NIA recovers 2 bombs in Ramanagara, day after terror accused’s arrest near Bengaluru

Crime

The bombs were found under a bridge, and the NIA suspects that there may be more devices in the area and is conducting a thorough search.

TNM Staff

A day after a Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen operative was arrested near Bengaluru, the police have recovered two bombs in Ramanagara, around 50 km away from the city.  The Ramanagara police, canine squad and fire and emergency services, rushed to Tippu Nagar in Ramanagara district on Wednesday to recover the bombs. According to the Ramanagara police, the NIA obtained information regarding these bombs from Habibur Rehman,  a Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen operative who was arrested from Doddaballapur on Tuesday. The bombs were found under a bridge in ward number 23 in Tippu Nagar. The NIA suspects that there may be more devices in the area and is conducting a thorough search.  Habibur Rehman SK alias Habibur SK alias Sheikh alias Habibur Kabore Shaik (28), hails from Muluk Shantipalli village in West Bengal's Birbhum district. He was chargesheeted on March 30, 2015 in the Burdwan Blast Case as the prime accused. He was charged with involvement in the conspiracy of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) to wage war against the Government of India and Bangladesh. According to the NIA, Habibur Rehman Sheikh was a close associate of senior JMB leader Jahidul Islam alias Kausar and was also associated with other JMB leaders like Rahamatullah SK alias Sajid and Moulana Yusuf. "He was an active member of JMB, Bolpur Module in West Bengal. He had attended a number of training camps conducted by JMB," the NIA had said in a statement.  Habibur Rehman was produced before the XLIX Additional City Civil and Sessions Court & NIA Special Judge in Bengaluru on Tuesday and the court had granted the agency 5 days’ transit remand for producing him before the Special NIA Court in Kolkata.  This is a developing story.  

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K’taka human rights panel recommends CID probe into under-trial Fairoz’s death

Human Rights

The death of 19-year-old Fairoz earlier in January had raised suspicions about whether he was tortured inside the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru.

Theja Ram

The Karnataka State Human Rights Commission on Wednesday has recommended that the Criminal Investigation Department launch a probe into the alleged police brutality that led to the death of an under-trial prisoner, Fairoz, in January earlier this year. The death of 19-year-old Fairoz had raised suspicion about whether he was tortured inside the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru, where he was lodged. The KSHRC Chairperson, Justice DH Waghela, has also recommended that the Karnataka government pay a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to Fairoz's family.  "The state government should entrust the investigation into the criminal case in respect to the death of Syed Fairoz to the Criminal Investigation Department for carrying out further and proper investigation under the supervision of an officer not below the rank of SP for expeditious filing of investigation report in the court," Justice Waghela noted in his order, while referring to the inordinate delay in the investigation carried out by the Parappana Agrahara Police officials.  What happened to Fairoz? Syed Fairoz, a 21-year-old man was lodged in the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru in January 2018. Fairoz was under trial for the possession of marijuana. On January 19, Fairoz was rushed to the prison hospital as his right leg had developed an infection.  On January 21, when his condition worsened, he was taken to Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru and on January 23, he succumbed to his injuries. The autopsy report revealed that the cause of death was assault and that his right leg had developed gangrene and had turned septic.  "Patient experienced multiorgan dysfunctional syndrome, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC) with acute kidney injury (AKI). Patient went into septic shock with DIC and AKI," the autopsy report revealed.  Dr Suresh, who conducted Fairoz's autopsy, mentioned in his report: "The histopathology report stated that the death was due to septicaemia consequent upon injuries sustained. However, I am of the opinion that pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome could have caused secondary complications of the injuries that were found over the body of the deceased." After his death, the Parappana Agrahara Police filed an unnatural death report. However, when the news of Fairoz's death was reported in the media, an inquiry headed by a magistrate was lodged.  The magisterial inquiry, which went on for over three months, concluded that Fairoz was beaten by prison officials, refused treatment and his condition was neglected.  "The inquiry was also slow because of the elections and officers were getting transferred. But the conclusion was that Fairoz may have been murdered and the magistrate inquiry suggested that the police register a case of murder and probe the case further," a senior police official said.  After months of delay, the inquiry concluded in April this year and the Parappana Agrahara Police registered a case of murder and criminal conspiracy against the prison officials.  Fairoz's brother Syed Tabrez, who submitted a sworn affidavit to the KSHRC, had expressed apprehension that the Parappana Agrahara Police were delaying obtaining witness statements and that the names of the accused prison officials were not mentioned in the FIR registered on May 16. Although the prime suspect is prison warden Jabbar Patel, his name does not appear in the FIR, which was noted by the KSHRC.   The KSHRC obtained statements from Somashekar, the Chief Superintendent of the prison; Nandeesh, the officer heading the magistrate inquiry; and Syed Tabrez, Fairoz's brother. The KSHRC concluded in its order that the case should be handed over to the CID for a speedy investigation and that the family should be compensated due to the negligence of government servants.  Read: Did police brutality result in the death of an undertrial prisoner in Bengaluru? Read: 'Fairoz was beaten, cops refused treatment': Brother of Bengaluru undertrial who died

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Karnataka Cabinet to look into demands of Valmiki community, after protests

Reservation

Members of the Valmiki community had staged a protest in Bengaluru seeking 7.5 per cent reservation in place of the existing 3 per cent.

TNM Staff

After the members of the Valmiki community staged a protest march in Bengaluru demanding 7.5 per cent reservation, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has announced the government will look into the community’s demands. The issue will be taken up in the next cabinet meeting. Members of the Valmiki community, which is classified as a Scheduled Tribe, are seeking 7.5 per cent reservation in place of the existing 3 per cent.  Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara announced Tuesday that a panel will be constituted to look into the community’s demands. Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy also stated that the state government is planning to increase reservation for ST's in the state. The CM held a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwara and ministers Satish Jarkiholi and Priyank Kharge on the issue on Tuesday. In a statement, the CM’s office said, “Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy today discussed the reservation of Scheduled Tribes. The government is seriously concerned about the reservation of Scheduled Tribes. Social Welfare Minister Priyanka Kharge will discuss the reservation with them.” The meeting was called a day after a group of hundreds of protesters walked from Rajanahalli in Davanagere district to Bengaluru, a distance of 280 km, demanding that the reservation for the community should be raised. Community members argued that the numerically strong Valmiki community would continue to protest until their demands are met.  "We are happy that our protest evoked a response but we are waiting to see if our demands will be met, " said Narasimha Murthy, a member of the community from Magadi.  The protests were supported by BJP leader B Sriramulu, considered one of the biggest leaders belonging to the community. JD(S) leader Shashi Kumar was also present at the protest site. The protest on Wednesday brought traffic in Bengaluru's central area to a standstill and even forced Power Minister DK Shivakumar to travel by metro.

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'You voted for Modi, go ask him': Kumaraswamy's rant at protesters in a village

Politics

This was when the CM was on his way to a Raichur village for his second village stay program.

TNM Staff

“Should I order police to lathi charge? You vote for Narendra Modi and expect me to solve your problem...You don’t deserve any respect,” this is what Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said after losing his cool at a bunch of protesters on Wednesday. Members of the Yeramarus Thermal Power Plant workers stopped the KSRTC bus CM Kumaraswamy had boarded, which was on its way to Karegudde village. Tungabhadra Valaya Hangami Karmikara Sangha and Hutti Gold Mines Staff Employees Union had gathered to narrate their woes of not getting salaries to the Chief Minister. But instead of getting a sympathetic ear, what they got was a rant from the Chief Minister. The incident happened when the CM was on his way to a Raichur village on his second 'village stay' program. The Karnataka CM started the 'village stay' program to visit villages and earn the confidence of the people by listening to their issues and solving them. #WATCH Raichur: Workers from Yermarus Thermal Power Station protested before the bus of Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy over wages and other issues & raised slogans of 'Shame! Shame!', while he was on his way to Karegudda for his 'village stay prog'. The CM got angry on protesters. pic.twitter.com/FK3OI4limx — ANI (@ANI) June 26, 2019 The protesters, a majority of them workers from the Yermarus Thermal Power Station and Hutti Gold Mines had started shouting slogans when CM was about to leave the inspection bungalow in Yermarus. For 20 minutes, they gheraoed the CM chanting slogans demanding the government meet their demands regarding pending pays and work conditions.   According to the protestors, 748 employees working for the power plant have not been paid salary for the last 14 months, the protesters claimed.  R Manasayya, a union leader said that the CM had promised to meet them at Yeramarus bungalow to discuss the issue.  When they saw his bus pass without stopping, the workers rushed out to stop the bus. Speaking to reports, he said CM broke his promise to listen to people's problems. After realising that the protesters won’t let go of him, the CM agreed to have a talk with the protestors from the bus. He later assured that their problems would be taken care of within a week. Reacting to the CM’s rant, the BJP launched an attack on him. BJP MLA Arvind Limbavali said, “If you cannot listen to the people then who in Karnataka asked you to become the CM ? Kannadigas anyways didn't vote for you nor did they ask you to be the CM. Do the state a favor by stepping down. You are fit for nothing.” Look at the arrogance of @hd_kumaraswamy If you cannot listen to the plead of people then who in Karnataka asked you to become the CM ? Kannadigas anyways didn't vote for you nor did they ask you to be the CM. Do the state a favor by stepping down. You are fit for nothing pic.twitter.com/jUjlfROAYE — Arvind Limbavali (@bjparvind) June 26, 2019

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K’taka govt removes cap on scholarships for SC/ST students applying to foreign varsities

Education

The Prabuddha Overseas Scholarships Scheme has been extended to graduate courses and the pre-existing cap of Rs 40 lakh has been lifted.

TNM Staff

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In a boost to the prospects of SC/ST students in Karnataka seeking degrees from foreign universities, the state government has done away with the cap on tuition fee for students who apply under the Prabuddha scheme. Previously the cap for each student was Rs 40 lakh.  The Prabuddha Overseas Scholarships Scheme, re-launched under the Social Welfare Department in December 2018, allowed students from these socially disadvantaged communities to pursue postgraduate and PhD programmes. The students could study for free or partially subsidised costs, including the student’s course fees, living costs and air tickets. The government has now extended the scheme for graduate courses as well.  Till date, under the scheme, 30 students have been selected and sent to foreign countries and Rs 13.11 crore has been spent under phase-I since then.  The students applying for this scholarship can apply for a list of select courses of universities in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and the US listed in the department’s website, based on their choice of streams.  From this phase, all students of SC/ ST category who have cleared their Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), Scholastic Aptitude/Assessment Test (SAT) are eligible to apply. “For the second phase, there are several changes including the removal of the cap of scholarship on what each student can get. Another big change is that students can also go abroad for undergraduate studies too. Now the scheme will cover 100% of the travel, college fee, living expenses,” Kunal Shah, a private consultant working with the department told TNM. “Also this time we have streamlined the courses which we identified based on their reputation and record. This way we are encouraging people to go to any and every college. The entire process is online and one will be called for verification once they meet the criteria and the scholarship will be issued immediately,” he added. The changes in the scheme come after Priyank Kharge, the Minister for Social Welfare, met beneficiaries of the first phase on June 17 along with their parents. While students from families having an annual income of Rs 8 lakh and less were eligible for 100% financial aid, students from families having an annual income of Rs 8-15 lakh were allowed a 50% subsidy. Students having a family income of Rs 15-25 lakh could get 33% of their costs provided by the government. The government had allocated Rs 120 crore in total for roughly 400 students for this financial year.  

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No member from south India in 15th Finance Commission: Karnataka Minister Byre Gowda

Finance

Karnataka Minister Krishna Byre Gowda accused the Centre of injustice done to the state in central allocations, and appealed to the 15th Finance Commission to make fair recommendations.

TNM Staff

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On Wednesday, Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Krishna Byre Gowda expressed his displeasure over the 15th Finance Commission not having a single member from south India.  "It’s unfortunate that Central Government could not find one capable person from South India to serve in the 5 member 15th Finance Commission. In past many members from the South have done illustrious service to the nation," Krishna Byre Gowda tweeted. It’s unfortunate that Central Government could not find one capable person from South India to serve in the 5 member 15th Finance Commission. In past many members from the South have done illustrious service to the Nation. (1/4) — Krishna Byre Gowda (@krishnabgowda) June 26, 2019 The members led by Chairman NK Singh are AN Jha, Dr Ashok Lahiri, Dr Anoop Singh, Prof Ramesh Chand. AN Jha had in March replaced Shaktikanta Das, who had resigned as member of the Commission after he was appointed as RBI Governor. The Commission has been tasked with determining how the tax revenue collected by the Centre is distributed among the states for the period of five years, beginning on April 1, 2020. The 14th Finance Commission was led by former RBI Governor YV Reddy. The other members included M Govinda Rao, Sushma Nath, Abhijit Sen, Sudipto Mundle and AN Jha. In a series of tweets, Krishna Byre Gowda also reiterated Karnataka's long-standing demand for drought relief and pointed out that injustice has been meted out to the state. "Injustice was done to Karnataka in Central allocations during 2015-20. For eg. to meet the needs of drought and floods, Karnataka got Rs 1527 crore under SDRF (State Drought Relief Fund) for the period of 2015-20, whereas Maharashtra got Rs 8195 crore," he said. (2/4) Injustice was done to Karnataka in Central allocations during 2015-20. For eg. to meet the needs of drought and floods, Karnataka got ₹. 1527 Cr under SDRF for the period of 2015-20, whereas Maharashtra got ₹ 8195 Cr. — Krishna Byre Gowda (@krishnabgowda) June 26, 2019 The Minister said that the Karnataka government has appealed to the 15th Finance Commission to "correct these injustices" and "make fair recommendations".  "I hope this failure of the Central Government will be overcome by the members of current Commission and do justice to the better performing states of the South. Instead of penalising, we hope they will reward performance and efficiency," he added.  On Tuesday, the members of the 15th Finance Commission met with Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and several bureaucrats. The Commission claimed that it would not change the Terms of Reference (ToR) but would consider the concerns of the southern states. Byre Gowda's statement comes after the Commission's stand to refuse to change the Terms of Reference despite stiff opposition from the South Indian states.  The 15th finance commission was constituted in November 2017. Last year, several regional parties from the south including state governments like Karnataka, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh, voiced their objections to the 15th Finance Commission’s Terms of Reference, which uses the 2011 Census data instead of 1971 to allocate funds to the state. They argued that setting 2011 Census as the baseline would penalise states that managed to control their population, while rewarding those states that have failed to do so. In April 2018, Finance Ministers of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Puducherry met in Thiruvananthapuram to deliberate the Terms of Reference of the 15th Finance Commission. This set off a series of dialogue between Finance Ministers of several southern states demanding that the Terms of Reference be changed, stating it contradicted the principles of federalism.  Krishna Byre Gowda, who was the Agriculture Minister in 2018, represented Karnataka at the meeting. He had maintained that the Terms of Reference incentivises those states that will reach the replacement fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman. But progressive states like Karnataka, that have worked hard to control their replacement fertility rate, bringing it down to less than 2.1 will lose out.   “Under the incentives clause, states which will reach the replacement fertility level of 2.1 will also get incentives. Meaning those states which have reached or crossed below 2.1 will not get incentives. Which means all the progressive states which did their nationalistic duty, called for by successive governments of India to bring the population down, which did bring it down over 30 years, will not only lose out on the first count of shifting the basis from 1971 to 2011 Census, but will also not be eligible to get the incentives which are laid out in the ToRs for 2.1. There is a double whammy delivered to progressive states in the issue of population,” Byre Gowda had said. The Centre had last year justified the use of 2011 Census as the baseline stating there was merit in using more recent population data. 

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5-year-old boy killed after being attacked by stray dogs near Bengaluru

Accident

Durgesh died due to excessive building. Police have registered a case based on the parents’ complaint.

TNM Staff

In yet another incident which highlights the laxity of authorities in implementing animal birth control measures, a 5-year-old boy died after being attacked by a pack of stray dogs on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The incident occurred on Tuesday at Bajjegowdanapalya in Soladevanahalli. The area comes under Nelamangala Town Municipality in Bengaluru Rural District. According to reports, Durgesh was the fourth child among five children of Mallappa and Mallamma, two migrant labourers from Kalaburagi. He was attacked by a pack of five dogs as he was returning after buying a packet of biscuits. He died due to excessive building. Police have registered a case based on the parents’ complaint. He was declared dead at 1:30 pm by doctors at a private hospital. “I returned home from work for lunch and Durgesh told me he was ill and didn’t want to eat rice. So he took Rs 5 from me to buy a packet of biscuits. After I gave him the money, I went to have a bath. A little later, I heard my son screaming. I rushed out and found nearly a dozen dogs attacking my son. Passersby chased the dogs away,” TOI quoted Mallapa as saying. A policeman said, “Doctors advised him to shift Durgesh to Saptagiri hospital. However, Durgesh was declared dead on reaching Saptagiri.” According to locals, the dogs used to feed on meat refuse thrown by local butchers and lying at local waste dumps. In another incident, a five-year-old girl was bitten by a stray dog in Neelasandra within Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits. Despite multiple incidents of citizens being attacked by stray dogs, the BBMP, like on several other fronts, has been found wanting. According to its own data, which is contested by experts, 1.7 lakh cases of dog bites have been registered in the last nine years. The Animal Birth Control (ABC) scheme by the BBMP has come to a halt as several irregularities have come to the fore, including the civic body not paying the NGO running the centre.      

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