B'luru dental student with rare pain condition accuses professors of harassment

Harassment

Anubha Mahajan developed a rare medical condition following an accident, and required her to take rest and medication for the constant pain in her leg.

Dr Nimeshika Jayachandran

Image for representation

A dental postgraduate student in Bengaluru has said that she had to discontinue her course after her professors began harassing her allegedly for a medical condition she is suffering from following an accident. In 2014, Anubha Mahajan met with an accident, following which she developed Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a relatively rare condition that causes chronic pain following an accident, stroke, or injury. Two years later, she joined the Oxford Dental College in Bengaluru’s Bommanahalli to do her post-graduate degree in Dental Science at the Department of Paedodontics and Preventive Dentistry. However, within a month of joining, the postgraduate student said that she was bullied and harassed by the professors in her department allegedly due to her medical condition. A person with CRPS may complain of constant severe pain, which has been compared to a "burning" or "pins and needles" sensation. It generally affects the arms or legs of an individual. “I used to take leave to take care of my leg pain, but only when necessary. I always ensured that the Head of Department, Dr Priya Subramaniam, was aware and sanctioned my leave," she tells TNM. "However, I ended up facing a lot of judgement. The department would scold me for taking leave, even if I only took off one day in a month. Furthermore, when I approached my guide in the department, Dr Neeraja G Raju, she refused to believe me and claimed that I had a mental condition called Munchausen Syndrome, and was making up everything,” Anubha said. Munchausen Syndrome is a mental illness wherein a person feigns an illness. In November 2016, she had to undergo another surgery for the injury she sustained in the earlier accident. When she returned to college after 20 days, Anubha claimed, the harassment worsened. The department professors allegedly forced her to sit outside the classroom for two days and continued to harass her, claiming that her behaviour was “reckless”. "They also made derogatory remarks against me, stating, since I come from North India, I come to Bengaluru only to party," she adds. Anubha eventually decided to leave. In January this year, she wrote to the college administration, stating that she was leaving the college due to personal reasons. “I didn’t want to mention any names or make a big issue out of this, which is why I didn’t say anything about the bullying at the time,” says Anubha. Even though she had applied to get her certificates back, the college administration refused. It was June, and she still did not receive her certificates. That’s when she decided to file a complaint and highlight the bullying by the professors. Anubha wrote to both the Dental Council of India (DCI) and Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (under which Oxford Dental College falls), seeking action against the professors of the department for the bullying and harassment she faced. The DCI, in turn, has ordered Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences to ascertain the veracity of the allegation, take appropriate action and submit the report to the Council. Although TNM reached out, the college has not responded yet.

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Setback for DK Shivakumar, court sends K'taka Cong leader to ED custody till Sep 13

Crime

The court said that family members and lawyers can meet him only for 15 and 30 minutes respectively on a daily basis

TNM Staff

File image

In a setback to senior Congress leader and former Karnataka Minister DK Shivakumar, a special Enforcement Directorate court in New Delhi on Wednesday sent him to ED custody till September 13. The court said that family members and lawyers can meet him only for 15 and 30 minutes respectively on a daily basis. The court has also allowed his personal doctor to meet him.  Incidentally, minutes before the judgement on his bail hearing, Shivakumar tweeted a video where he is heard saying, “Political vendetta has become more stronger than the law in this country.”   Political Vendetta has become more stronger than the law in this country pic.twitter.com/Ylo7QhBkKn — DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) September 4, 2019   Assistant Solicitor General KM Nataraj and Amit Mahajan, the ED”s standing counsel appearing for the prosecution, sought 14 days custody of Shivakumar, claiming that the former minister has been evasive. They argued that statements given by witnesses have revealed incriminating evidence against DK Shivakumar and that there was a need for further custodial interrogation. “His custodial interrogation is necessary to determine the exact source of the money and unearth the modus operandi. Some facts are still in his personal knowledge,” Nataraj told the court. “He (DKS) has made every conscious effort to misguide the investigation. He still has not explained the cash seized during the search operation,” he added. Nataraj further said that Shivakumar has committed a "great economic offence" and the Central Bureau of Investigation has been informed of the same.  Senior Congress leader and veteran lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi and advocate Dayan Krishnan appeared for Shivakumar in the Rouse Avenue court. Shivakumar had sought bail on health grounds. Arguing for Shivakumar, Abhishek Manu Singhvi told the court that he prayed for conditional bail or “no police custody even for a minute”. He argued that the ED’s case was based on Shivakumar not admitting to the crimes he was accused of. Shivakumar was therefore protected by Article 20 of the Constitution (no person shall be compelled to be a witness against himself), he said.  Singhvi, reading various judgements on the point, insisted that the purpose of the interrogation was not for the purpose of confession. “If the accused has to speak the truth according to the prosecutor, what's the need of a judge then?” Singhvi told the court as part of the lengthy bail proceedings on Wednesday.  Shivakumar, who faced arrest late on Tuesday evening, was taken to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital after doctors advised him rest during the mandatory health checkup on Tuesday night. Before he was produced in court, attempts by the Congress top leadership, including AICC-Karnataka-in-charge and even his brother DK Suresh, Bengaluru Rural MP, to meet him failed.  He has been arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and section 120 B of the Income Tax Act after the Income Tax Department filed a chargesheet against the Congress leader in the Economic Offences Court in 2018.    Income Tax sleuths have accused DK Shivakumar of developing a hawala network to funnel money to the Congress high command. The Income Tax Department allegedly found Rs 8.83 crore unaccounted cash in New Delhi and accused DK Shivakumar of purchasing various properties in the national capital via the money that was funnelled through the alleged hawala network. In its complaint before the Special Court for Economic Offences, the I-T sleuths had alleged that DK Shivakumar had sent the cash to the All India Congress Committee (AICC). Meanwhile, protests which had started in Ramanagara, the home district of Shivakumar, spread to many districts in the state including capital Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubbali, Kodagu and other areas. Angry supporters burnt tyres, pelted stones and even burnt two KSRTC buses. Schools in Ramanagara remain closed and bus services in the entire district have been paralysed. Traffic in the Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway is being  diverted through Magadi, Huliyurudurga, Maddur and Mandya. Former CM SIddarmaiah was seen leading the protests in Mysuru while KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao took part in protests in Bengaluru. Former Minister Ramnath Rai led the protest in Mangaluru.  

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Red warning in Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga districts a month after floods

Weather

An orange warning was issued in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, and Hassan districts.

TNM Staff

PTI Photograph

A red warning was issued in Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga districts for two days starting on Wednesday after heavy rainfall was predicted in the Malnad region of Karnataka. An orange warning was issued in the three coastal districts - Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada, as well as Hassan district. The warnings were issued by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC). Meanwhile, moderate rains with strong winds were predicted in Bengaluru.  "Heavy rains are expected in parts of Karnataka because of an off-shore trough. A depression in northwest Bay of Bengal is pulling humid westerlies associated with the offshore trough," Sunil Gavaskar, a meteorologist with the KSNDMC, stated. A trough is a region of low barometric pressure. Nodal officials in all seven districts which are located in coastal and Malnad regions of Karnataka have been asked to stay alert and monitor the situation.  The warnings come a month after floods and landslides displaced over 4 lakh people in Karnataka. The disaster affected all seven districts where alerts have currently been issued. In Kodagu, two major landslides struck in early August. Only a year earlier in 2018, devastating landslides had struck the region. Landslides were also reported in Chikkamagaluru and Dakshina Kannada districts of Karnataka while Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada districts reported heavy floods. Relief camps, which were opened last month, have been closed except those in Kodagu district. Authorities in Kodagu managed to shift people in vulnerable areas ahead of the monsoon and later opened 45 rehabilitation centers when the rains intensified last month. Only one rehabilitation center currently remains open in Nellihudikeri in the district.  Schools and colleges in Kodagu district will be closed for the next two days. Heavy rainfall was reported in Kodagu on Tuesday and blocking off roads leading to Bhagamandala. "While there has been little rainfall in the district so far, we are monitoring reservoir levels in the district. We want to ensure that even if there is heavy rainfall, we can give sufficient warning to residents in catchment areas," said Harish Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, Uttara Kannada.   

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Why bank unions in coastal Karnataka are upset with mergers of public sector banks

Protest

For employees and families connected to the banks that were founded in coastal Karnataka, the mergers signal the end of a legacy spanning decades.

Prajwal Bhat

The merger of Syndicate Bank with Canara Bank and the merger of Corporation Bank with Union Bank of India and Andhra Bank, raised eyebrows across the country but in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts in Karnataka, the news came as a rude shock to a section of its residents. A protest was held in Mangaluru on Wednesday against the merger of the banks founded in coastal Karnataka. The protest was organised by the unions of the banks being merged and supported by a number of like-minded groups, including the Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI), Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS). "At a time when we should be celebrating 50 years since the nationalisation of our banks, we are dealing with its merger. Dakshina Kannada is considered the cradle of banking. All four public sector banks are based here (and in Udupi). Out of them, the history and the identity of three banks have been wiped out and only Canara Bank's identity remains," BM Madhav, state vice president of the Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) said.   The protests come eight months after similar protests were held opposing the merger of Vijaya Bank, another bank founded in Mangaluru, with Bank of Baroda. "We are not surprised because we held protests after the merger of Vijaya Bank with Bank of Baroda. People were emotional about the decision to merge but it is a decision we have to accept because people in this region voted for this government,” added Muneer Katipalla, state president of the DYFI.  Protest against the merger of Vijaya Bank in Mangaluru in January 2019 It was in the two coastal Karnataka districts that Canara Bank, Syndicate Bank, Corporation Bank and Vijaya Bank were founded before India gained independence. Karnataka Bank was also another bank founded in Mangaluru. All five banks were established by philanthropists belonging to different communities in the region.  The first of the banks to be built was Corporation Bank in the temple town of Udupi in 1906 by Khan Bahadur Haji Abdullah Haji Kassim Bahadur Saheb (Haji Abdullah). The bank was nationalised in the second round of nationalisation in 1980 by the Indira Gandhi-led Union Government. Canara Bank was built by Ammembal Subba Rao Pai in Mangaluru in the same year. Ammembal belonged to the Gowda Saraswat Brahmin community. It was nationalised in 1969 in the first round of banks nationalised by the Indira Gandhi-led Union Government. Syndicate Bank was formed in 1925 by TMA Pai, Upendra Pai and Vaman Kudva. Its headquarters is in the student town of Manipal. At the time of its establishment, the bank was known as Canara Industrial and Banking Syndicate Limited and it was formed to assist local weavers affected by a crisis in the handloom industry. It was later nationalised in 1969.  The other bank to emerge from coastal Karnataka was Vijaya Bank which was founded by a group of farmers led by Attavar Balakrishna Shetty on Vijayadashami day in 1931 (hence the name 'Vijaya'). Farmers from the agrarian Bunt community came together to form the bank to help cultivators in the region. It was nationalised in 1980. "The idea of starting the banks was to ensure that common people had access to banking services because, in those days, all the banks were controlled by the British. This was an alternative provided by philanthropists who came together with a similar ideology," explains KS Balachandra Rao, former general manager of Canara Bank. Balachandra Rao worked in Canara Bank for 41 years, from 1973, and retired in 2014. He laments that the legacy of coastal Karnataka's banks will now be taken over by other banks that were merged with it but he admits that this is something people in coastal Karnataka have to accept. "At some point, we have to look past the emotion attached to this." He expressed hope that the merger of Canara Bank and Syndicate Bank, two banks familiar in the region, will lead to banks being built in villages currently without one. "If in a particular place, there is a branch of Canara Bank and a branch of Syndicate Bank, the banks will decide whether two banks are necessary and based on the preference of the local population, one bank will be moved to another place. This could lead to newer areas being included in the banking map," says Balachandra. But for employees and families connected to the banks, the mergers signal the end of a legacy spanning decades. "During the merger, the banks local to Dakshina Kannada and Udupi should have been merged with each other but Corporation Bank and Vijaya Bank were merged with banks elsewhere. This will not inspire confidence among the people in this region," added Madhav. 

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As K'taka Edu Min insists on compulsory transfers, teachers say policy is discriminatory

Education

A 2018 amendment states that teachers whose spouses are also government employees can get permission to not get transferred, which other teachers say is unfair.

Theja Ram

Representation Photo

After many delays, the Karnataka Education Department has finally given the green signal for the transfer of primary and secondary government school teachers despite protests. Primary and Secondary Education Minister Suresh Kumar on Wednesday said that 4,260 school teachers will be transferred starting Thursday. Suresh Kumar also said that the government will modify the Karnataka State Civil Services (Regulation of Transfer of Teachers) Amendment Act 2018 in order to address the issues raised by teachers across the state. “There are so many schools in remote areas that need good teachers and these transfers must happen. But many teachers are unhappy with the amendments brought in 2018 and we will work towards making changes in this law to accommodate the demands of the teachers. We will amend the law next year,” the Minister said. The 2018 amendment makes transfers mandatory for government school teachers who have completed 10 years of service. The areas have been divided into Zone A, Zone B and Zone C. Schools in cities, district headquarters and upwardly mobile areas fall under Zone A. The rest fall under Zone B and C, with remote areas falling under Zone C. The act states that teachers who have served for over 10 years in Zone A schools will be transferred to Zone B and C schools while teachers in Zones B and C will be transferred to Zone A schools. Why are teachers protesting against the 2018 amendment? Sharada is a 42-year-old government school teacher in Mysuru and has taught in the same school for 10 years. She is up for a transfer to another school soon, and many like her are opposed to these transfers. “See, I am not opposed to transfers at all. What I am opposed to is the fact that only certain teachers are identified and forced to shift while many others are free to stay back in their posts,” Sharada says. She is referring to the 2018 amendment, which states that those teachers whose spouses are also government employees can obtain permission to not get transferred. “If the teacher’s husband or wife is also working as a government employee in the same place, then they won’t get transferred but I am being forced to leave my family and children because my husband works in the private sector. If transfers happen, they must be done fairly for everyone. It was not like this in the 2007 Act. Our only demand is to make this transfer process fair,” Sharada says. Several teachers like Sharada met with Minister Suresh Kumar on Wednesday and requested him to consider their demands. A meeting was held with officials of the Education Department, after which the announcement to amend the 2018 Act was made. Currently, over 4,000 primary school and 1,234 secondary school teachers have been identified for transfers starting Thursday. Of these, 713 from primary schools and 345 from secondary schools have been exempted from compulsory transfer as there are no vacancies in the subjects they teach. In addition, 3,166 primary and 611 secondary school teachers are eligible for mutual transfers. This year, 6,067 teachers have been transferred prior to Wednesday’s announcement. Is the 2018 Amendment problematic? According to Madegowda, Director in-charge of primary school teacher transfers, the state government had brought in compulsory transfers in 2017 by formulating rules to the Karnataka State Civil Services (Regulation of Transfer of Teachers Act 2007). “This was done to ensure that schools in remote areas have good teachers to improve the quality of education and to also ensure that vacancies are filled. But amendments were made to the 2007 Act in 2018 and this has resulted in teachers being unhappy over the transfers,” Madegowda said. Karnataka has 2,26,517 government school teachers in both primary and secondary schools. Of these, 22,150 posts in primary schools and 3,453 posts in secondary schools are currently vacant. This means that 11.07% of the posts are vacant, with most vacancies being in Zone C areas or remote areas. According to data obtained from the Primary and Secondary Education Department, Belagavi district has the highest number of vacancies with 2,980 vacancies in primary and secondary schools. This is followed by Vijayapura with 2,033 vacancies and Yadgir with 1,954 vacancies. “We have begun the process of hiring guest teachers for vacant posts and the transfers will also help in filling up vacancies as it is easier to hire teachers for Zone A schools as opposed to Zone B or C schools. If the government bring in changes to the 2018 law, then the transfers will become easier. Currently, we are getting a lot of complaints that the rules are discriminatory,” an official with the Primary and Secondary Education Department said.    

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Democrats bet big on Obamacare to win Virginia statehouse

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DK Shivakumar arrest: The cost and optics of the Congress leader’s tears

Opinion

While some BJP leaders fear that his arrest could turn him into a martyr, DK Shivakumar’s supporters hope that this will be a turning point for him.

Sowmya Aji

PTI

Former Karnataka Minister and Congress leader DK Shivakumar’s detractors will insist that he was shedding crocodile tears and that he deserves to be arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The knives are out as those that were subdued or coerced by him in various situations mockingly quote his own lines back to him: ‘Uppu thinda mele neeru kudibeku,’ a well-known Kannada saying that literally translates to, if you eat salt, you will have to drink water. In this context, it means, you get what you deserve.  But DK Shivakumar’s legion of fans, followers and staunch supporters are shell-shocked. Not by the arrest, which they, along with all political watchers and the man himself, have been expecting for nearly six months now. They are stunned that the man called ‘Sathnur Huli’, (the tiger of Sathnur, which is his old Assembly constituency) who epitomizes the swaggering machismo of southern Karnataka Vokkaligas actually cried on camera. This because he could not conduct rituals on Ganesha Chaturthi to pay homage to his late father due to the ED’s summons.  The Vokkaliga community as well as the citizens of Karnataka have frequently seen tears from former Prime Minister HD and JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda, until recently the tallest leader of their community and region. Gowda’s son, former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy is also known to be rather emotional in public. But Shivakumar, who was their archrival until the JD(S) and Congress joined hands in 2018, has always met adversity with a smile and nonchalance.  While some in the BJP crow with joy at their success in bringing down Shivakumar “to his knees”, as one party member said informally, others are rather puzzled. Shivakumar is known for his strategies, his ‘persuasive’ abilities and his brilliance at gaining public attention and sympathy. Several, even in the BJP, admit that he is the only person who has gained some respect even from BJP President Amit Shah. Sympathy, tears and a public image The Congress is floundering in its response, caught unawares both by Shivakumar’s tears and by his arrest by the ED. The party has, however, condemned and protested his arrest. While the emotion did appear real and spontaneous, his detractors point out that it has instantly gained him sympathy from all the people who believe in the importance of traditions, something the BJP in Karnataka is rather uneasily aware of. This could be one reason why Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had said that he takes no happiness in Shivakumar’s arrest and prays that he comes out of the case. Yediyurappa and Shivakumar were co-accused in a land grab case. The BJP, however, is aware that there is a strong public perception that Shivakumar is allegedly being penalized by the ED for shielding Gujarat’s Congress MLAs against poaching by the BJP when party leader Ahmed Patel needed to be elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2017. His fans even in the BJP admit that foiling Amit Shah’s designs is a bad idea. The Income Tax Department and the ED have since relentlessly followed up and some allege, foisted, cases on him.  The tears underscore this point. But along with his genuine grouse that he had to miss the Ganesha pooja at his house due to the ED, Shivakumar also went on to state that he has never lied or grabbed land or done anything illegal, ever. Given the spate of cases against him and the general public perception that he is allegedly part of the real estate mafia in Bengaluru, these statements constitute a misstep that his supporters reluctantly acknowledge. What it does show, however, is that the tears were not planned or orchestrated, as Shivakumar has evidently not thought out how the outburst could have been used to maximum effect instead of merely being a wrapper around inane statements.  A turning point? Still, Shivakumar’s fans and detractors see the tears and the subsequent arrest of the man as a sort of turning point in his career. While some political observers are predicting this to be the end of his well-known aspiration of wanting to be Karnataka Chief Minister, others say the arrest could actually help him get sufficient heft and gravitas to lead the Congress in the future, and be a serious contender for the top post.  Shivakumar’s failing has been that he is seen as a great backroom operator, extremely good at dirty tricks. That image has to change, if he needs to go any further in his career. If, as his fans say, he is able to turn his arrest by the central agency into an act of political vendetta and gain sympathy across caste lines, the situation is ripe for his emergence as a strong political leader. His showmanship, so far, has been the flashy kind that gains admirers and retweets, but not the trust of an electorate across regional and caste groups. He is a man with friends across parties, including in high places in the BJP. Whether the BJP will turn him into a martyr, around whom all their opponents converge or eliminate him completely as a threat is for now a matter of speculation. If he is to indeed become an anti-BJP force, as some political observers are predicting, something really dramatic needs to happen. Shivakumar needs to change, perhaps, even the tattoo on his arm -that of a furious, raging bull. The tears could just be a mere first step in that direction.  Sowmya Aji is a political journalist who has covered Karnataka for 26 years. Views expressed are author's own.  

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