Bengaluru police deport 59 Bangladeshi immigrants detained last month

Immigrants

The 59 immigrants from Bangladesh, including 23 women and 18 children, were detained in Ramamurthynagar, Bellandur and Marathahalli in October.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka police on Friday deported a group of 59 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh as part of the state's deportation exercise, an official said. The immigrants were to Kolkata by train.  “They (illegal migrants) have already boarded the train towards Howrah, along with 29 Karnataka policemen. They will be handed over to the West Bengal police and Border Security Force (BSF),” Deputy Commissioner of Police Bengaluru (East) SD Sharanappa said. The team of Karnataka police officials, which also includes female police officers, is escorting 18 men, 23 women and 18 children who were detained in three areas in the city — Ramamurthynagar, Bellandur and Marathahalli — in October. According to the DCP, there are no cases against the immigrants as they are victims of human trafficking. “We spoke to the agencies of West Bengal Police concerned and also the BSF. We are coordinating with the Karnataka Home Department and the Union Home Ministry,” said Sharanappa. The train carrying the immigrants is scheduled to reach Kolkata around 3 pm on Saturday, after which they will be handed over to the West Bengal Police and BSF. Arrangements will then be made to deport them to their native country.  Read: Karnataka HC asks state govt to spell out plan for detaining illegal immigrants The Karnataka police had to move the Bangladeshis to the Puttaparthi Railway station of Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh to board the train, as the South Western Railway zone could not provide a full coach to accommodate the police, from Bengaluru. The deportation of the detained immigrants comes a day after the Karnataka High Court asked the state government to spell out its plan to detain illegal immigrants in the state in the event the countries they are being deported to do not accept them. A detention centre built in Nelamangala, around 40 km from Bengaluru, will be operational from January 2020, but in the absence of state-run detention centres, the state government has identified temporary areas where illegal immigrants will be detained.   The High Court was hearing a bail plea filed by an immigrant from Bangladesh, along with 14 other immigrants detained in August 2018 in Bengaluru.  With IANS inputs  

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Long weekends in store for 2020: List of public holidays in Karnataka next year

Holidays

The year 2020 will have 18 public holidays.

TNM Staff

The year 2020 is just over a month away and the Karnataka government has released the list of public holidays for the new year. The year 2020 will have 18 public holidays.  The list features 10 holidays that fall either on a Monday or a Friday, making it an extended weekend for the working lot.  The potential long weekends fall during Maha Shivaratri, Good Friday, Mahaveer Jayanti, May Day, Ramzan, Bakrid, Gandhi Jayanti, Vijayadashami, Eid-Milad, Deepavali and Christmas. Here’s the full list: January 15 (Wednesday) - Makara Sankranti February 21 (Friday) - Shivaratri March 21 (Wednesday) - Ugadi April 6 (Monday) - Mahaveer Jayanti April 10 (Friday) - Good Friday April 14 (Tuesday) - Ambedkar Jayanti May 1 (Friday) - May Day May 25 (Monday) - Khutba-e-Ramzan August 1 (Saturday) - Bakrid Aug 15 (Saturday) - Independence Day September 15 (Thursday) - Mahalaya Amavasya October 2 (Friday) - Gandhi Jayanti October 26 (Monday) - Vijayadashami October 30 (Friday) - Eid Milad October 31 (Saturday) - Valmiki Jayanti November 16 (Monday) - Deepavali December 3 (Thursday) - Kanakadasa Jayanti December 25 (Friday) - Christmas The list does not include holidays such as Republic Day (January 26), Basava Jayanti (April 26), Moharram (August 8), Mahanavami (October 26), Ayudha Pooja (October 26) and Kannada Rajyotsava (November 1). Incidentally, most of these days fall on a Sunday, which means, no scope for an extended weekend. Naraka Chaturdashi (November 14) and Varasiddhi Vinayaka Vratha (August 22), meanwhile, fall on the second and fourth Saturdays respectively.   

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K’taka police arrest PFI member who allegedly masterminded attack on MLA Tanveer Sait

Crime

Investigating officials say that Abid Shah, the alleged mastermind, is accused in nine other murder cases across Karnataka.

TNM Staff

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the attempted murder of Narasimharaja MLA Tanveer Sait said that member of Popular Front of India – Abid Pasha is the alleged mastermind in the case. Investigating officials said that Abid Pasha, who is an accused in nine other murder cases across the state, allegedly trained Farhan Pasha – the man who stabbed Tanveer Sait. On the night of November 17, Farhan Pasha, who worked as an assistant to a craftsman, allegedly stabbed Tanveer Sait’s neck with a knife outside Bal Bhavan in Mysuru’s Bannimantap area. Tanveer Sait was walking out of Bal Bhavan after attending a wedding ceremony when the incident occurred. Farhan Pasha tried to flee the spot. However, onlookers caught him and handed him over to the Narasimharaja Police. An SIT was constituted to investigate the matter after Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa accused PFI of planning Tanveer Sait’s murder. Investigating officials say that Abid Pasha allegedly financed the entire operation and had trained Farhan in the usage of a knife. “Abid Pasha took Farhan to Kerala in October, where he was taught how to stab someone in the neck. They used stray dogs to practise the stabbing. We found that Abid Pasha got a few stray dogs and Farhan practised by stabbing the animals’ necks,” the police said. On November 20, the SIT arrested Abid Pasha, and other members of PFI Akram alias Don Akram, Noor Khan, Muheeb and Muzzamil. Police said that Abid Pasha provided training and money, while Akram, Noor, Muheeb and Muzzamil provided logistical support and conducted a reconnaissance of the venue before the night of the attempted murder. They have been remanded to judicial custody and are being interrogated. “The accused had followed the MLA for weeks before the murder to learn his movements and details on who generally accompanies him. We have also recovered one bike, which was used for the recce,” the investigating officer said. Abid Pasha’s chequered past In April 2019, Mysuru’s Kuvempunagar Police arrested Abid Pasha, who had eluded law enforcement officials in Karnataka. Abid Pasha was accused of killing RSS activist Raju in Kyatamaranahalli in Udayagir in 2016. He was, however, out on bail in June. A resident of Erekatte Street in Lashkar Mohalla, Abid Pasha would allegedly stalk his victims before killing them and left behind very few clues at the crime scene, said officials. He is accused of abducting and killing two business management students – Sudheendra and Vignesh – in 2011. The victims were abducted and Abid had allegedly demanded a ransom and later killed them in Chikkamagaluru. He is also the prime accused in the murder of his acquaintance Thyagaraj Pillai. “Totally there are nine murder cases registered against him in against him including the murder of RSS worker Raju. He was the mastermind in all these murder cases. He used to plan the murders meticulously. This time, Farhan would have got away if he had not fallen down as there was another man waiting for him on the bike,” the police said. Police on Tuesday provided Sait with 24×7 security. Fairoz, Sait’s former gunman has been suspended and two new gunmen have been deployed for his safety.    

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'We want to demystify editorial cartooning': Satish Acharya ahead of Cartoon Habba

Media

Cartoon Habba (Cartoon Festival) held annually in Kundapur, celebrates the world of caricatures and cartoons, and will be held from November 23 to 26.

Prajwal Bhat

The sixth edition of Cartoon Habba, a festival celebrating the world of caricatures and cartoons, is set to begin on Saturday in Kundapur in Udupi district of Karnataka.  The event, which is coordinated by popular cartoonist Satish Acharya, will focus on demystifying the art of editorial cartoons in addition to exhibiting works of cartoonists. "We have a lot of artists but not many of them take up editorial cartooning since it requires a different skill set. We want to demystify the art of editorial cartoons," says Satish, who is a cartoonist based in Kundapur.  "Every year, we focus on the art aspect of cartoons but this year we will have discussions and workshops focusing on news, opinion making, dealing with fake news, and humour," Satish says. The workshop is aimed at students, particularly those studying journalism, and interested members of the public. This year's Cartoon Habba will be held at the Kalamandira at the Board High School in Kundapur between November 23 and 26.  The theme of the event this year is Gandhi 150 - Ishwar Allah Tero Naam - and cartoons on Mahatma Gandhi will be displayed at the festival. "We conducted a contest with the same theme because we felt that it would make students and parents take interest and discuss Gandhi," adds Satish. Kannada actor and director Rishabh Shetty will inaugurate the event while former police officer Annamalai K will deliver the keynote address speaking on the theme - Gandhi 150 - Ishwar Allah Tero Naam. Veteran artists and cartoonists including Chandranath Acharya, MN Dattatri, Surendra and VG Narendra, and Badal Nanjundaswamy, professor and researcher Varadesh Hiregange, journalists Shashidhar Hemmady, Krishna Prasad and SR Ramakrishna will be speaking at the festival. Since 2014, the event is held annually in Kundapur and includes workshops to draw cartoons, contests to encourage the art and also discussions on practicing cartooning in an increasingly digital age. In 2018, Satish expressed his frustration about the suppression of a cartoonist's voice especially after his cartoon column in Mail Today came to an end after differences with the editor of the newspaper. Read: Spreading the message through cartoons: Cartoon Habba set to begin in K’taka

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Where is Nithyananda? Whistleblowers say he may be in Ecuador or hiding in India

Crime

This is not the first time that Nithyananda ashram has been accused of abusing children. TNM spoke to a mother who complained in 2008.

Sanyukta Dharmadhikari

Theja Ram

There is no clear indication where rape accused self-styled godman Nithyananda is, with reports suggesting that he may currently not be in the country and may have left India via Nepal. Nithyananda has been booked for child abuse and kidnapping by the Gujarat police after three minor children (a boy and two girls) were rescued from his ashram in the outskirts of Ahmedabad. This is the second case filed against him, in addition to the rape case that was filed against him in 2010. Nithyananda’s passport was impounded in 2011 when the rape case was filed against him. However, in 2011, he had asked for his passport to travel to Mansarovar and other places to hold meditation and yoga camps and at the time, bail conditions were diluted and he was handed over his passport. According to reports, he has not been spotted at any of his ashrams since 2018 and there is speculation that he may have escaped from Nepal to a country abroad. A copy of Nithyananda’s passport accessed by TNM shows it was due to expire in September 2018 and was not renewed due to the rape charges. According to whistleblowers, it is believed that from Nepal, he may have left for Ecuador, a country which does not have an extradition treaty with India. Although he has been making appearances on his YouTube channel, his current location is not clear. Sources in the Karnataka CID had earlier told TNM that Nithyananda had not left the country using any airport or sea port in India. In 2010, when the sex tape featuring Nithyananda was released, then too, he had gone absconding but was later traced to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, leading to speculation that he may even still be in India now.  When the Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department began probing the alleged criminal activities at the Bidadi ashram in 2010, the former head of Nithyananda’s ashram in Malaysia had given a statement alleging that her son had tried to kill himself due to torture he suffered at the hands of Nithyananda. The attempted suicide of a youth in Nithyanada’s Bidadi ashram This is not the first time that Nithyananda ashram has been accused of abusing children.  In 2008, a minor boy was rushed to BGS Hospital in Kengeri by Nithyananda’s followers after he began vomiting. The doctors informed them that the boy had tried to kill himself. In her statement to the CID, Ma Nirantara, the boy’s mother, had said that Nithyananda and his followers Sadananada, Gyananada, Pranananda and Amta Prabha had allegedly tried to mislead the police about the attempted suicide. Nithyananda’s followers, who were at the Bidadi ashram allegedly told Ma Nirantara that her son was admitted to the hospital due to “wheezing problems”. However, when her husband spoke to the doctors, they learnt that her son had tried to kill himself. Ma Niranata told TNM that Nithyananda and his followers allegedly tried to coerce her into giving a false statement to the police. She says that Nithyananda used to beat her son with a stick and humiliate him in front of other people in the ashram, which led her son to take the drastic step. “They wanted me to tell the police that he took the step because he was stressed about his studies. I did not give a separate complaint back then because it requires resources to fight the case and I didn't have that in me back then. But I did give my statement to the police when the scandal broke out in 2010,” she says. Nirantara says that the ordeal has taken a toll on her personal life and that she struggled to get back to a normal life. “It was after fighting with our family that I joined the ashram. My family did tell me to pursue religion on the side, but it was my adamant nature and faith that made me join. When I finally came out of the ashram, the repercussions were bad. Today we are alone without friends or family to even lean back on. There are still a lot of children there in the ashram, undergoing difficulties. If the current issues help to rescue those kids, I would be really happy,” she said. The case is currently under trial and Ma Nirantara has not been summoned by the court to give her testimony yet. MEA denies knowledge of Nithyananda’s whereabouts On Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs stated that it is not aware of where Nithyananda currently is. The Ministry added that it had not received any information from the Gujarat police or from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) regarding him. Nithyananda has been booked by the Gujarat police after three minor children (a boy and two girls) were rescued from Nithyananda's Hirapur Ashram in the outskirts of Ahmedabad and united them with their parents. “We have not received any formal information, neither from the Gujarat police nor from the MHA. Also, for extradition request, we need to know the location and the nationality details of the person. We do not have such information about him yet,” the MEA said.      

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Kalaburagi airport set to be inaugurated by Karnataka CM Yediyurappa

The runway at the airport is 3.25 km long, which is the second longest in Karnataka after the Bengaluru International Airport.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa is set to inaugurate the newly built airport in Kalaburagi on Friday.  The airport is located 5 km from Kalaburagi city and will be a new addition to India's aviation map.  BJP MP Umesh Jadhav visited the airport for an inspection on Thursday. He confirmed that Yediyurappa will reach the airport in a Star Air flight for the inauguration on Friday afternoon. HS Suresh, Executive Director (Engineering), Airport Authority of India said that the runway at the airport was sufficiently wide for operating bigger aircraft like the Airbus 320. He also noted that 742 acres of land was available at the airport which will aid future expansion including operation of exclusive chartered flights for Haj pilgrims, The Hindu reported. The runway is 3.25 km long and is the second longest in Karnataka after the Bengaluru International Airport.  Following the formal inauguration ceremony, commercial flights will begin flying out of the airport on the same day. Star Air will operate flights between Kalaburagi and Bengaluru on three days a week - Monday, Friday and Sunday. The flights will depart Bengaluru at 12:20 pm and arrive Kalaburagi at 1:25 pm and return from Kalaburagi at 1:55 pm and land in Bengaluru at 3 pm. Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Higher Education Ashwath Narayan, Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Transport Lakshman Savadi, Minister for Large and Medium Industries Jagadish Shettar, and Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai will participate in the event. BJP MP Umesh Jadhav attempted to downplay concerns over the lack of invitation extended to former MP Mallikarjun Kharge of the Congress for the inauguration ceremony. Kharge is considered to have had an influential role in ensuring that funds were released from the Centre for the completion of the airport. Umesh Jadhav however said that other political leaders from opposition parties were invited for the ceremony, Deccan Herald reported. Yediyurappa had laid the foundation stone for the airport in 2008. 

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Karnataka HC asks state govt to spell out plan for detaining illegal immigrants

Law and order

The High Court has directed the state government to file an affidavit by November 26 with details of detention centres in the state.

Prajwal Bhat

Detention centre for illegal immigrants on outskirts of Bengaluru

The High Court has directed the state government to file an affidavit by November 26 with details of detention centres in the state. The Karnataka High Court on Thursday directed the state government to reveal details of the number of detention centres for detaining illegal immigrants. It also directed the state government to spell out the plan to detain immigrants without documents currently in the state. Justice KN Phaneendra directed the state government to file an affidavit by November 26 with details of detention centres in the state while hearing a bail plea filed by Babul Khan in September 2019 for 14 Bangladeshi immigrants and one Burmese immigrant arrested in August 2018 in the Sarjapur police station limits in Bengaluru.  "The court has asked for a permanent solution to the detention of foreigners without documents. It is not just about these 15 petitioners but about all foreigners without documents in the state", explains Sirajuddin Ahmed, a lawyer representing one of the petitioners.  In the absence of a state-run detention centre, the Karnataka government has detained Bangladeshi nationals arrested in 2018 in Parappana Agrahara prison in the city. The counsel representing the state government informed the High Court on Thursday that a temporary detention centre will be arranged in Sarjapur in the city to detain the 15 immigrants. The state government also informed the High Court that it had identified 35 spaces to temporarily detain foreigners without documents in the state. These spaces will be used to detain illegal immigrants including immigrants after they are either released on bail or after they have completed their prison term in criminal cases. In addition, the state government has repurposed a hostel built for SC/ST students in Nelamangala, around 40 km outside Bengaluru, into a detention centre for illegal immigrants. While the construction of the building is completed, it is only expected to be opened for use in January 2020.  The Foreigner Regional Registration Offices (FRRO) under the Bureau of Immigration in Bengaluru has compiled a list of 866 foreigners without documents in the state.  Read: NRC in Karnataka? Inside the detention centre for illegal immigrants 40 km from Bengaluru The affidavit to be submitted in the High Court next week will be prepared by the Principal Secretary of the Home Department and will include details of the plans laid out by the state government to detain illegal immigrants. This also includes foreigners convicted in criminal cases and have either been released on bail or have completed their punishment term. Those illegal immigrants convicted in criminal cases will not be held in detention centres but instead will be held in prisons.  The counsel representing the Ministry of Home Affairs told the High Court that if the detained foreign nationals are not accepted by the home country, the state will have to take care of them at the expense of tax payers' money.  Read: After flak, K'taka govt says detention centre for illegal immigrants different from NRC The developments in the case also come at a time Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared that the National Register of Citizens (NRC), first implemented in Assam, will be carried out across the country. The NRC asks residents to prove their citizenship, the citizenship of their ancestors and their relationship to their ancestors. In Assam, residents were asked to produce documents proving that they or their families lived in India before March 24, 1971, and in the final list published, more than 19 lakh residents were excluded. Last month, Bengaluru police detained 60 suspected illegal immigrants from Bangladesh residing in Ramamurthynagar, Bellandur and Marathahalli police station limits in the city. They were housed in government homes for men, women and children and will be deported to their home country on Friday. The respondents in the case are the Ministry of Home Affairs, Bengaluru Police Commissioner, Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG/IGP), and the Karnataka Chief Secretary. Read: The harassment of Bengaluru's Bengali-speaking workers in the name of 'security'

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