularly referred to as the 'Singam' of Udupi after news of him standing up to person riding a motorbike loudly in the night spread in the district. Annamalai frequently interacted with students studying in colleges, particularly in Manipal, where he implemented stringent rules restricting nightlife in the student town. Bars and restaurants were forcibly closed at 11:30 pm while students in the town were asked to identify and explain themselves if they were caught by the police after midnight.  He was transferred out of Udupi district and posted as SP of Chikkamagaluru district in July 2016. He earned further praise for his handling of the sensitive Baba Budangiri issue.  In December 2017, he organised a peace-keeping meeting between members of Hindu and Muslim communities following incidents of vandalism at the famous Baba Budangiri shrine in the district. The shrine is a pilgrimage site for both Hindus and Muslims.  The police department also roped in cartoonist Satish Acharya to put up cartoons promoting peace in vantage points in Chikkamagaluru in the run-up to the festival. His team of police officers also raided several gambling dens in his tenure as SP in the district.  Read: Karnataka cops take to cartoons to call for peace amidst communal tension In 2018, Annamalai was given his transfer orders to take charge as SP of Ramanagara district within hours of BS Yeddyurappa becoming the Chief Minister of Karnataka. JD(S) and Congress legislators were put up in a resort in Ramanagara at the time. The transfer, however, never materialised since Yeddyurappa relinquished his post within two days. Annamalai was then made the DCP of Bengaluru (South) in October of the same year, capping a remarkable rise through the police ranks in the state

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FIR against Vishwavani editor has undertones of hatred: Karnataka journalists union write to CM

Defamation

The police had registered an FIR against editor-in-chief of Vishwavani, Vishweshwar Bhat, for an article about Nikhil Kumaraswamy, which the JD(S) claimed was defamatory.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka Union of Working Journalists on Tuesday wrote to Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy condemning the FIR registered against editor-in-chief of Vishwavani for publishing an article about Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the CM’s son. In a letter, the president of the association Shivanand Tagadooru wrote, “The police complaint filed against editor in chief of Vishwavani, Vishweshwar Bhat, is not right and condemnable. If there was any false news or factually incorrect information in the news article, demanding that it be corrected is the right procedure.” The act of filing the police complaint, Shivanand suggested, had “undertones of hatred”. “By filing a police complaint against him and making news out of it seems to have undertones of hatred. In the past, whenever we have brought to your notice issues regarding various publications, you have responded promptly, you acted like a friend to the media,” the letter adds. The Karnataka police registered an FIR against Vishweshwar Bhat for an article about Nikhil Kumaraswamy, which the JD(S) claims is defamatory. Vishweshwar Bhat has been accused of publishing ‘derogatory remarks’ against the Karnataka Chief Minister’s son on the front page of the paper on Saturday. A complaint was filed by Pradeep Kumar, an official of the JD(S) legal cell, at the Srirampura police station in Bengaluru on Sunday. The article in question, titled ‘Nikhil Kumaraswamy Raatri Rampata’ (Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s night tantrum), said that Nikhil had caused a ruckus at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Mysuru on Thursday night, after he lost the Lok Sabha election in Mandya. According to the piece, an angry and drunk Nikhil allegedly threw a tantrum and yelled, “It is a humiliation that I have lost to a woman. Mandya’s people have not held my hand. My dream of being an MP did not come true.” He also allegedly said, “You (Deve Gowda) got me tangled in the Mandya labyrinth. In spite of having eight MLAs, we were not able to win. Didn’t HD Revanna gain the support of Congress in Hassan? Why weren’t you able to gain the support of Congress rebels Cheluvarayaswamy and Narendra Swamy?” The article further said, “In spite of friends and hotel officials trying to console him, he argued with them and caused a commotion.” In its complaint, the JD(S) contended that the article not only defamed Nikhil Kumaraswamy and his grandfather HD Deve Gowda, but was also “fictitious” and that no such incident took place. The police registered an FIR under IPC sections 499, 500, 501 (defamation), 504 (intentional insult), 506 (criminal intimidation), 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), and 468 (forgery).

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Bengaluru man assaulted with vessels, buckets for comment about bad parking

Crime

The victim Rajesh CN, a resident of Cleveland Town, told Adugodi police that the group was annoyed at being questioned by him about parking.

TNM Staff

A 39-year-old labour inspector was allegedly thrashed by a group of four to five persons in Bengaluru for making a comment on haphazard parking on the road. The incident took place in Adugodi in the city on Saturday The injured, Rajesh CN, a resident of Cleveland Town, told Adugodi police that the group was annoyed at being questioned by him about parking. They entered into an argument and allegedly attacked him with vessels, metal buckets leaving him grieviously injured. His helmet also broke into two pieces due to the assault.   Rajesh works as a labour inspector in Bengaluru Rural district. He was on his way home around 6:15 pm on Saturday after finishing his work. On Mahlingeshwara Bande Main Road, he found that an autorickshaw and a two-wheeler were parked in a haphazard manner.  “There were around four or five people talking. Usually roads are blocked for functions so I asked why the road had been blocked and if there was space for my bike to pass through. The group then started abusing me and shouting at me to leave. I was shocked at the abuses and I asked them to speak properly. This was when one person from behind hit me on my head. When I turned back, another person took my cellphone which was in a stand on my bike,” Rajesh told The New Indian Express. The issue escalated and the group allegedly began assaulting Rajesh. The attack continued until a police constable from Adugodi police station who witnessed the attack arrived on the scene. An investigating officer from Adugodi police station said that a case has been registered and a team formed to nab the accused.

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Belagavi man’s death is suicide: Cops rule out murder, arrest 2 for spreading rumours

Death

Many BJP leaders have also claimed that 19-year-old Shivakumar Uppar was murdered after he was found dead in Hire Bagewadi village in Belagavi on Sunday.

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The death of Shivakumar Uppar, a 19-year-old man from Belagavi, took a communal turn on Monday when many people including BJP leaders took to social media claiming that he was murdered for protecting cows. Belagavi police investigating the incident confirmed that Shivakumar took his own life on Saturday night and arrested two persons for spreading rumours about his death. The body of Shivakumar was found at the APMC Yard in Hire Bagewadi village in Belagavi on Sunday. Soon after his body was found, messages claiming that he was killed because he had earlier tried to stop beef from being transported were circulated.  BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje took to Twitter claiming the 19-year-old had been murdered and asking police and the state government to take stern action over the issue.  Shivu Uppar, a 19Yr old boy was murdered &hanged in Bagewadi Bus stand in Belagavi. He was hacked to death just for protecting cows from the cow smugglers, that was the only mistake he did. I demand CM to deal this sternly & arrest the culprits.#OmShanthi#JusticeForShivuUppar pic.twitter.com/xIwU5Zavlq — Shobha Karandlaje (@ShobhaBJP) May 26, 2019 However, Belagavi Police Commissioner Lokesh Kumar confirmed to TNM that the police have not found any evidence to suggest that this was a case of murder. "There were no injury marks found on the body. It was a case of suicide and it has been confirmed by post-mortem. He was in the Bajrang Dal earlier but his death has nothing to do with that. His family has also clarified this," Lokesh said.  Despite the clarification other BJP leaders including CT Ravi took to social media demanding an investigation into the incident.  Shivu Uppar, a 18 years young Activist was found dead by hanging in Belagavi, Karnataka. He was in the forefront to protect Cows from being smuggled and slaughtered. I demand @CMofKarnataka to order an inquiry into this suspicious death and take suitable action immediately. — C T Ravi ಸಿ ಟಿ ರವಿ (@CTRavi_BJP) May 27, 2019 However, Belagavi BJP MP Suresh Angadi deleted his own tweet about the incident and clarified that, "The post-mortem report confirms that it is not murder but it was a suicide.  I request all the citizens not to forward the false news and trust our police in knowing the reason behind suicide," he tweeted. Spoke to #Commissioner of police belagavi regarding the alleged murder of #ShivuUppar. The postmortem report confirms that it is not murder but it was #suicide. I request all the citizens not to forward the false news and trust our Police in knowing the reason behind suicide. pic.twitter.com/kOv2b6ug1b — Suresh Angadi (@AngadiMp) May 27, 2019 Police officials in Gokak in Belagavi arrested two persons - Arjun MB (31) and Fakeerappa Ramesh Talawar (28) for posting about Shivu's death on Facebook. The duo was among several people who demanded justice for Shivu Uppar on social media claiming that he was murdered. "These two had posted fake news on Facebook about the death of the young man in Belagavi so we have arrested them," said a police official from Gokak police station.  The duo was charged under sections 153(a) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language), and 505 (2) (publishing or circulating statement with intent of mischief, creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes) "We are investigating the incident and we will also take action against those who spread false messages about this," added Lokesh. This is not the first time BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje has raised her voice regarding the death of a youth in Karnataka. In December 2017, Shobha Karandlaje demanded an investigation into the death of Paresh Mesta, an 18-year-old youth from Honnavar by claiming that he was "mutilated, castrated, burnt by boiling oil poured over his head and his head split dastardly with a weapon". SP under #SiddaramaiahRule has declared this as 'Samaanya Saavu' Hindu boy 21 yr old Paresh Mesta goes missing.when he was found, he was mutilated,castrated.burnt by boiling oil poured over his head & his head split dastardly with a weapon. pic.twitter.com/tmxkK6r2GS — Shobha Karandlaje (@ShobhaBJP) December 10, 2017 Shobha's claims were later debunked by forensic science experts from Kasturba Hospital in Manipal who conducted the post-mortem on the body of Paresh. They refuted the rumours and released a detailed memorandum stating that his blackened face was only due to putrefaction (decay). In July 2017, Shobha wrote to the then Home Minister Rajnath Singh identifying 23 men as “Hindu activists” or members of the “BJP/RSS” had been murdered by “jihadi elements” in Karnataka since 2014. One person on the list was found to be alive while several others were found to have been killed for personal reasons with police confirming there was no communal angle to the deaths.

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