Who demolished migrant huts claiming Bangladeshi infiltration? BBMP says it didn't

Civic

On January 19, sheds in migrant settlements in Devarabeesanahalli and Kariyammana Agrahara in Bellandur were demolished by an excavator.

Prajwal Bhat

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) told the Karnataka High Court on Thursday that it did not carry out the demolitions in the migrant settlements in Bellandur over fears that illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were staying there. The counsel appearing for the BBMP distanced itself from the demolitions. This despite the fact that Assistant Executive Engineer of the BBMP’s Marathahalli subdivision had written to Marathahalli police station seeking police protection to carry out the evictions in the migrant settlements in Bellandur. In the letter, the engineer had said that "Bangladeshi nationals have built illegal sheds and the residents here have converted this into a slum area". Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka was hearing a petition filed by the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) challenging the demolition of migrant settlements in Bellandur and Whitefield in the city on January 18 and 19. The Chief Justice questioned, "Who carried out the demolitions?," after neither the BBMP nor the Bengaluru Police came forward to take responsibility. "The BBMP's engineer (Assistant Executive Engineer, Mahadevapura Zone) had written to the police but the BBMP did not carry out demolition of sheds," the BBMP counsel told the High Court. On January 18 and 19, sheds in migrant settlements in Devarabeesanahalli and Kariyammana Agrahara in Bellandur were demolished by an excavator. Police officials from Marathahalli police station were present during the demolitions. Read: After video claims 'Bangladeshi immigrant' settlement in Bengaluru, BBMP razes 100 huts However, it turned out that many residents in the migrant settlement were from states like Assam, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and even Karnataka. When TNM visited the spot, the residents held up their identification cards to prove their citizenship. Residents of the settlements are BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar later stated that the demolitions were unauthorised and blamed the engineer for 'going rogue' and demolishing sheds without permission from higher officials. Read: Demolition in Bengaluru migrant colony over ‘Bangladeshi’ fears unauthorised, says BBMP "Local residents came to the office of the AEE twice to complain that there are a large number of illegal sheds in the area and it was causing a nuisance, especially in the night time," the BBMP's counsel told the High Court. The complaints made by these residents eventually led to the demolition of migrant settlements behind Mantri Espana apartment. The BBMP has sent Narayan Swamy back to his parent department - Public Works Department - and recommended that he should be suspended. Police officials from Marathahalli police station were present at the site of the demolition until it was called off on January 19. However, a police notice sent to a landowner on January 11 stated that the sheds constructed behind Mantri Espana apartment in Bellandur are illegal and that Bangladeshi immigrants were illegally settled there.  Residents in a migrant settlement in Kundalahalli near Marathahalli  were also evicted on the day demolitions were carried out in Bellandur. Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka asked the BBMP to file its statement of objections by Saturday. The High Court also asked the state government to clarify its stance on the demolitions. The counsel appearing for the state government said that an enquiry is underway. The case will be heard again on Monday.  Since the demolition, Bengaluru police have arrested three people living in a migrant settlement near Whitefield stating that they are illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Read: Migrant workers in Bengaluru live in fear as police search for Bangladeshi immigrants           

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Kannada reporter-poet booked for ‘breach of peace’ for his anti-CAA poetry

CAA

Siraj Bisaralli has sought anticipatory bail even as the local BJP workers have filed a complaint against him.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Siraj Bisaralli, in a Facebook post

Siraj Bisaralli, a poet with many Kannada poetry books to his name, has been booked for reciting his poem “Ninna Dakhale Yaavaga Needuttee?” (When will you give your documents?) at the Anegundi Utsava that was held in Koppal recently. The Koppala unit of BJP took notice of the poem recited at the festival after they saw that it was shared widely on the internet, and went to the police, according to The Hindu. The complainants alleged that the poem insulted PM Narendra Modi.  Siraj is also a reporter for Koppala with the Kannada news channel PrajaaTV, as confirmed by Ravi Ganiga, MD of PrajaaTV. The Gangavathi Rural police in Koppala district have filed an FIR against the poet, and against Rajabaxi HV, the editor of Kannadanet.com, who shared the poem on the internet. The FIR has been filed under IPC sections 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 505(2) (Statements conducive to public mischief). Siraj told TOI that he has never faced such problems, despite authoring two anthologies of his poetry, and was seeking anticipatory bail as he could get arrested any moment. The Anegundi Utsava is a local cultural festival celebrated in the village of Anegundi in Koppal. It was organised on January 9, after a gap of five years, according to media reports. The festival was organised with funds from the state exchequer amounting to Rs 1 crore, along with Rs 1.10 crore CSR funding from various corporate organisations. It was inaugurated by Chief Minister Yediyurappa, along with Deputy CM Laxman Savidi and Karnataka Cultural Affairs Minister CT Ravi, according to newspaper Kannada Prabha. This case comes amidst several crackdowns on protests and cultural activities that criticise the controversial CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and the proposed nationwide NRC (National Register of Citizens). On January 26, the police in Bidar district booked a sedition case against a school and its management for a play performed by children. The play reportedly had a line against PM Modi – a line in the play reportedly said those who ask for documents for NRC should be beaten with slippers.  Read: School in Karnataka's Bidar booked for sedition over children’s play on CAA-NRC On January 9, the Mysuru police booked a case of sedition against Nalini, a former student of Mysuru University for holding a poster which said “Free Kashmir”. At the time, she gave a statement as to why she held the poster. “I wanted to remember and remind people that coming out to the streets to protest against the unconstitutional CAA, NRC, NPR is a privilege we have. We have been able to amplify our voices against it, while the valley has been in darkness unable to voice out their dissent. This is all I meant by ‘Free Kashmir’. Nothing more, nothing less. None of the student bodies of the University of Mysore are responsible for the placard.” Read: Sedition charges filed against protester at Mysuru University for ‘Free Kashmir’ poster

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Bengaluru civic body to rename Tipu Sultan circle, Congress corporators protest

Controversy

On Tuesday, a meeting was held, where Mayor Goutham Kumar made a decision to remove Tipu Sultan’s name from the junction.

TNM Staff

From banning state-sponsored Tipu Jayanti celebrations, to wanting the chapter on Tipu Sultan removed from school textbooks, the BJP government in Karnataka has courted many controversies surrounding Tipu. Now, Bengaluru’s civic body, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s council has decided to rename Tipu Sultan Circle in the city. On Tuesday, a special meeting was held, where Mayor Goutham Kumar made a decision to remove Tipu Sultan’s name from the junction. An order was issued for the same, and this was done without discussion in the council. Back in 2018, then Congress leader in the BBMP Council, M Shivaraju had proposed renaming Bellahalli junction to Tipu Sultan Circle in Jakkur. The decision was seconded by Congress corporator RS Satyanarayana. The proposal was also supported by BJP corporator from Yediyur NR Ramesh. At the time, the BBMP Council had unanimously passed the decision to rename the junction as Tipu Sultan Circle. The council members had floated the proposal after consulting with the residents of Bellahalli. However, the decision was overturned in Tuesday’s meeting. Angered by the turn of events, the Congress leaders in the BBMP Council raised objections to the decision, stating that no consultation was done and that the matter was not put to vote in the council before the decision was made by Mayor Goutham. “Naming the circle after Tipu Sultan had been, in fact, first proposed by BJP council member NR Ramesh. Why is the BJP going back on its own actions? The mayor cannot take suo motu decisions without floating the matter in the council,” said Leader of Opposition in the BBMP Council Abdul Wajid. Congress corporators accused the ruling party of flouting laws. Quoting the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act, Wajid said that such decisions cannot be made by the mayor without obtaining the vote of two-thirds of the council members. Speaking to TNM, Mayor Goutham said that it was an error that the issue was not discussed in the council. He added that he had only deferred the issue, and asked the BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar to look into the legality of the issue. “We have only decided to not go ahead with changing the name. We will discuss it further in the council,” he said. BBMP Commissioner Anil Kumar said that the matter has been sent to the Palike’s legal team, after which a final decision will be made. “Let them put the matter to vote, we don’t want the junction to be named after Tipu Sultan. Once legalities are sorted out, we will proceed with the matter,” BBMP Leader of the ruling party in the council, Padmanabha Reddy said.     

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Karnataka govt withdraws security cover given to former Cong-JD(S) ministers

Politics

Senior MLAs like RV Deshpande and Bandeppa Kashempur are on the list of those who have now lost their security cover.

TNM Staff

Representational Image

Six months after BS Yediyurappa took oath as Chief Minister of Karnataka for the fourth time, the security cover for 27 former ministers of the HD Kumaraswamy-led Congress-JD(S) coalition government was withdrawn on Thursday. The order issued on January 25 said other than ex-Deputy CM G Parameshwara, and former ministers HD Revanna, DK Shivakumar, KJ George and MB Patil, all former ministers will lose their security cover. Even senior MLAs who were ministers like RV Deshpande and Bandeppa Kashempur have lost their security cover. Last time when Yediyurappa had become CM only for two days in 2018, post the fractured mandate in the Assembly elections, he had withdrawn state security for the Congress MLAs stationed in the Eagleton resort just hours after taking oath. Recently the Union government had withdrawn central security for high profile political leaders including Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and DMK president MK Stalin in a controversial decision.  Meanwhile, CM Yeddyurappa is on his way to the national capital to meet BJP working president JP Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah to finalise the decision on the much-delayed Cabinet expansion in the state. Speaking on the same on Wednesday, the CM said, “I will go to New Delhi tomorrow (Thursday) and meet with the national leaders and discuss the issue of Cabinet expansion.” Yediyurappa had earlier set a 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 within the BJP. The CM has to balance the promise of ministerial berths, made to former Congress and JD(S) MLAs who won byepolls and cemented his position as CM, and also meet demands of long term BJP loyalists. For this process, one or two sitting senior ministers are also likely to lose their portfolios, according to sources. 

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U.S. life expectancy increases for first time in 4 years

Fatal drug overdoses dropped in 2018 for the first time in nearly 30 years, and cancer-related deaths also declined

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Bengaluru man who kidnapped boy outside school arrested hours after making ransom call

Crime

The kidnapped allegedly knew that the boy was picked up from school every day around 4 pm.

TNM Staff

Police in Bengaluru arrested a 21-year-old man on Tuesday for allegedly kidnapping an 11-year-old boy. According to police, he had demanded a ransom of Rs 5 lakh from the boy's parents and was inspired by a Hindi crime TV series, reported Deccan Herald. The police identified the accused as Chirag R Mehta, who was a resident of Basavanagudi’s Bull Temple Road.   According to reports, a joint team of Cottonpet and Chamrajpet Police Station were able to nab the accused within just five hours of him making the ransom call. Police said that he had committed the crime as he wanted to make some money quickly to fund his betting and gambling habit, according to The Times of India. Reports said Chirag knew that the boy was usually picked up by an employee of his father, who is a businessman, around 4 pm from his school. He made sure that on Tuesday, he reached the school around 3 pm and met the boy. The accused allegedly convinced the child that he was his father’s friend and took him pillion on a rented bike.  Meanwhile, the boy’s mother was informed by the man who usually picks him up from school that somebody else had taken the boy. After speaking to the child, Chirag acquired the phone number of the boy’s father and allegedly made the ransom call, with a warning not to approach the police. The ransom call came when the boy’s father was already on his way to the police station. Without paying any heed to the warning, the businessman approached Cottonpet police who, in turn, formed teams to identify the accused. The Cottonpet Police inspector-led team started going through CCTV footage of the school area, while the team led by the Chamrajpet Inspector started tracking the location of the caller. Soon the police were able to track the accused’s location to a hotel on St Mark’s Road near Lavelle Road. Upon reaching the location, police found the boy alone at the Traffic Police Park. The boy led him to the accused, who had tried to flee the police.

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2% cess on property tax: Bengaluru Mayor defers decision a day after passing resolution

Civic

The decision to defer the move came in light of protests by opposition corporators— mainly the Congress and JD(S) who threatened to stall the BBMP council’s proceedings on Wednesday.

TNM Staff

In what comes as a temporary relief to property owners in the city, Bengaluru Mayor M Goutham Kumar on Wednesday deferred the decision to impose an additional  2% ‘road transport cess’ on property tax following protests. A final decision on the cess would be taken after detailed deliberations, he said on the floor of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) council.  The decision to defer the move came in light of protests by opposition corporators— mainly the Congress and JD(S) who threatened to stall the council’s proceedings over the Mayor's decision to unilaterally pass the resolution without discussing it with other members of the council. Residents in the city criticised the proposal and said it would be a burden to those who already pay their taxes properly.  TNM had earlier reported that the cess has to be approved by the Urban Development Department of the state government after BBMP council approval. The BJP enjoys a comfortable majority in the council and is also in power in the state. The cess, which was earlier proposed by the Congress-JD(S)-led council as well, was planned to be used for road, street and drain maintenance with the Mayor pegging the cess amount to be around Rs 150 crore for the entire city.  However, in the last two years, after the Congress mayors had proposed it, the opposition had come from BJP corporators. Tuesday’s decision to impose the new cess was not well received by the residents either who targeted the BBMP over its failure to collect the existing property tax itself and for imposing additional burden.  Over the last four fiscal years, BBMP has failed to meet even 90% of its property tax collection target, with the FY 2016-17 being the most successful with 86% collection. In the last two years, the BBMP has managed to collect only around 82% of its target for property tax. Even this year, with just two months to go for the financial year to end, BBMP has collected only Rs 2425.3 crore (up till January 15) out of the targeted amount of Rs 3,500 crore. In what comes as a temporary relief to property owners in the city, Bengaluru Mayor M Goutham Kumar on Wednesday deferred the decision to impose an additional  2% ‘road transport cess’ on property tax following protests.  A final decision on the cess would be taken after detailed deliberations, he said on the floor of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) council.  The decision to defer the move came in light of protests by opposition corporators— mainly the Congress and JD(S) who threatened to stall the council’s proceedings over the Mayor's decision to unilaterally pass the resolution without discussing it with other members of the council. Residents in the city criticised the proposal and said it would be a burden to those who already pay their taxes properly.  TNM had earlier reported that the cess has to be approved by the Urban Development Department of the state government after BBMP council approval. The BJP enjoys a comfortable majority in the council and is also in power in the state. The cess, which was earlier proposed by the Congress-JD(S)-led council as well, was planned to be used for road, street and drain maintenance with the Mayor pegging the cess amount to be around Rs 150 crore for the entire city.  However, in the last two years, after the Congress mayors had proposed it, the opposition had come from BJP corporators. Tuesday’s decision to impose the new cess was not well received by the residents either who targeted the BBMP over its failure to collect the existing property tax itself and for imposing additional burden.  Over the last four fiscal years, BBMP has failed to meet even 90% of its property tax collection target, with the FY 2016-17 being the most successful with 86% collection. In the last two years, the BBMP has managed to collect only around 82% of its target for property tax. Even this year, with just two months to go for the financial year to end, BBMP has collected only Rs 2425.3 crore (up till January 15) out of the targeted amount of Rs 3,500 crore.

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