Mangaluru man, harassed by police in viral December video, booked for violence

CAA

The family says that the police have threatened to file more cases on them, a case of rioting has already been filed.

Prajwal Bhat

Screengrab

On December 19, 2019, when Mangaluru police began dispersing protesters agitating against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), a video clip of a man clutching his three-year-old daughter and jostling with the police was shared widely on social media. The man was resisting the attempts of the police to drag him and his daughter towards a bus parked nearby. The child is seen screaming while her elder sister and mother are also seen in the video clip appealing to the police to let them go. The video of the family’s agony was shared on social media widely on a day the police fired at protesters leading to the deaths of two people. Many residents, particularly from Bunder and Kudroli, where the police firing took place, pointed to the video clip as evidence of police excess in dispersing protesters. The man in the video clip was identified as Ibrahim KM, a 32-year-old resident of Kudroli in Mangaluru. Though the visuals show Ibrahim with his family, the police registered a case against him  and accused him of rioting and assaulting a police officer. He is accused number 29 among 45 people named in an FIR registered in Mangaluru South (Pandeshwar) police station. Ibrahim stayed away from the media after this incident but on December 25, he decided to approach the police officials at Mangaluru South (Pandeshwar) police station to file a complaint against police personnel who harassed him and his family.  Ibrahim says that the police officials in the station threatened to register more cases against him if he intended to ahead with his plan to file a complaint against the police. “We went to Pandeshwara station on 25 December to register a complaint against the police asking for action to be taken against them, we were told not to file a complaint and that if we register one FIR, they will register 4-5 FIRs on my husband,” Ibrahim’s wife stated in an interview. “When we asked for justice to be done, they (police) asked us how can we give justice? They (police) said we might have planned and come to protest. If we planned to go to protest, why would we go with our family?” she asked. Ibrahim is a scrap dealer who works out of a shop in Bunder in Mangaluru. On December 19, he was travelling in an auto along with his family after picking up his nine-year-old daughter from school. But when the auto reached the Clock Tower, it was close to the area where police were chasing protesters agitating against the CAA. “The driver stopped the vehicle and told us that he cannot go any further because of the commotion around us. My husband and I decided to wait for the bus. When we were boarding the bus, the police grabbed him (husband) and tried taking him into the police van. They also pulled our child and told us ‘Give the child’,” Ibrahim’s wife recalled.   “My young child is very scared because of it. If the bell is rung at home, she says ‘Police is here. There is commotion’,” she added.  Ibrahim was eventually taken to the Mangaluru South (Pandeshwar) police station around 6:30 pm where his details were noted down. He was allowed to leave the police station on the same night.  After the police opened fire on protesters in Bunder in Mangaluru, a curfew was imposed in Dakshina Kannada district and mobile internet services were suspended. Ibrahim, who was disturbed by what his family had experienced, took a break from work following the incident. When this reporter first met him on December 20, a day after the incident, he refused to speak to media persons over fears that the police will harass him further. Two weeks on, he still continues to protest his innocence and asks police officials to furnish evidence that he was involved in protests.  His claims are echoed by others who were at the anti-CAA protest site. “Will anyone go to a protest taking their wife and daughters? If the police have proof of Ibrahim being involved in the protests, they should reveal it. We want justice to be done,” says Syed, a resident of Kudroli, where Ibrahim lives with his family. Multiple FIRs registered in Mangaluru North (Bunder) police station identifies “unknown Muslim youth” as accused persons. In at least six of the FIRs registered following the protests on December 19, “unknown Muslim youths” have been accused of unlawful assembly, assault, damage to public property and rioting, among other charges. Many Muslim men including Ibrahim have also been named in FIRs registered in Mangaluru.

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Despite early vaccination drive, two cases of monkey fever reported in K’taka

Health

The diagnosis of the two patients was confirmed after tests conducted at the Virus Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) in Shivamogga.

Prajwal Bhat

Representation Photo

Two confirmed cases of Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) popularly known as ‘monkey fever’ have been reported in Shivamogga district of Karnataka in the past one week, a year after a major outbreak of the disease in the region.  Narasimha (55) from Hemmakki village in Theerthahalli was diagnosed with KFD on January 2 and Bharat (18) from Sagar was diagnosed on Tuesday. The diagnosis was confirmed after tests conducted at the Virus Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) in Shivamogga.  Both Narasimha and Bharat suffered from fever and dehydration, which are known symptoms of KFD. Narasimha was shifted to Kasturba Hospital in Manipal after the fever continued to persist. He is currently receiving treatment and is likely to get discharged soon. Bharat has been admitted to a government hospital in Sagar.  KFD recurs every year in the months from November to May and is widely reported in summer months. These are the first cases reported in the KFD season of 2019-20. Last year, the disease took the lives of 14 people, including 12 people from Shivamogga district. 441 people were diagnosed with the disease in total. The outbreak of the disease in 2018 began as early as November in Aralagodu village in Shivamogga.  In 2019, the Karnataka Health Department admitted that there were lapses in managing the outbreak of the disease last year. The protocol was not followed in vaccinating a 10 km radius when the suspected case of KFD was found in Aralagodu. Subsequently, an outbreak of the disease occurred in Brahmana Ilakale, 8.6 km from Aralagodu.  Read: Lack of proper vaccination drive behind 'monkey fever' outbreak in Karnataka Virologists and public health professionals working in Shivamogga began vaccination drives to contain outbreaks of the disease as early as July in 2019 to ensure that a major outbreak like the one last year can be averted. “Door-to-door vaccination was begun as early as July even though it was the monsoon season. This would earlier begin only in September but after the outbreak last year, it was decided that we would change the approach. This has helped restrict the outbreak of the disease so far,” a virologist based in Shivamogga told TNM. However, virologists also warn that since the monsoon season ended later than usual in 2019, the onset of the disease may be delayed this year.  Since 1957, when KFD was first discovered in the Kyasanur forest of Shivamogga, the disease has recurred each year during the summer months, taking the lives of people residing in the forest areas. For decades, the virus was reported only in the forests of Shivamogga in the Western Ghat region of Karnataka but in the last six years, it has been reported in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa, and Maharashtra. Monkey fever is transmitted to monkeys and humans through infected vectors, which are primarily fleas, ticks and mosquitoes.    

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Little impact of Bharat Bandh in Bengaluru, protests in other parts of Karnataka

Bharat Bandh

Thousands of workers participated in other parts of Karnataka protesting the central government's anti-labour laws and privatisation attempts.

TNM Staff

Image for representation. PTI

The all-India shutdown call by trade unions and other organisations on Wednesday showed little impact in Bengaluru as it turned out to be a normal working day, an official said. "No effect of shutdown in the city though banking operations are affected as bank staff is supporting the trade unions," a state official told IANS. However, there was some impact of the strike at the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee yards where the labourers did not turn up. In Mangaluru, inter-state services of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation were suspended. Some miscreants pelted a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation bus with stones in Madikeri town in Kodagu district this morning. Thousands of workers participated in other parts of Karnataka protesting the central government's anti-labour laws and privatisation attempts. Protesters were seen carrying the red trade union flags at several places such as Tumakuru, Mysuru, Bengaluru and others. Protests were seen in Peenya and Neelmangla areas of Bengaluru as well. The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Indian National Trade Union Congress and Labour Progressive Federation (LPF) have given the Bharat Bandh call. According to an AITUC office bearer Vijay Bhaskar, a rally will be taken out from the Town Hall to the Freedom Park in Bengaluru. There will also be protests, demonstrations and march in different parts of the state. Central trade unions are protesting against labour reforms, FDI, disinvestment, corporatisation and privatisation policies. They are pressing for 12 common demands of the working class relating to minimum wage and social security, among others. The trade unions are against the privatisation of railways and corporatisation of 49 defence production units. Merging 44 labour laws into four code is also one of the demands of the protesting trade unions. The protesters are demanding raising the minimum wage in the range of Rs 21,000 - Rs 24,000 per month. (Inputs PTI and IANS)

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JNU Violence: Bengaluru’s St Joseph’s College students hold candle light vigil

Protest

Hundreds of students gathered on Tuesday evening wearing black, holding candles and posters, expressing solidarity with JNU students.

Dharshana Kathiresan

On Tuesday, hundreds of students gathered at St Joseph’s College in Bengaluru. They joined the hundreds of other students across the country, protesting the violence the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi were subjected to on January 5. Dressed in black and holding candles and posters, the students observed a vigil and expressed solidarity with the JNU students.   Earlier in the day, St Joseph’s students had also organised a seminar where several members of the demonstration denounced the ‘silencing culture’ to quell dissent which appears to have increased in recent times, they said. Condemning the violence in JNU, a second-year student of St Joseph’s said, “I think the JNU students are not just standing for themselves, but for the whole country. The student community is a formidable force, and we have proved the same in the past few weeks.” A B Com student said that this protest was a mark of unity and solidarity. “Irrespective of their individual political stances, they are united to preserve the nature of democracy as students,” he said.   At the candlelight vigil, one of the protesters said, “However dark it gets, there will always be hope, there will always be light.” A professor of the college also pointed out, “This struggle is not only for the students, but for the entire civil society.” This peaceful student protest which took place with the permission of the faculty members, went on to highlight that this struggle of the civil society. A member of the teaching staff pointed out, “Students express their solidarity in a democratic nation, by demanding freedom and by promoting the concept of accepting differences among people. This is what is reflected in their protests.” At the protest, the students sang many patriotic songs as well, including “Ae watan mere watan aabad rahe tu…” and “Saare Jahaan se accha…”. They also held up posters which said “Today JNU, tomorrow, me and you”, “Books, not lathis. Culture, not violence”, and “Sticks and stones may break our bones, but not our spirit.” Similar protests were held in the past days at various universities across Bengaluru, such as IIM, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and National Law School of India University (NLSIU).  

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Forum formed to hear citizens on Dec 19 Mangaluru violence alleges interference by cops

Law

The ‘People’s Tribunal,’ led by retired Supreme Court Judge Justice V Gopala Gowda, have alleged that the police is not allowing the tribunal to hold any hearings.

TNM Staff

PTI/ File image

People’s Tribunal, a forum led by retired Supreme Court Judge Justice V Gopala Gowda to record people’s account of the violence that unfolded in Mangaluru on December 19, 2019, has alleged interference by the police.  The forum, also comprising BT Venkatesh, former State Public Prosecutor, and senior journalist Sugata Srinivasaraj, issued a statement alleging that the police is trying to obstruct it from collecting people’s accounts.  “The very conduct of the proceedings of this Tribunal was sought to be interfered with by the Mangalore Police Administration on multiple occasions with a deliberate intention to see that the truth of the incident shall not be disclosed to the public,” the statement said. On December 19, two persons who were taking part in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act were killed and several others were injured after police opened fire on the protesters.  “On 5th January 2019, a notice was addressed to one of the organisers which sought to preclude the tribunal from conducting any hearing on the events of 19th December. It is still unclear on what grounds the notice was issued,” the forum’s statement reads.  “Despite the Organisers’ insistence that the People’s Tribunal was a civil society initiative to create a public forum where grievances could be aired by the aggrieved persons and the public, the police authorities alleged that this process interfered with on-going legal proceedings including a magisterial enquiry,” the release added. On January 6, the tribunal heard testimonies from victims and their family members, families of the deceased, journalists present at the scene of the violence, and prominent members of the local community. The invitation to depose before the tribunal and share their experiences was extended to not just civil society, but also to officials, especially the police, the forum said.  On January 7, the People’s Tribunal visited some of the victims who are currently receiving medical treatment at Highlands Hospital and Unity Hospital. The tribunal also conducted spot visits at some of the areas that were most severely affected by the violence on December 19. Earlier, an interim fact-finding report on the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest and subsequent police firing stated that police action was "excessive, biased and specifically targeted the Muslim community.” That report was compiled by a group of human rights and civil liberty activists from Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and New Delhi, from various organisations, including the All India People's Forum (AIPF), People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations (NCHRO).  Read: Mangaluru police action excessive, targeted Muslims: Fact-finding report on Dec 19 events The forum said while they had asked for permission from Mangaluru City Police Commissioner PS Harsha, Govindaraju B, Inspector of Mangalore North Police Station, issued a notice to one of the organisers asking them to refrain from holding any meetings. They added that in another instance on January 6, the public grievance hearing was halted for over an hour as the venue’s owner expressed his reservations with the nature of the event. He cited the aforementioned notice and stated that he was wary of reprisals from the police and other authorities. Further, a press conference was scheduled to be held by the People’s Tribunal, but due to alleged pressure from police authorities, a number of hoteliers were unwilling to provide a venue without police permission.

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Land allocation for Jesus statue in Bengaluru outskirts violated multiple laws?

Controversy

A source told TNM that the land was allocated in violation of Wildlife Protection Act and BMRDA rules

TNM Staff

More than a week after the work for a 114-ft Jesus statue atop a hill located in the outskirts of Bengaluru was stopped, the Karnataka government has found multiple discrepancies with the proposed construction. Congress strongman and local MLA DK Shivakumar had granted Rs 10.80 lakh from his personal funds towards the cost of the land for erecting a statue of Jesus Christ in Kapalabetta in Kanakapura. A source said that 10 acres of gomala land (pasture land) was illegally sanctioned to the Harobele Kapalibetta Development Trust, which was carrying out works to erect the statue. This amounts to violation of Wildlife Protection Act and BMRDA rules, the source said. When the issue first came to light, Revenue Minister R Ashoka had told reporters that the local authority, the Ramanagara Zilla Panchayat, had provided an illegal power connection and laid a two-km road leading to the site. In connection with this, the concerned tehsildar was also shunted out. “This survey number (of the proposed site) falls in the buffer zone of the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, hence, no constructions can come up here. In order to construct anything, permissions must be sought from the state and Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and an environmental clearance needs to be obtained, which the project does not have,” the source further said. The authorities have also reportedly found that the Zilla Panchayat had illegally allowed a borewell to be dug three years ago at a time drought was reported in the region. Incidentally, the land for the statue erection was granted to a trust during while HD Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister. As per DK Shivakumar’s proposal, the monolith statue of Jesus Christ, to be carved out of granite, will be 114 feet tall, of which 14 feet will be the steps alone that will lead to the statue. The statue was supposed to come up at Kapalibetta in Harobele village in Kanakapura. Harobele village was chosen as Christians constitute 99% of the population. Read: DK Shivakumar's plan for 'tallest' granite statue of Jesus hits roadblock, govt to review land        

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Bengaluru's Maurya Circle turns into all-night protest site against violence at JNU

Protest

Hundreds of protesters occupied Maurya Circle in Bengaluru in a 24-hour-long protest CAA, NRC, and the violence that broke out at JNU on Sunday.

Prajwal Bhat

At around midnight on Wednesday, Bengaluru's Maurya Circle came alive. It was witness to a steadily swelling crowd that showed no signs of abating. For those in the crowd, rest had taken a backseat and the violence and injustice meted out against students and teachers at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) this past weekend was not something they could sleep on. Hundreds of protesters turned up and occupied Maurya Circle in Bengaluru in a 24-hour-long protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC), and the violence that broke out at JNU on Sunday which left students and faculty members injured. The protesters gathered at 6 pm on Tuesday. 30-year-old Sneha was among the first few who turned up at Maurya Circle at the start of the protest. She is an IT professional working in the city and she was attending her first protest. "I decided to come here to protest after what happened at JNU on Sunday, which was a tipping point for me. The police are expected to protect citizens and students," Sneha told TNM. This is the first overnight protest held in Bengaluru along the lines of protests held at Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi and Gateway of India in Mumbai. This comes more than three weeks after the first protest was held in the city in the aftermath of police action in Jamia Milia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University on December 14.  On Sunday night, around 30-50 masked people wielding rods and sticks, entered hostels inside the JNU campus in Delhi and brutally assaulted students and faculty members who had opposed a sharp fee hike at the institution. At least 24 people were injured and were hospitalised. This included faculty member Suchitra Sen and Jawaharlal Nehru Students Association President Aishe Ghosh. According to the organisers of the protest, Sunday's violent incidents prompted many fence-sitters to also turn up at Maurya Circle. "This is a turning point because people are giving up comfort to turn up at protests. The fact that we want to spend a night out to protest is a powerful statement and an expression of the will we have to carry this on and continue the fight," Satyavrat, one of the protesters told TNM.  As the hours went by, more protesters trickled in carrying food, water and other supplies for protesters who were on the streets through the night. The slogans, speeches, and singing also continued to reverberate all night. Most slogans were critical of the ruling BJP government, police officials and the lack of safety in universities in the country.  The protest was organised by a collective of students which had earlier organised protests in the city against the CAA and NRC. "Students have turned up here to ask for the mic to be passed to them. The people in power had their say and now students are turning up to say that they want a change. Instead of hijacking their movement, they should listen and respect the voices of students coming through here," Rohan Susan Mathew, a protester said. Protesters have repeatedly stated that the CAA is unconstitutional and have been steadfast in their opposition against the Act, particularly in connection with NRC. Even though the number of protesters at the venue reduced around 3 am, the protest continued all night until the morning when another wave of protesters reached the venue to take over from those who had stayed all night.   Shivajinagar's Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad also took part in the protest but he did not address the crowd of protesters. The protest continued into Wednesday morning, and around 7 am, the Preamble of the Constitution was read out. The 24-hour protest was also preceded by a candlelight vigil that was held at the St Joseph College of Commerce earlier on Tuesday.

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