Four men drown after SUV flips over and falls into lake near Bengaluru

Accident

The vehicle landed up in the lake as the driver was trying to avoid a stray dog which had come near its path.

TNM Staff

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In a tragic incident, four Bengaluru men drowned to death on Sunday evening as they were out on a drive in the city's outskirts. This after their vehicle, an SUV flipped over and fell into the Bychaguppe lake near Tavarekere at around 4.45pm, reported the Times of India. The deceased have been identified as 28-year-old Santosh of RT Nagar, 34-year-old Raghavendra of Cholurpalya, 36-year-old Manjunath of Agrahara Dasarahalli and 35-year-old Sunil Kumar of Subramanyanangar. According to the report, Sunil Kumar was behind the wheel at the time of the accident. The report said the vehicle landed up in the lake as the driver was trying to avoid a stray dog which had come near its path. The accident spot is just 31km away from Bengaluru city limits. The four men who are friends were headed to a temple in Huliyurdurga in Kunigal taluk of Tumakuru district. Incidentally, the owner of the vehicle Manjunath, another friend of theirs, was not with them. While Sunil Kumar was working at a restaurant, Santosh worked at a private firm. The other two were working in a jewellery shop. The report further said that the car had flipped over after hitting a stone during a sudden left turn and ended up in the lake. With the car windows rolled up, they could not make their way out of the car which led to their deaths in a matter of minutes, even though the depth of water was only about six feet. Soon after the accident, locals alerted the police and emergency personnel were rushed to the spot. The bodies of the deceased were fished out.  A post-mortem examination will be conducted on Monday at a private hospital in RR Nagar in Bengaluru. A case has been registered at Tavarekere Police Station and police will probe further as to what led to the accident.

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Bengaluru Police arrest Khalistani terror accused Jarnail Singh Sidhu

Crime

Police said he was allegedly in touch with the Pakistan’s ISI.

TNM Staff

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Police in Bengaluru on Sunday arrested a Khalistani terror accused Jarnail Singh Sidhu who has allegedly advocated for Khalistan, an independent state for Sikh people in India. The arrest was made within Sampigehalli Police Station limits in north-eastern Bengaluru. According to Central Crime Branch police, he was residing in Bengaluru for the last six months and is also allegedly in touch with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Police said he was living in a paying guest accommodation and was working in a private firm. Police remain tightlipped over the arrest and refused to share further information about other possible suspects. Meanwhile, on Saturday the Bengaluru police booked 14 members of the banned outfit Al-Ummah under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The gang, according to police, is led by one Mehaboob Pasha, who is still at large. Three of his alleged compatriots- Mohammed Haneef Khan (29), Imran Khan (32), and Mohammed Zaid (24) were arrested by Tamil Nadu police from Bengaluru on January 7 for their alleged role in the murder of the Hindu Munnani member Suresh Kumar in 2014. A joint investigation conducted by the CCB, Internal Security Division (ISD) and State Intelligence revealed that Mehaboob Pasha and his associate Moideen Khaja were members of the banned outfit Al-Ummah and had held several meetings in Pasha’s residence in Bengaluru to allegedly form a splinter group. Pasha is still at large and the police suspect he is currently in Chamarajanagar. Pasha and Moideen Khaja’s involvement came to light after the Q branch of Tamil Nadu’s arrest last week. “Mohammed Pasha was one of the kingpins of the gang, out of which three persons were arrested on January 7 from Suddaguntepalya. In total, there were 14 associates of Pasha who were planning to foment communal disharmony in various parts of the country. They all had a foreign handler,” CCB Chief in Bengaluru Sandeep Patil said.   Police say that Pasha and Khaja had been in touch with their foreign handler and had expected a huge cache of arms to arrive in the city soon.     

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Karnataka cabinet expansion: BSY in a fix as all rebels becoming ministers doubtful

Politics

Sources say that BJP’s national leaders have decided that only eight of the ministerial berths would be filled up now, of which only six will be reserved for the rebels.

Theja Ram

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, who has fought hard to retain his position of power within the BJP, seems to be in a perpetual fix over the most-awaited cabinet expansion. The CM had set the deadline of January 15 to speak with the high command and announce the names of the new ministers, and yet he seems unable to form a decision without offending crucial figures in the BJP. Soon after the results of the bye-elections in 15 constituencies were announced on December 9, Yediyurappa had said that all 11 Congress and JD(S) rebels who had won in the polls would be offered ministerial berths. With massive resistance in the BJP towards the 11 rebels gaining cabinet berths, Yediyurappa has a tough task ahead of him, especially with a reluctant high command. BJP insiders say that the party’s national leaders have decided that only eight of the ministerial berths would be filled up during the upcoming cabinet expansion. Of the eight berths, only six are said to be reserved for the rebels, highly placed sources in the BJP said. Yediyurappa’s cabinet currently has 17 ministers and 16 vacancies. “National leaders say that eight berths will be filled now while the remaining would be filled in the next round of expansion, may be a year later, and that all those berths are reserved for BJP leaders and not rebels,” the source said. With Yediyurappa fighting tooth and nail to ensure that the 11 rebels get cabinet berths, BJP insiders claim that unfulfilled promised to the rebels may foment more trouble within the party. “If the rebels get ministerial berths, Yediyurappa’s faction in the party will remain strong as the rebels would align themselves with him. There are other leaders who support Nalin Kumar Kateel and they want leaders from coastal Karnataka and party loyalists to get berths,” the source added. Yediyurappa was slated to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and discuss the cabinet expansion on Sunday. However, Yediyurappa was not given an appointment to meet him. The Chief Minister is now expected to meet Amit Shah in Hubballi on the evening of January 17, upon the Home Minister’s arrival in the state to chalk out details of the expansion. “Yediyurappa wants to have his way. Although he has proven himself loyal and able in handling elections, there are many whom the high command favours over him. It depends on whether he can convince Amit Shah to trust his judgment,” the source added.

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Bengaluru police book 14 people from gang linked to banned terror outfit in Tamil Nadu

Crime

The police are on the lookout for Mehaboob Pasha, a member of the banned outfit Al-Ummah, who is the kingpin of the plot being hatched.

TNM Staff

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A joint investigation conducted by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Police, along with the state intelligence, revealed a plot allegedly being hatched in Bengaluru by members of a banned outfit Al-Ummah to ‘foment communal disharmony.’ The sleuths of the Central Crime Branch have alleged that the members of the outfit were in Bengaluru and were planning to "target people from other communities." They were also allegedly expecting a large cache of arms, the sleuths said. The CCB filed a complaint with Sudduguntepalya police near BTM Layout in Bengaluru against a man identified as Mehaboob Pasha, who is allegedly the kingpin of the group. Following the input, the police filed a case against Pasha and 13 of his associates under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. A joint investigation conducted by the CCB, Internal Security Division ISD and State Intelligence revealed that Mehaboob Pasha and his associate Moideen Khaja were members of the banned outfit Al-Ummah and had held several meetings in Pasha’s residence in Bengaluru to form a splinter group. Pasha is still at large and the police suspect he is currently in Chamarajanagar. Pasha and Moideen Khaja’s involvement came to light after the Q branch of Tamil Nadu’s CCB arrested three persons on January 7 from the city in connection with the murder of a Hindu Munnani member, Suresh Kumar, in 2014. “Mohammed Pasha was one of the kingpins of the gang of which three persons were arrested on January 7 from Suddaguntepalya. In total, there were 14 associates of Pasha’s who were planning to foment communal disharmony in various parts of the country. They all had a foreign handler,” CCB Chief in Bengaluru Sandeep Patil said.   Police say that Pasha and Khaja had been in touch with their foreign handler and had expected a huge cache of arms to arrive in the city soon.  After the three accused in the murder of Hindu Munnani leader Suresh Kumar were arrested, the CCB sleuths in Bengaluru also learnt that the three were members of a separate outfit and the 14 persons in the group met allegedly at Pasha’s house to plan out activities. It is not clear what activities the outfit has planned. On January 7, the Tamil Nadu police arrested Mohammed Haneef Khan (29), Imran Khan (32), and Mohammed Zaid (24) from Soladevanahalli, Vivek Nagar and HSR Layout. These three persons were arrested in connection with the murder of the Hindu Munnani member Suresh Kumar in 2014. Two days later, the Delhi police arrested Moideen Khaja, Syed Ali Nivas and Abdul Samad. Khaja was part of the CPI(M) in the 1990s, according to the police. He was arrested in 2004 from Cuddalore for allegedly running a camp that carried out weapons training. In 2014, the Hindu Munnani leader Suresh Kumar was allegedly killed and Khaja was named as the mastermind by the police.  After the murder of Suresh Kumar, Al-Ummah was banned. The outfit also had a ‘Jehad Committee’ in Tamil Nadu, which was disbanded and several of its members, who were in Bengaluru, allegedly decided to form their own outfit. Police say that the group also met at a house in Vivek Nagar and the persons residing there were constantly in touch with the foreign handler. “When the Jehad Committee disbanded, its members went to Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Kerala and some were in Tamil Nadu. The plan was to target various communities in Bengaluru and instigate violence,” the police said. Police say that Khaja, Syed and Samad, who were arrested in Delhi were allegedly planning to carry out terror attacks in Delhi-NCR. The three accused, who had absconded from the country, allegedly entered India via Nepal last year and had planned to carry out attacks in various parts of the country.       

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All open drains in Bengaluru to be fenced by Sept 2020: Civic body to HC

Civic

Recently, the Karnataka High Court had directed the Urban Development Department (UDD) for an update on the progress of work across various municipal corporations to fence open drains.

TNM Staff

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The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has told the Karnataka High Court that the chainlink fencing of all open drains will be completed by September 2020. BBMP made this submission when the High Court bench headed by Chief Justice AS Oka was hearing a petition filed by the Namma Bengaluru Foundation (NBF) on the death of nine-year-old Geetha Lakshmi after she fell into an uncovered stormwater drain in 2014. In November 2019, the Karnataka High Court had directed the Urban Development Department (UDD) for an update on the progress of work across various municipal corporations to fence open drains. In an affidavit, the UDD had also submitted similar details of the progress of work on fencing open drains across districts of the state. In its petition in 2014, the NBF had asked the High Court to give directions to the Urban Development Department and the Commissioner of the BBMP to prepare a comprehensive, timebound action plan for safety and security mechanisms for civic services, like stormwater drains and electricity supply.  The petition has also sought directives to the state government to prosecute negligent public officials, whose failure to carry out their statutory duties results in loss of life and limb. In the previous hearing, held on December 10, 2019, the NBF sought punishment for the civic official allegedly responsible for the death of the nine-year-old child. The Karnataka government, however, stated that the contractor responsible for the mishap had entered into an out-of-court settlement with the parents of the deceased. The petitioner had earlier argued that even though compensation has been granted by the state, no enquiry has been undertaken to affix responsibility on the negligent officials. They further contended that BBMP cannot by-pass its mandatory municipal functions by using the ruse of lack of funds when the civic body said drains will be covered based on the availability of funds. The court stated that it will consider whether action should be taken against the alleged errant official on February 18, which has been fixed as the next date of hearing. In one of the earlier hearings, BBMP had said that it had stopped covering drains with concrete slabs, based on a Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) direction. Read: ‘Stopped covering stormwater drains with concrete slabs on KSPCB direction’: BBMP to HC

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RBI puts curbs on Sri Guru Raghavendra Sahakara Bank in Bengaluru from doing business

Finance

RBI said that this directive should not be construed as cancellation of the co-operative bank's license.

TNM Staff

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has curbed a Bengaluru-based private co-operative bank from doing business with immediate effect for alleged irregularities in transactions, an official said on Saturday. "Sri Guru Raghavendra Sahakara Bank in Bengaluru shall not, without prior approval of the RBI in writing, grant or renew loans and advances, make investment, borrow funds or accept fresh deposits from January 10, 2020," the RBI said in a directive, which has been accessed by IANS. The central bank's Chief General Manager Yogesh Dayal issued the directive under Sections 35A and 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, from Mumbai. The RBI, however, allowed the bank's savings and current account customers and depositors to withdraw cash up to Rs 35,000 only till further notice. "The private bank will also not disburse payment whether in discharge of its liabilities and obligations or otherwise, enter into compromise or arrangement and sell, transfer or otherwise dispose its properties or assets except, as instructed on January 2, 2020," said the directive. "The bank will, however, continue to undertake business with restrictions till its financial position improves," said an official, citing the directive. The regulator clarified that its directive should not be construed as cancellation of the bank's license issued by it. "The directive shall remain in force for six months from January 10 and is subject to review," added the official. Worried customers of the bank gathered at the bank premises in Basavangudi on Saturday morning after the RBI issued the above notice. However, one of the bank officials told The Hindu that customers were assured that their deposits are safe. He said that the RBI restrictions were a result of a default on Rs 350 crore worth of loans; however, the loans can be recovered by taking over the assets given as securities. He added that ATMs will function normally from Monday, and the bank will seek clarifications from the RBI as well. (IANS inputs)

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2 students detained for anti-CAA protest at Bengaluru’s Church Street, released later

CAA

The students were holding posters against the CAA and NRC when police officials from Cubbon Park police station detained them.

Prajwal Bhat

Two students from National Law School of India University (NLSIU) were detained and released on Saturday night for protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Bengaluru's Church Street. Some students from NLSIU were holding posters against the CAA and NRC when police officials from Cubbon Park police station detained two of them.  "Two students were protesting against the CAA and NRC last night. They were detained and let off on the same night. They were warned to not hold protests without obtaining permission," a police official in Cubbon Park police station told TNM. According to a student leader, two students from NLSIU were holding a poster and discussing with passers-by about the CAA and NRC. A video put out on social media by one of the protesters shows a police officials questioning the students over the anti-CAA posters they were holding. Church Street and its surrounding areas in Bengaluru receive high footfall on Saturday nights due to the presence of many establishments like bars, restaurants and movie theatres nearby. Student-led protests against the CAA and NRC have been held in Bengaluru multiple times over the past month. On January 7-8, a 24-hour protest was held at Maurya Circle in the city by students. Students of universities including Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Indian Institute of Management-Bengaluru (IIM-B), NLSIU, Azim Premji University, St Joseph's College, Jyoti Nivas College, have held protests against the CAA, NRC and violence in campuses like JNU, Jamia Milia and Aligarh Muslim University. On Saturday, students held up posters condemning violence at the campuses after a screening of Deepika Padukone-starrer Chhapaak at Bengaluru’s Orion Mall.  A group of around 35 students held up posters when the end credits of the film rolled.

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