Two former K’taka cricketers accused in KPL betting case sent to 7-day police custody

Sport

Former Karnataka Ranji wicketkeeper-batsman CM Gautam and his teammate Abrar Kazi were arrested early on Thursday under section 420 of the Indian Penal Code.

IANS

Two cricketers accused of receiving money in the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) betting case were remanded to seven-day police custody for interrogation, an officer said on Friday. "A local court on Thursday sent C.M. Gautam and Abrar Kazi of Bellary Tuskers to police custody till November 13 to question their alleged involvement in the multi-crore international betting case for spot fixing, in the KPL matches," Bengaluru city Crime Branch Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) S.M. Nagaraj told IANS in Bengaluru. Former Karnataka Ranji wicket-keeper-batsman Gautam and his team batsman Kazi were arrested early on Thursday under section 420 of the Indian Penal Code. On Wednesday, Bengaluru Blasters batsman Nishant Singh Shekawat was arrested for allegedly being in touch with unidentified bookies and contacting his team's bowing coach N. Vinu Prasad to fix players, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Sandeep Patil told reporters in Bengaluru. In a related development, KSCA suspended Gautam and Kazi from all activities in the state and barred both of them from using its facilities at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium in the city centre. "We have suspended Gautam and Kazi from all forms of cricket until the completion of inquiry. After the inquiry, stringent action will be taken if found guilty," Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) treasurer Vinay Mruthyunjaya told IANS. In addition to the two players, Mruthyunjaya said Prasad, Vishwanathan and Shekhawat were also suspended. Since the investigation began after Belagavi Panthers' owner Asfaq Ali Thara was arrested on September 25, six persons have been taken into custody -- Gautam, Kazi, Shekawat and Vishwanathan of Bengaluru Blasters, their bowling coach Vinu Prasad and Tuskers drummer Bhuvenash. The KSCA runs the KPL T-20 tournament every year on the lines of the popular Indian Premier League (IPL) T-20 tournament by the cash-rich Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The KPL tournament for 2019 was held from August 16-31. The KPL has seven teams representing prominent cities and towns across the southern state, including Bengaluru Blasters, Bellary Tuskers, Bijapur Bulls, Hubli Tigers, Mysuru Warriors and Namma Shivamogga squad.

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Bengaluru bus fares set to be reduced, civic groups cheer move

Public transport

As of today, the minimum bus fare is Rs 12, and the monthly pass costs Rs 925.

Prajwal Bhat

The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is set to reduce bus fares in a move to make public transport more attractive and decongest roads in the city. "Bus fares will be reduced. The exact details are being worked and it will be finalised in the next few days," Deepak N, an official with BMTC told TNM. The decision to reduce fares come after a meeting involving officials of BMTC, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), and Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) on Wednesday. The meeting was chaired by Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa.  Speaking to reporters after the meeting Yediyurappa announced that BMTC's fleet of buses will be increased with the addition of 6,000 buses in a phased manner.  Currently, BMTC operates 6,491 buses in the city and is in the process of phasing out 1,000 old buses. As of today, the minimum bus fare is Rs 12, and the monthly pass costs Rs 925. The decisions were welcomed by civic groups in the city. "We hope the Chief Minister subsidies bus fares by 50%. All over the world bus fares are heavily subsidised because investment in bus is investment in public health. It was recently done in Mumbai and Delhi. Even when the BMTC did a pilot, the volume (of commuters) increased. If bus fares are low and they are reliable and fast, there will be even more people taking the bus thereby adding to the revenues of BMTC", Srinivas Alavilli, co-founder of Citizens for Bengaluru (CfB), a citizen group, said. Read: Why Bengaluru's traffic woes aren't going away anytime soon Citizens for Bengaluru along with Bengaluru Bus Prayaneekara Vedike (BBPV), a collective that campaigns for better public transport services, organised a public campaign in 2017 with two simple demands - 'halve the fares, double the fleet'. A bus yatra was held by civic groups and residents on 7 March 2017 to highlight the need for policy intervention for supporting public transport.  BMTC piloted a programme in 2017 in which the AC Vajra bus fare was reduced by 37%. This resulted in a 42% increase in the number of commuters.  In 2018, BBPV highlighted that bus fares in Bengaluru was costlier than a bus ride in several other Indian cities including Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chandigarh, New Delhi, Chennai and Pune. Read: Study finds travelling in a bus in Bengaluru more expensive than Delhi, Mumbai A bus priority lane was piloted for the first time in October. The state government has decided to start priority bus lanes in 12 areas of the city with high traffic. Buses will get priority access over private transport especially two-wheelers and in the process motivate people to use public transport.  

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Couple allegedly killed by woman's relatives in Karnataka, police deny caste angle

Crime

The couple had married three years ago in spite of objections raised by family members since they were of different castes, a local resident said.

TNM Staff

Image for representation

A couple was killed in Lakkalakatti village of Gadag district of Karnataka after they were allegedly attacked with clubs and stones on Wednesday afternoon. The brother and uncle of the woman, Gangavva, were arrested for the murders. The couple, Ramesh (29) and Gangavva (23), had married three years ago in spite of objections raised by family members since they were of different castes, a local resident said. The duo had fled the village and had been working in Bengaluru and Shivamogga as construction labourers. According to a resident of the area, the couple used to visit the village once a year for 1-2 days. "There were panchayat raj discussions held with seniors in the village. They had warned the couple not to visit the village for 3-4 years because it hurt their pride but this year, the couple visited during Deepavali and stayed on for 8 days," a local source said. Ramesh was a Dalit man, while Gangavva belonged to the Lambani caste. They eloped and married each other three years ago. On Wednesday afternoon, at around 3 pm, the couple was allegedly attacked by Ravi and Shivaji, Gangavva's brother and uncle respectively, in front of their house. The duo allegedly beat the couple to death and then surrendered themselves at the Gajendragad police station on the same evening. Police officials investigating the case however denied that caste was the reason for the murder. "Ravi and Ramesh were friends and were close to each other. Ravi was irked that Ramesh fell in love with his sister and married her. This led to a rivalry between them and over the years, this personal animosity aggravated", Gadag Superintendent of Police Shrinath Joshi said. Police are on the lookout for two more men believed to be involved in the murder.

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Doctors protest: Members of pro-Kannada group that attacked Bengaluru doctor detained

Protest

This comes amidst the statewide bandh on all non-emergency services declared by the Indian Medical Association on Friday.

Dr Nimeshika Jayachandran

Seven days after doctors in Bengaluru started their protests, around thirty people belonging to the pro-Kannada outfit Kannada Raksha Vedike (KRV) were taken into police custody on Friday in connection with the probe into the attack on the PG student doctor at Bengaluru’s Victoria Hospital. “No arrests have been made, we are just conducting preliminary investigations. Around thirty people have been brought into our custody and discussions are underway,” a police official from the VV Puram station said to TNM.   While no official decision has been announced with regards to the protests, discussions are being held and updates are expected shortly.  It all began one week ago on November 1 when a mob of around thirty people stormed into the outpatient clinic of the Minto Eye Hospital located inside the campus of Bengaluru’s Victoria Hospital. The mob, allegedly comprising of members of the pro-Kannada group Kannada Raksha Vedike, surrounded a female postgraduate student doctor who was on duty and began asking her about an earlier incident which took place in July. When she replied in English, the agitated group attacked her, asking why she was not speaking in Kannada. KRV members TNM spoke to earlier, however, had claimed that they were there to ‘seek compensation’ on behalf of those who had lost their vision after their cataract eye surgery went wrong. Following the attack on the doctor, a complaint was lodged with the VV Puram Police by Dr HS Satish, the Dean of Bangalore Medical College (BMC), which is associated with Victoria Hospital.  The next day, November 2, doctors from Victoria Hospital and medical students of BMC began protesting outside the outpatient block of the hospital. Consultants were sparse in the clinics of the hospital as many took to protesting against the attack on the doctor. As the indefinite strike at the Bengaluru hospital continued, the Karnataka branch of the Indian Medical Association took cognisance of the issue and declared that a statewide bandh of non-emergency services would be in effect on Friday.      

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Disqualified Karnataka MLAs move SC, want December 5 bye-polls to be deferred

Court

While the Supreme Court refused to direct the Election Commission to defer the polls, it has agreed to hear the MLAs’ plea.

TNM Staff

The disqualified MLAs in Karnataka on Friday moved the Supreme Court seeking that the bye-elections in the state be deferred till the court pronounces its decision on their disqualification. The bye-elections are scheduled to be held on December 5.  The 17 Karnataka rebel MLAs of Congress and JD(S) have moved the court challenging their disqualification by the then Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. While the Supreme Court refused to direct the Election Commission to defer the polls, it has agreed to hear the MLAs in court.  Earlier this week, the Supreme Court told the Congress party that the judgement is ready in the Karnataka disqualification case and asked the party to wait for the verdict. The court was hearing the application moved by Congress counsel Kapil Sibal, asking the court to take on record the audio tape, allegedly of Karnataka Chief Minister Yediyurappa, as evidence in connection with the 17 disqualified MLAs' case.  On October 15, a bench of Justices N V Ramana, Sanjiv Khanna and Krishna Murari, after three days of continuous hearing, reserved its judgement in the case and asked the counsels to submit documents related to the matter. In July, the then Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar had disqualified the MLAs, rejecting the resignations tendered by them. Those MLAs had remained absent from the House on July 23 when former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy put the confidence motion to vote. The disqualified legislators had moved the top court, challenging the Speaker's action saying it was in gross violation of the apex court orders, and that it was illegal and unconstitutional. The rebel MLAs stated that the Speaker overreached his mandate under the Constitution while taking a decision on their resignation and then disqualified them against the law and the directions given by the top court. A battery of senior advocates appeared in the case. Senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Rajeev Dhavan, Devadatta Kamat and K Shashi Kiran Shetty represented Congress and JD(S) parties. Senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi, C A Sundaram, V V Giri, A K Ganguli, K V Vishwanathan appeared for the MLAs. (With IANS inputs)

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‘Stopped covering stormwater drains with concrete slabs on KSPCB direction’: BBMP to HC

The Karnataka High Court was hearing a PIL related to deaths owing to people falling into drains during heavy rain.

TNM Staff

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Thursday told the Karnataka High Court that it had stopped covering stormwater drains (SWDs) with concrete slabs, based on a Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) direction, reports said.  The HC Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice SR Krishna Kumar, was hearing a PIL related to deaths owing to people falling into drains during heavy rain. The KSPCB direction in turn, was based on the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) July 2018 directions in a case related to such drains in Haryana, reported The Hindu. The BBMP also said that it had not taken any expert view on the issue and only went by the KSPCB directions. But later, the BBMP got technical advise from M Inayathulla, a professor of Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, Civil Engineering Department (PG-Water Resources Engineering). Inayathulla had opined that covering drains would make it susceptible to choking and accumulation of silt, leading to flooding, after he visited certain SWDs. This submission was made by BS Prahallad, BBMP’s chief engineer, SWD, in an affidavit. The Times of India reported that the submission mentioned an experience in Peenya Industrial Area where in one instance, slabs had to be broken to clear the silt. The Hindu quoted the expert view from Inayathulla as stating that illegal sewage outlets are harder to detect in covered drains, and open SWDs help in aeration of sewage and increases the self-cleaning capacity of drains. In an earlier hearing, it was reported the court was told that chain link fencing done by the BBMP was not sufficient to prevent people falling into SWDs. According to data maintained by BBMP itself, just 230.68 kilometre length of SWDs of the total length of 842 km has been fenced and there is a proposal to fence only another 125.38 km by the end of 2021.  

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Three players of national basketball team involved in roadside scuffle in Bengaluru

Sports/Controversy

The scuffle reportedly took place as the players were returning to the national camp on Wednesday night.

TNM Staff

Amjyot Singh/ Facebook

Three players of the Indian national basketball team — Amjyot Singh, Arshpreet Bhullar and Amritpal Singh, were allegedly involved in a roadside scuffle in Bengaluru on Wednesday, media reports said.  According to the Times of India, a three-member inquiry committee of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) is probing the incident. The Indian basketball team is in Bengaluru to take part in the national camp. The scuffle reportedly took place as the players were returning to the national camp on Wednesday night and were injured in a road accident. The story came to light as Amjyot Singh posted a photo of his injured knee and arms on Instagram and accused the BFI of “suppressing” his voice.  The Indian Express reported that the fight resulted not only in injuries but also a damaged gold chain and broken spectacles. The TOI report said the trio of Amjyot, Arshpreet, and Amritpal, and an under-17 campaigner, had stepped out of the campus on two bikes without informing the officials or coaches in charge of the camp.  The four have now been issued show cause notices on why they violated the camp’s protocol, confirmed BFI secretary general Chander Mukhi Sharma to TOI. He said, “Since the two met with the accident, they feared that their act of indiscipline would come out in public. Arshpreet was furious about Amjyot not riding the bike carefully and fought with him. A scuffle broke out and the two hit each other.” However, the IE report claims that the fight ensured after Amjyot was allegedly forced by Arshdeep to consume alcohol.  “Last night, Arshdeep, Amritpal and I went to the nearby hill outside our training centre as it was our day off from practice. Arshdeep offered me coke which had rum in it and we had a minor altercation,” Amjyot told IE. Incidentally, Amjyot is not new to controversy. He was earlier banned for a year by the BFI along with another player Palpreet SIngh for allegedly slapping Arshpreet and then team captain Yadwinder Singh, during the Commonwealth Games in Australia. The Indian team is set to play in the South Asian Games that will be held in Nepal from December 1 to 10. 

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