Woman cuts daughter's throat over eviction row in Karnataka, child out of danger

Crime

The woman, Anu, allegedly held the knife to her daughter’s throat after she thought that she was being evicted from her home.

TNM Staff

The Chikkamagaluru Police on Wednesday arrested a 30-year-old woman for slitting her five-year-old daughter’s throat in a blackmail bid. According to the police, the woman, Anu, held the knife to her daughter’s throat after she thought that she was being evicted from her home. The NR Pura Police say that five months ago, Anu and her husband Jobi (35) had rented a building in Muttikoppa from Safeer, a gram panchayat leader, in order to run a business. A couple of months later, Safeer received an offer from a private petroleum company to set up a petrol pump. “I am constructing a house and I needed the money so I went to Anu and Jobi and asked them if they can vacate the building. They informed me that they would not leave until the contract runs its course,” Safeer told TNM. Following this, two months ago, Anu and Jobi obtained an injunction order against Safeer. The court order stated that Safeer could not evict Anu and Jobi from the building until September this year. Safeer said he accepted the offer and did not interfere. However, on Wednesday, things escalated when he hired an earth mover to clear the debris which was near the building. “Next to the building, a few meters away, there is a compound wall and on Wednesday night, I was informed that there was debris near the compound wall. So I hired an earth mover to clear it up,” Safeer added. Upon seeing the earth mover, Anu and Jobi allegedly rushed to the spot and demanded that the clearance work be stopped immediately. “I tried to explain to them that the injunction order applied only to the building. Besides, since the property is mine, I was not doing anything illegal in clearing debris from my site. Things just escalated so quickly and Anu began threatening me saying she would kill her children and herself if I did not go away. Jobi then went to the police station to file a complaint against me,” Safeer said. Safeer called the NR Pura police, who arrived at the spot a few minutes later. By then, a huge crowd of over 100 people had gathered at the spot as Anu was holding a knife to her 5-year-old daughter Maria’s throat. “She just grabbed her daughter, who was hiding under the bed and held a knife to her. She tried to grab her 7-year-old son as well but we managed to get him to safety before she got to him,” the NR Pura police told TNM. The police allegedly tried to pacify Anu. However, she slit her daughter’s throat in front of them. Two police constables rushed to rescue the child and Anu stabbed one of them on his palm. The entire incident was caught on camera and the video went viral on Thursday.   “We managed to rescue the girl. There was a deep gash starting from her left ear to the side of her throat and she was bleeding profusely,” the police added. Maria was rushed to the government hospital, where she is undergoing treatment and is currently out of danger. The NR Pura police have registered a case of attempted murder, assault and attempted suicide against Anu. “We produced her before the magistrate and she has been sent to judicial custody,” the police said.    

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Monsoon advances in Karnataka, set to bring rains to Bengaluru this weekend

Monsoon

The monsoon has now extended to the remaining areas of coastal and Malnad region as well as Belagavi district in the northern part of the state.

TNM Staff

The southwest monsoon advanced in coastal, Malnad and northern parts of Karnataka on Thursday and is expected to bring rains across the state including in Bengaluru this weekend. According to meteorologists at the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), the southwest monsoon entered Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu and Mysuru districts on June 14. This has now extended to the remaining areas of coastal and Malnad region in the state including Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru districts, and has also entered Belagavi district in the northern part of the state.   "The monsoon has advanced to remaining parts of coastal and Malnad region as well as Belagavi district. It is likely to be active for the next three days. There is a low pressure system that has developed north of Bay of Bengal which means there is a kind of pull from there which will bring cloudy weather across the state," explained Sunil Gavaskar, a meteorologist at the KSNDMC.   The monsoon is also expected to bring heavy showers to Bengaluru this weekend. "We have had one or two showers on Wednesday and the same is expected on Thursday. However, by June 21 or 22, we are expecting heavy rain in Bengaluru," said Sunil.  According to KSNDMC, rains in other parts of the state over the last week were either due to a western disturbance or due to Cyclone Vayu. The monsoon, which usually covers Karnataka by June 10 is around ten days late this year.  The Indian Meteorological Department, meanwhile, stated that the monsoon rains are set to extend to parts of Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Tamil Nadu. The department also reported that the overall deficit of monsoon rains so far this year is 41%. This is due to a delay in the arrival of the monsoon and the onset of Cyclone Vayu. The monsoon this year follows a summer with a lack of pre-monsoon rainfall. 156 out of 175 taluks in Karnataka were declared drought hit by the state government. 

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How Congress's weak national image makes it unlikely to leave Karnataka’s coalition govt

Politics

The Congress high command is believed to have advised Siddaramaiah to avoid stirring up controversies regarding the stability of the coalition government in Karnataka.

Theja Ram

For the last two days, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has been cooped up with Congress party leaders in New Delhi with a single-minded goal – to convince them that the coalition with the JD(S) is hurting the party more than it could benefit it. Siddaramaiah has a herculean task cut out for him as the high command is averse to the idea of withdrawing support from the coalition government in Karnataka, All India Congress Committee sources say. The AICC on Wednesday had dissolved the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee while retaining the KPCC President and working President. On the heels of such a historic decision, party insiders say, is another parallel outcome that could destroy Siddaramaiah’s reputation. “The AICC wants to hold him accountable for the failures in Karnataka. It is very likely that he will be removed as chief of the coalition coordination committee. Siddaramaiah has had to put up with the embarrassment of seeing his arch rival – Kumaraswamy, become the CM. If he is removed as the committee chief, then it would be seen as the high command taking away his powers. He does not want that,” the AICC functionary said. Congress sources say that the high command in New Delhi wants to maintain stability in Karnataka until the KPCC President Dinesh Gundu Rao stitches the party’s state unit up from scratch. The party’s state president has a tough task cut out for him and setting up a new KPCC unit and getting it up and running is likely to take at least another year. “When such a huge task is ahead of the party, the national leaders do not want to withdraw support from the coalition. Siddaramaiah was given a free rein to make decisions during the 2018 Assembly and the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections. Besides a few leaders in Siddaramaiah’s faction, none of the MLAs want to dissolve the government and go for re-election. The party is not prepared for it,” the source said. The high command is believed to have advised Siddaramaiah to avoid stirring up controversies regarding the stability of the coalition government until a new KPCC is steady enough to function efficiently. Besides, the party leaders say that turmoil in Karnataka would be disastrous for the party in the upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra scheduled to be held in November. “Siddaramaiah wants to become the Chief Minister. This is a personal issue for him. He is not looking at what the party needs at the moment. If support is withdrawn, our MLAs are apprehensive about going to BJP because they know their careers will be sidelined. The BJP wants to go for re-election and we are in no position to fight one now,” the source added. On Wednesday, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy met former Kalaburgi MP and veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge soon after learning about Siddaramaiah’s agenda to withdraw support from the coalition. Sources close to Kharge say that he reassured the Chief Minister that such an agenda would not be approved by the high command. “Siddaramaiah will never openly rebel against the high command. His supporters will definitely stir up dissent and call for the dissolution of the government but even they know that jumping ship to BJP is not an option, as Yeddyurappa will sideline them once they resign from their MLA posts. The BJP is also not amenable to give them tickets to contest elections in case of snap polls,” the source added.  

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Heading towards Bengaluru's MG Road? Get ready for traffic diversions for 4 years

Infrastructure

The Kamaraj Road connecting MG Road and Cubbon Road will remain closed for four years until the Metro work is completed.

TNM Staff

The Namma Metro expansion in Bengaluru has hit the Central Business District in the city, making the arterial MG Road and Cubbon Road a traffic nightmare for motorists. Since construction work began last Saturday, a 200m section connecting Brigade Road (MG Road Cauvery Emporium) to Cubbon Road Junction has been blocked. As a result, what would have taken minutes has now increased travel time for motorists by at least 15 minutes for those travelling from Cubbon Road to MG Road and vice versa. But there’s no respite in store any time soon. The 200m stretch on Kamaraj Road will be closed until March 2023, when the Namma Metro line is expected to be ready. During this four-year period parking vehicles on MG Road and Brigade Road will be banned. The road closure has paralysed the traffic flow in a good part of the central business district of the city. Traffic police officials said the cascading effects of this blockage can be felt as far as Shivajinagar and Residency Road in either side. Tunneling work on the Kamaraj Road has begun for the construction of a new station as part of the Metro Phase II (Reach 6)) Gottigere-Nagavara Line. The underground station on Kamaraj Road will connect to the existing MG Road station. The Traffic Police Department has also created some diversions to accommodate vehicles which would otherwise use the Kamaraj Road. For the next four years, all vehicles travelling towards Shivajinagar from Trinity can take a right turn only at Anil Kumble Circle instead of the Kamaraj Road. Similarly, motorists heading from MG Road towards Trinity Circle will also be redirected to enter Central Street towards BRV junction. Meanwhile, vehicles coming from BRV junction side towards MG Road have to come via the Manipal Centre on Cubbon Road and take the Webbs Junction before entering MG Road. These diversions will also affect BMTC bus routes as buses won’t be allowed to access Murphy Road at the Anjaneya Temple junction. Instead, buses have to stick to Swamy Vivekananda Road- Ulsoor Police Station- Trinity Circle- Richmond Road route. Noted traffic expert and senior engineer MN Sreehari said, “At this point, there is not much the traffic police can do. It is a planning problem which is plaguing the city and this is also an example of the same. At the planning stage, if all the Metro Phase 1 was underground today, they would not have to close this important lifeline of a road. Just to save one-time cost, the government have created this problem.”  

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Turmoil inside Afghanistan cricket team as it languishes at the bottom in World Cup

Sport

Coach Phil Simmons has indicated that he will reveal chief selector's Dawlat Ahmadzai's role in the removal of Asghar Afghan as captain ahead of the World Cup.

TNM Staff

Tensions are brewing inside the dressing room of the Afghanistan cricket team after coach Phil Simmons on Wednesday indicated in a tweet that he will reveal chief selector Dawlat Ahmadzai's role in the removal of Asghar Afghan as skipper on the eve of the Cricket World Cup in England. He said that the decision affected the team's preparation for the World Cup in England and Wales, where it is the only team yet to win a game. "I am in the middle of a World Cup and trying to get our team to perform to the level we expect but at the end of the World Cup I will tell the Afghanistan people about the part that Dawlat Ahmadzai had to play in our preparation and his part in the dismissal of #AsgharAfghan," said Simmons. He was responding to a tweet by an Afghan journalist in which Ahmadzai was quoted to be laying the blame for the team's dismal run at the World Cup on the shoulders of the coaching staff led by Simmons.  Afghanistan's pre-World Cup preparation was marked by major changes, most notably the sacking of long-time skipper Asghar Afghan from the role. Senior players Rashid Khan, who replaced him as T20I skipper, and Mohammad Nabi publicly expressed their displeasure. Simmons announced shortly thereafter that he will not be continuing as Afghanistan's head coach after the World Cup.  The instability spilled into the tournament in which Afghanistan's woeful run has seen them sitting at the bottom of the standings with five losses in as many matches. Their most recent defeat came at the hands of hosts England where the latter hit a whopping 25 sixes batting first and star spinner Rashid conceded 110 runs in 9 overs -- the most by any bowler in a World Cup match.  Going into the World Cup, Rashid was touted to have a breakthrough tournament after he rose to 3rd position in the ICC ODI Bowlers rankings. But the tournament has been one to forget for Rashid and the Afghanistan team so far which is languishing at the bottom of the table.  The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) was also in the news recently when wicket-keeper Mohammad Shahzad, who was ruled out with a knee injury, said that he was not informed of his ouster and accused the ACB of conspiring against him.   

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AH Vishwanath urges JD(S) to accept his resignation as party president

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Vishwanath said he was even considering resigning from his position as MLA of Hunsur constituency.

TNM Staff

The divisions in the Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka came to the fore once again on Thursday after the party’s president AH Vishwanath reiterated his desire to quit his post. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Vishwanath said he was even considering resigning from his position as MLA of Hunsur constituency in Mandya. “Chief Ministers in the past have managed to balance party work and chief ministerial responsibilities. Kumaraswamy also should balance these two jobs. A ministerial position is vacant, 360 board and corporation head positions are vacant, and giving it to our workers will secure our position in this government. I urge him to lead us to becoming a nation-wide party. Please accept my resignation. Otherwise I will have to think about resigning from the position of Hunsur MLA,” Vishwanath said. Vishwanath decided to quit his position as JD(S) president earlier this month citing differences with his party colleagues and with members of the Congress. He also took responsibility for the party’s humbling defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, in which it managed to win just a single seat in the state. His resignation is yet to be accepted by the party. Responding to Vishwanath’s ultimatum, JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda stated that he will discuss the position of party president in a meeting of party leaders on Thursday. “Today, we have a meeting where all leaders will be present. We will discuss at that time. He has said he is not quitting the party but will not continue as president,” Deve Gowda said at a press conference at the JD(S) party office in Bengaluru. Deve Gowda added that he met Congress President Rahul Gandhi and requested him to ensure that Congress leaders in Karnataka refrained from publicly discussing the coalition government in power in the state. He was responding to reports that former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had suggested withdrawing support to the coalition government as it would improve the Congress’ chances of winning elections in the state. “There is ample time and I do not want to react to those statements. Two independent members have been inducted into the cabinet. All I ask is that there should not be a public reaction by any member of our party or of the Congress. I am watching and I am hurt by the statements being made and I request all Karnataka leaders not to make any public statements against the government,” he added. The flurry of press conferences comes amid fresh uncertainty over the coalition government’s future in the state. Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy publicly admitted that he was in pain leading the coalition government in the state. Despite the complaints, he is set to address a press conference later today discussing the achievements of the coalition government along with Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara.

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Trump-approved Medicaid work rules didn't increase employment, study finds

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