Elderly man, teen granddaughter murdered during burglary in Karnataka

Crime

The grandmother was also injured in the attack, but was in a state of shock and denial, and believed her husband and granddaughter were only sleeping.

Prajwal Bhat

Karim Khan

An elderly man and his teenage granddaughter were murdered in their home in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka on Sunday, police officials in the district said. Dakshina Kannada police arrested Karim Khan (29) in connection with the murders on Tuesday evening. Preliminary investigations revealed that Karim committed the murders due to a fear of getting caught while burgling an elderly couple's house in Kuriya village of Puttur taluk in the district. The incident took place around 11 am on Sunday. However, investigating officials told TNM the incident came to light only on Tuesday morning and the victims were identified as Sheikh Koggu Saheb (70), and his granddaughter Shamiya Banu (16). The man’s wife Khatijaabi (65) was also grievously injured in the same crime.  Senior police officials said that she was in a state of shock when police officials arrived at her home and insisted that everything was fine even though she was injured and was staying in the house with the dead bodies for more almost two days. She is being treated at a private hospital.  House of the elderly couple in Kuriya, Dakshina Kannada “It was only when the elder son visited the house, he realised that the front door was locked but as he spoke to his mother, he could understand that she was too shocked and disillusioned. She kept on insisting that her granddaughter and her husband were not killed, she did not even realise that she herself was injured. We are suspecting she spent at least one day with the dead bodies,” Dakshina Kannada SP Laxmi Prasad said. He added that Karim walked away with 30 g of jewellery and Rs 6,000 in cash after committing the murders. A case was registered in Puttur Rural Police Station and investigations by beat police official Bheem Shen led the police to Karim Khan, a resident of Kuriya.  Due to fear of getting caught in the act of burgling the house and due to differences with Sheikh Koggu Saheb over financial matters in the past, police said Karim attacked the family members residing in the house with a knife from the kitchen. He was arrested on Tuesday evening in connection with the incident.  

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Karnataka rationalist debunks Ramdev’s ‘tulsi prevents radiation’ claim

Science

The yoga teacher and businessman who sells ayurvedic products had claimed that tulsi leaves ‘prevent harmful radiation from cell phones’.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Left: Narendra Nayak. Right: Ramdev.

Yoga teacher and businessman Ramkrishna Yadav, who has self-styled himself as Baba Ramdev, is in the news once again for a questionable claim. Ramdev was in Udupi for a conference on “Yoga for Heart Care” on Saturday, where he reportedly said, “Put tulsi leaves in your phone cover, and you will be protected from the radiation it emits.” He also claimed that tulsi “kills” radiation. Debunking this claim, rational Narendra Nayak from Karnataka conducted a series of experiments with a cell phone, tulsi leaves, and other materials. Before going into the experiment – let’s get the science and definitions straight. ‘Radiation’ refers to the emission of waves or particles, and is a term used for electromagnetic waves like radio waves, micro waves etc that are used in communication technology, as well as gamma rays – that come from nuclear reactions and cause major tissue damage to the body. The way cell phones work is by emitting and receiving radio frequencies, typically in the range of 800-900 MHz. So, like your favourite FM radio channels receive frequencies in the 88-108 MHz range (that’s usually the number associated with a radio channel), your cell phone receives frequencies in the 800-900 MHz range. They also emit radiation – that is, they convert your voice to electric signals, which is how you can communicate with another person over phone. Now, if as Ramdev claims, tulsi leaves ‘killed’ radiation, you would’t be able to use your phone to make phone calls at all. And rationalist Narendra Nayak basically demonstrated this with a series of experiments at his home. “Recently a huge claim has been made by Ramkishen Yadav, who goes by the name of Baba Ramdev (who sells a lot of unproven concoctions through his commercial enterprises), with tall claims that tulsi leaves can stop microwave radiations of cell phones… You are all invited to step in with your cell phones and other recording devices to check on this in my laboratory … for a demonstration of the same,” Narendra Nayak told reporters in a message. With a good dose of sarcasm, he added, “Please call my landline number … as a precaution if the cell does not work due to blockage of radiations by the tulsi leaves kept.” When reporters reached his place, the rationalist performed a series of experiments. First, he kept a cell phone inside a microwave oven, shut the door, and asked his assistant for the experiment to call the number. The phone rang, proving that the radiation had not been ‘killed’ and the cell phone was still receiving signal. He then kept the phone on a plate and covered the phone with tulsi leaves. Once again, the number was dialled – and unsurprisingly, the phone rang, proving that the radiation had not been ‘killed’ by the tulsi leaves either. Narendra Nayak repeated the experiment with some other leaves, with the same result. He then wrapped the cell phone in aluminium foil – which is the only method used by him that essentially blocked the call. “When you make calls and receive calls, there is radiation,” Narendra Nayak explains, “They’re creating fear and saying tulsi leaves will help block this radiation. If radiation is blocked, then shouldn’t the mobile stop working?” There has been a lot of debate across the world about whether cell phone radiation is harmful to the human body. People on both sides of the debate have put forward evidence to support their claim, but there is no conclusion on whether or not this is the case. 

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Infosys recognised as Karnataka IT Ratna for topping Rs 10,000 crore exports

Award

Infosys was awarded for fiscal 2018-19 in STPI's Karnataka chapter at the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2019.

IANS

Pic courtesy: Twitter / @AmTheGuru

Software giant Infosys has been recognised as the IT Ratna of Karnataka at the Benglauru Tech Summit 2019 for IT exports by the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI). Featuring in the category of IT exports greater than or equal to Rs 10,000 crore, Infosys was awarded for fiscal 2018-19 in STPI's Karnataka chapter. Infosys was awarded the “IT Ratna” of Karnataka award last evening at the Bangalore Tech Summit... we proudly received the award on behalf of all Infoscions from Dy CM Sri Ashwath Narayan and Sri Kris Gopalakrishnan... congrats to all Infoscions! @Infosys #BlrTechSummit pic.twitter.com/kT2JGkw1V9 — gururajdeshpande (@AmTheGuru) November 19, 2019 As many as 15 global companies were recognised as IT Prides of Karnataka, for exports greater than or equal to Rs 2,000 crore and less than Rs 10,000 crore. IT Pride awardees included Oracle, Goldman Sachs, SAP Labs, and Intel, among others. In the category of highest new IT jobs creator, Technicolor India emerged the winner. Whizchip Design Technologies won the award for high growth in IT exports value between Rs 5 crore and Rs 25 crore. STPI also recognised non-Bengaluru based companies within Karnataka. In the Mysuru region, L & T Technology Services was recognised as the highest IT exporter, followed by Excelsoft Technologies in the Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) category. KarMic Design and Diya Systems were awarded in the Mangaluru region and Sankalp Semiconductor in the Hubbali region. L & T Technology Services, Mashreq Global Services, Temenos India and Hinduja Global Solutions were recognised for high growth in women's employment in the IT sector. Established in 1991, STPI is an autonomous society under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), with an objective to promote software exports from India. The MeitY autonomous society maintains internal engineering resources to offer consulting, training and implementation services, covering network design, system integration, installation, operations and maintenance of application networks and facilities in different areas.

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No horse races in Bangalore Turf Club until it clears its dues

Controversy

While the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) is expected to pay Rs 32.86 crore, which is 2% of its turnover from 2010-11 to 2017-18, it has only paid Rs 5 lakh annually, reports said.

TNM Staff

File image/ BTC

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Karnataka Assembly has now asked the state government to take action to stop all activities in the Bangalore Turf Club including racing from December 2. The government has also been directed to collect over Rs 30 crore in dues from the club before the end of the month, reports said. The PAC comprising 15 MLAs is headed by Congress MLA and former Minister HK Patil. The PAC has also directed the state legal department to submit a report of steps taken to settle the dispute with the club regarding a case in the Supreme Court by the first week of December. Deccan Herald reported that while BTC is expected to pay Rs 32.86 crore, which is 2% of its turnover from 2010-11 to 2017-18, it has only paid Rs 5 lakh annually. A lease agreement with the government and the BTC had ended in 2009 following which the government had asked the land to be vacated but the club refused to do the same and the matter eventually landed up in the Supreme Court. Addressing reporters on the same, HK Patil suggested there is a “tacit” understanding between the BTC members and state bureaucracy which had led to the lengthy delay in solving the dispute and maintaining the status quo. While several PACs in the past had suggested to move the BTC to the city outskirts, no government had acted on the recommendations, The Hindu quoted him as saying. He further mentioned that even the CAG report in 1998-99 had found the state exchequer was losing Rs 71.87 crore.  Further, Rajneesh Goyal, Additional Chief Secretary of the Public Works Department (PWD), has been directed to ensure that the rental dues from the club from the last seven financial years are also collected. However, speaking with The Hindu, a club member said the PAC directions were not legally sound as the Supreme Court is yet to hear a special leave petition on the issue. He also suggested that there could have been no clause of paying rent as the government had given the land for free initially. This development comes less than a week after the Bangalore Turf Club was vandalised following a horse racing accident.    Read: Spectators vandalise Bengaluru Turf Club after horse racing accident

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Tanveer Sait attack: Yediyurappa slams Siddaramaiah over his soft stance on PFI

Politics

The case is being probed by an SIT led by Mysuru Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) M Muthuraj, and the motive of the crime is yet unclear.

TNM Staff

As ex-Karnataka minister and senior Congress MLA Tanveer Sait is recuperating from his injuries in the ICU, a new controversy has emerged over the alleged involvement of PFI (Popular Front of India) in the attack. Sait was attacked with a knife by a man in his 20s late on Sunday night in Mysuru when he was attending a wedding. Initial reports said the attack was because of his personal angst against Sait for him not helping him get a job. Several other theories have also been floated. The accused Farhan, who has been arrested, is reportedly part of PFI. PFI is the social outfit of the political party SDPI which has been controversial in the past, not only in Karnataka but also Kerala. The outfits have come under the scrutiny of multiple governments over their alleged involvement in organised crime.  The case is being probed by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Mysuru Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) M Muthuraj. Addressing reporters in Bengaluru, Chief Minister B Yediyurappa said, “There were riots in Shivamogga, there were riots in Mysuru. There was also murder, now there is an attack on Tanveer Sait. I ask Siddaramaiah, why is he protecting goondas? Why is he protecting PFI who are involved in murders and hooliganism? By withdrawing all the cases against them, did Siddaramaiah indirectly support the attack on Tanveer Sait? I urge him, the Leader of the Opposition to give an explanation.”  Yediyurappa was criticising Siddaramaiah for his controversial decision as CM in 2015 to withdraw cases of communal violence in Mysuru and Hassan. Those cases were filed when the BJP was in power.  Meanwhile, doctors at the Columbia Asia Hospital where Sait has been admitted since Sunday night, said he is stable. Addressing reporters in Mysuru, the doctors said, “Today he is a lot better than yesterday. We have stitched the wounds and he could sit on the chair for some time. We have stitched the lower part of the ear as well which was cut as part of the attack. There is no internal bleeding. We don’t need to perform any further surgery.” They added, “He has to remain in ICU for another 2-3 days. We will shift him to the ward depending on the situation. He can go home after he is treated at the ward for 4-5 days.  The doctors further said that with his condition stabilising, they can arrange for him to be shifted to another hospital if his family wishes.

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Air in Bengaluru's Whitefield improved after graphite factory shut down, data shows

Environment

The factory was shut in April earlier this year after a National Green Tribunal order and lack of consent from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board.

Soumya Chatterjee

Resident activists in Bengaluru, whose protests and litigations had led to the Graphite India factory in their neighbourhood shutting down, now stand vindicated. New data shows that the air quality in the area has improved since the factory shut down.  The residents had been protesting for years over the decreasing air quality in the locality, which was largely due to pollutants released into the air by the factory. The factory was then shut in April earlier this year after a National Green Tribunal order and lack of consent from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board.   Now, an air quality data comparison conducted by a citizen-led air quality system has found that on an average, the air quality in the area is 40% better, as compared to the time when the factory was functional.  Shiv Shankar, Founder of Mapshalli.org and a volunteer at Whitefield Rising, said, “We compare the data in two ways. For one, we look at what the data of the pollution levels are, for example, for an area in June 2019 and compare it with the previous year." Mapshalli.org was started in 2016 as part of a citizen's initiative to track air quality at a local level using low-cost digital air quality monitors. “We found even though monsoon lasted for longer last year, we see the air quality much cleaner close to 40% this year. The second comparative study is how the Graphite India location fare vis-a-vis another location (which we use as a benchmark) in Whitefield for the same time period.  So earlier when the factory was open, there was a 123% difference, now compared to the same location the change is not much," Shiv Shankar added. Their system analyses PM 2.5, which is the key constituent of pollutants. PM 2.5 particles are pollutants that measure 2.5 micro-meters or less in diameter and are dangerous as they are suspended in air, not weighed down, and can settle inside the lungs and the respiratory tract. The concerted efforts by Whitefield Rising, the resident-activist group spearheading the fight against the company, was also instrumental in ensuring the company pays Rs 50 lakh as compensation as per the 'polluters pay' principle after a Supreme Court hearing on the matter. Aishwarya Sudhir, Air Quality Program Lead at 'Healthy Air Coalition' at the European non-profit Health & Environment Alliance, said, “It is important to note that at various locations across Whitefield and Varathur or its surroundings, the air pollution levels continue to be beyond safety limits. But the data shows that the pollution levels have decreased in the Graphite India area which means it is a huge victory for people and a clear sign that their efforts have resulted in cleaner air.” Aishwarya also suggests that comprehensive, neighbourhood-level action like this needs to be prioritized when the city's 'Clean Air Action Plan' is yet to see the light of the day.  "Clear mapping of pollution hotspots needs to be done immediately and vulnerable groups need to be protected," she added.

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Karnataka man, imprisoned for allegedly killing daughter-in-law, takes own life in jail

Death

Ramesh* was arrested on November 9 for chasing and stabbing his daughter-in-law in broad daylight in Mandya district.

Theja Ram

A 48-year-old man, who was imprisoned in Karnataka’s Mandya district for allegedly killing his daughter-in-law, took his own life on Tuesday. Although he was rushed to hospital, he succumbed. Ramesh* was arrested on November 9 for chasing and stabbing his daughter-in-law Vani* in broad daylight. The Mandya Rural Police, who investigated the case, say that Ramesh had sexually harassed his daughter-in-law Vani for over a year. Vani had allegedly informed her husband Arun, a shop owner in the village, about Ramesh’s misconduct. “The family members and residents in the neighbourhood met on several occasions over the last one year to discuss the issue and finally, in July this year, when Ramesh kept harassing her, Arun and Vani moved out of the family home and began living separately,” the Mandya Rural Police said. Investigating officers say that Ramesh allegedly continued to sexually harass Vani in public after the couple moved to a new house. He even allegedly threatened to kill her on multiple occasions. On November 9, Ramesh allegedly followed Vani from her husband’s shop and began demanding that she comply with his demands. When Vani started running, Ramesh allegedly chased her and stabbed her in the chest. “Passersby tried to intervene but he threatened to stab them too. The village residents called Vani’s husband immediately. They also tried to pacify Rameshand convinced him to stop the violence,” the police said. However, Ramesh allegedly stabbed Vani once more on her hand and slit her throat. By the time Arun arrived at the spot, Ramesh had allegedly killed Vani. The village residents and Arun chased Ramesh in a bid to beat him up. However, Ramesh allegedly escaped. Arun then filed a complaint with the Mandya Rural Police, accusing his father of murdering his wife. The Mandya Rural Police had arrested Ramesh on the same day and the magistrate had remanded him to judicial custody. “He did not leave behind a death note but we suspect that he could not bear the shame and took the step. The jailers tried to rescue him when they found that he tried to kill himself. He was rushed to MIMS (Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences) and was in the Intensive Care Unit. He did not respond to the treatment and died,” the police added. The Mandya Rural Police have registered an unnatural death report. (*As mandated by the Supreme Court, all names have been changed to protect the identity of the victim of sexual offence, including those who have died) If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help.    Tamil Nadu:    State health department suicide helpline number - 104   Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in TN)   Telangana:     Telangana government suicide prevention toll free no - 104    Roshni- 040-66202000, 66202001   SEVA- 09441778290, 040 - 27504682 (between 9 AM and 7 PM)    Karnataka:   Sahai : 24-hour helpline numbers: 080- 65000111, 080-65000222   Kerala:   Maithri helpline - 0484-2540530 Chaithram helpline: 0484-2361161   Both are 24-hour helpline numbers.    Andhra Pradesh:    Life Suicide Prevention Helpline No.78930-78930    Roshni -  Helpline 1: 9166202000  Helpline 2: 9127848584  

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