Facing backlash, K’taka govt to resume supply of foodgrains to welfare institutions

Public Health

Government sources said that more than 32,000 students were affected by a sudden stop in supply of foodgrains, specifically rice and wheat.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Representation Photo

Poor students, especially from SC/ST and OBC backgrounds, who reside in government-aided and religious welfare institutions in Karnataka, have been struggling for the past two months after the government stopped supply of foodgrains.  For some, the supply stopped in November, while others suffered from December onwards. Only after the Opposition raised its voice on the issue, did the state government do something to rectify the situation. Following this, a Cabinet meeting was held and the Minister for Women and Child Development Shashikala Jolle said that the state will resume the supply of foodgrains. Government sources said that more than 32,000 students were affected by a sudden stop in the supply of foodgrains, specifically rice and wheat. Institutions like the Siddaganga Mutt in Tumakuru, and the Chitradurga Muruga Rajendra mutt were among those affected. The crisis was precipitated after orders to stop the supply were reportedly issued by the Centre, Deccan Herald reported. The state government was reportedly complying with an order from the Centre, which had banned supply of free foodgrains to private and aided institutions, from December 2019 onwards. Doreswamy, administrator at the Muruga Rajendra Mutt in Chitradurga said, "For the past two years, we were getting a supply of rice and wheat from the Food and Civil Supplies department, but it stopped from the past three months. We were managing on whatever we grow in the land belonging to the Mutt, and purchased from donations of the devotees." He added that in January, they had requested the government for assistance. "Every month, we hold mass marriages in our premises. In January, Shashikala Jolle, Minister of Food and Civil Supplies, attended the mass marriage and we asked for help." Vishwanath, administrative officer at the Siddaganga Mutt, said, “We couldn’t let the boys go hungry and had to do something. We got some paddy, milled it, and fed that to the students.” However, action from the government came only when the Opposition spoke out on the issue. Congress MLA UT Khader, slammed the government for not providing food to the social welfare institutions, calling it inhumane, regardless of the nature of the institutions. “Instead of taking forward the schemes we (the Congress) made, this (BJP-led) government is trying to remove these pro-people schemes. This is an inhumane government,” he said at a press conference in Bengaluru on Tuesday.  UT Khader served as the Minister of Food and Civil Supplies in Siddaramaiah's cabinet when the Anna Bhagya scheme was introduced. The state will now have to allocate the funds from its own budget. The Hindu reported that this would cost an extra Rs 18 crore to the exchequer. The Karnataka government is set to release its budget on March 5.    

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2ucZ8RY
via IFTTT

'Man tried to enter my home at 2 am, threw condoms': Bengaluru woman files complaint

Crime

When Deepa reached the police station, the police allegedly asked her to leave out the details about the condom packet from her complaint and then refused to lodge an FIR.

Sanyukta Dharmadhikari

Representative image

Deepa* was in bed on January 30 when, at 2 am, she heard a loud banging at the front door of her home in Bengaluru. Someone was trying to force their way into her home.  “I was sleeping and it was 2.06 am. Someone was banging at my door, and ringing the bell,” Deepa tells TNM. Deepa, who lives alone, immediately dialled 100. The closest police station, the Puttenahalli police station, is located five minutes away from her home. However, the police did not come till 2.30 am, and till then, the banging and ringing continued. “My main door has a window next to it. The man opened that window and put his hand inside. He tried very hard to open the door from inside, for half an hour, and at the same time, he was saying something. I was shivering in fear, I could only hear him saying 'Madam, madam’,” Deepa narrates.  “There is a switchboard inside between the door and the window, and while trying to open the door he accidentally switched on the light in the main hall. Till a few minutes before the police came, he was trying to scare me, switching the light on and off constantly. He kept ringing the bell too,” Deepa shares. Deepa heard the police arrive at 2.30 am, but the alleged intruder was alerted and fled the spot.  “I believe he was hurt and he tried to maybe climb my building from somewhere else. There were blood-stains on the stairs as well as my windowpane,” Deepa adds. She says the police checked the perimeter and the terrace, but did not find him.  “They did not go to the buildings nearby or stay there for the night or give me any sort of protection. They gave me a number, and said if something happens, give us a call. I asked them, ‘should I wait for this to repeat? That's all they said and they went. They did not care to check everywhere,” Deepa says.  Later, the police left and Deepa, evidently shaken, tried her best to go back to sleep, trying to dismiss the incident as a thief trying to commit a petty crime. However, at around 7 am, while getting ready for work, she noticed something on the floor near her fridge. “I saw a packet of condoms lying near my fridge. I am very sure it was him who had thrown the packet.  I picked up the packet and when I saw what it was, I immediately threw it back where I had found it. I called the police, who came around 9.30-10 am. And their attitude was very casual. They said okay, just throw it,” Deepa says.  She adds that the police did not take the packet with them, but instead kicked it out of her house and asked her to come to the police station to file a written complaint. Deepa then got in touch with the building caretaker, who also works as a broker, and retrieved the CCTV footage.  ‘He did something similar on first floor’ “The CCTV footage we got was from the ground floor and unfortunately, the CCTV on my floor had to be given for some configuration and hence was not there. On the first floor, you can see him clearly, he is a tall, fair, lean man, whom I have never seen before. I saw the video 50-60 times but I could not recall if I had seen him somewhere,” she says.  In the CCTV, Deepa says she could see him opening the door of an apartment on the first floor as well.  “On the first floor, he did something similar, he opened the window, it is a sliding window, he peeked inside and then closed the window,” Deepa says. ‘Police refused to file FIR’ When Deepa reached the police station, the police allegedly asked her to leave out the details about the condom packet from her complaint. But she added it in her complaint and also submitted the video footage to the police. However, they did not file an FIR. “I told sub-inspector Santhosh about the events that happened the previous night. But he refused to register an FIR, saying that we can't because the guy is unknown. Next day I received an acknowledgement of three lines, that someone on (January) 30th banged the door, opened the window, and that ‘we want to tell the complainant not to open the doors and windows for any unknown person.’ They did not mention the video, the timing nor the condom packet,” Deepa says.  Deepa went to the police station twice to question why important details were not acknowledged and why the police did not file an FIR. Deepa also approached her building caretaker asking that security be deployed, but the caretaker convinced her that the building is safe and that nothing will happen if they lock the front gate. After haggling with both the owners and the police, Deepa, who has been living at the apartment for three years, is now looking for a new home.  On Sunday, after getting no assurance from the police, Deepa reached out to activist Deepika Bharadwaj on Twitter to narrate her ordeal.  This is extremely irresponsible @BlrCityPolice A man tries to break open a womans house at night, throws condom packet inside & you're asking her to forget about it rather than acting on it? She's in fear. Plz Help @Copsview @ips_patil @D_Roopa_IPS @BlrCityPolice @DCPWestBCP pic.twitter.com/QxWhzXmnJe — Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj (@DeepikaBhardwaj) February 5, 2020 Cops say investigation underway TNM contacted Puttenahalli police station and an official there stated that though they have not registered an FIR, they have received the woman’s complaint and they are investigating. The official also stated that he was not authorised to give more information. *Name changed

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2GYPWDr
via IFTTT

Bengaluru man turns donor after mother's cancer fight, saves toddler from Thalassemia

Health

Doctors told the child’s parents that the only way to save their daughter would be to give her a bone marrow transplant from a matching donor.

Dharshana Kathiresan

“Shia is the best thing to have ever happened to us. We were shattered when she fell sick,” say the parents of the 4-year-old girl. At the tender age of 9 months, Shia was diagnosed with thalassemia, a blood dyscrasia which results in the body being unable to make enough haemoglobin for use. Haemoglobin is a molecule that helps transport oxygen to all the tissues of the body. An inadequate or deficient amount of haemoglobin would result in the cells of the body being deprived of oxygen. Doctors told her parents that the only way to save their daughter would be to give her a bone marrow transplant from a donor. This is done by first wiping out one’s immune system and then introducing new bone marrow, which contain stem cells that then help build a new and healthy immune system. A year after they began their search for a matching donor, the family met Debojyoti Banik, a Bengaluru techie whose bone marrow was a perfect match. Debojyoti was highly aware of the need to donate stem cells and the impact one can bring by being a donor after seeing his mother’s battle with cancer. “I had personally seen what a family can go through during the period of medical procedures. Not only the patient but the entire family collapses. This motivated me to register as a donor and that is something others can do as well because nothing is more noble than saving someone’s life” he said to TNM. While bone marrow transplants are usually invasive procedures, doctors took the girl up for peripheral stem cell transplant, a method through which stem cells from the bone marrow are transplanted without any surgical intervention. DKMS BMST is a non-profit organisation that functions to build a registry of donors in India. According to the organisation, every five minutes someone in India is diagnosed with blood cancer or blood disorders. In multiple instances, stem cell transplant becomes the only hope of survival for the patients. “Most of them tend to believe the myths related to stem cell donation. Due to the lack of matches for implant, people have also lost their dear ones. This is why the public should be encouraged to register, so that they can lend a second chance to someone at stake” said Dr.Latha Jagannathan, Director of DKMS BMST. There are several registries in the country, which run online initiatives for people to come forward and donate. Potential donors can enroll through the website, following which they will receive a simple swab kit, which they can mail back or ask the organisation to collect. The individual’s details are noted down in the registry and if someone is found to be a match, they are notified. “Peripheral stem cell collection is a safe process and the most common method, which might involve short term side effects like body ache, lasting for a day. Moreover, the support and encouragement from a donor’s family is very vital for these procedures to take place,” said Dr.Pooja Prakash Mallya, an Oncologist and Bone Marrow Transplant Specialist from Narayana Health City, Bengaluru. “With such donations, the contributor not only gives a new leash of life to the patient, but also to the entire family. I really urge the younger generation to learn about this and spread the message across” said Shia’s father, Saifulla Kobir.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2GWF9to
via IFTTT

'Cop called us Bangladeshi, asked us to vacate': Settlement in Bengaluru fears eviction

Immigration

Residents of a settlement in Bengaluru's Munnekolala alleged that the Varthur Police Inspector warned them to vacate the premises within two days.

Theja Ram

Tension prevailed among the residents of a temporary settlement in Bengaluru’s Munnekolala near Varthur on Wednesday morning. Over 200 residents of the settlement located opposite the Sobha Dreamacres apartment complex in Varthur fear eviction by the local police. Topi Sheikh, a 30-year-old resident of the settlement in Munnekolala, who is from Odisha, had returned to his 20x10 sq ft hutment after work on Tuesday afternoon at around 3 pm, when a commotion at the entrance of the settlement caught his attention. When Topi Sheikh, went to inquire, he saw a police officer standing and issuing a warning to the residents, who had gathered around. “He was the new inspector of the Varthur Police Station. His name is Putta Obala Reddy. He said he had taken charge just three days ago and wants to ensure that all settlements like ours in his jurisdiction would be wiped off,” Topi Sheikh said. Topi Sheikh’s neighbour, Sanjay Sarkar, a 29-year-old hailing from Nadia district in West Bengal, works as a dry waste segregator. Sanjay says that he was the first to speak with Inspector Obala Reddy when he arrived at the settlement. “He told us that we are all Bangladeshis, who are living here illegally. When we showed him our identity documents, he told us that he didn’t care and that we must vacate the settlement within the next two days. He said our houses would be demolished on Saturday,” Sanjay Sarkar added. Around 70 to 100 residents of the settlement gathered outside Sanjay’s residence on Tuesday evening to discuss their next course of action. Sanjay Sarkar, Topi Sheikh and Shafiullah – residents of the settlement, decided to call the site owner and ask him to intervene. Munikrishna Reddy is the owner of the land demarcated as survey numbers 42/3 and 42/4, where the settlement is located. Speaking to TNM, Munikrishna Reddy said that he arrived immediately and decided to approach the police along with the residents. Munikrishna Reddy and Shafiullah collected photocopies of the Aadhaar cards and Voter IDs of all residents and submitted it to the Inspector. “He just refused to look at it. He accused us of being Bangladeshi and he said that Mamata Banerjee had ensured Bangladeshis had fake identity documents. When we told him that there is a High Court order against illegally demolishing the houses, he said he doesn’t care about that,” Shafiulla said. Munikrishna Reddy said that Inspector Obala Reddy allegedly threatened to file a case against him for “harbouring illegal immigrants” if he did not ask the settlement dwellers to vacate the houses within the next two days. “The police are putting pressure not only on me but also other site owners. There are around 40,000 people living in sites like mine in Munnekolala, Lalmatti settlement located near Kirti Apartments, Kalikatta located near Vaghdevi School and Balagere and Thubarahalli. All these fall under the Varthur limits and the inspector told us that he would ensure all these settlements are gone,” said Venkatesh, another plot owner on whose land a settlement has come up. Topi Sheikh said that the police checks on the settlements dwellers has increased ever since the hutments at Thubarahalli were demolished earlier in January. Many huts in the Thubarahalli settlement was demolished in January but now both the BBMP and the police are claiming to the court that they had played no role in the demolition. Speaking to TNM, Inspector Obala Reddy denied the allegations made by the residents and said that he only went to inform the settlement dwellers that the police would not allow illegal immigrants to live there. “I did not call them illegal immigrants. I only told them that if there are any illegal immigrants living there, they must inform the police. I did not say they were all illegal immigrants. There is obviously some miscommunication,” Inspector Obala Reddy said. Varthu Sub-Inspector Dharanesh KL said that the police conducts surprise checks at the various settlements to check for illegal immigrants. He said that the confusion with Inspector Obala Reddy may have risen as they had received a copy of the High Court order regarding the settlements only on Wednesday morning. “I have been collecting identity documents of people living in settlements in our jurisdiction since the last two years. My job is to ensure that no illegal immigrants are living in the settlements. We are not out to harass citizens but we have no option but to conduct surprise checks to weed out the immigrants,” he added.   

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/36ZJqa3
via IFTTT

Nithyananda's bail cancelled by Karnataka HC in 2010 rape case

Crime

On February 3, the Karnataka Police told the court that they were unable to send the notice to Nithyananda as he is currently on a spiritual tour.”

TNM Staff

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday cancelled the bail issued to self-proclaimed godman Nithyananda in connection with the rape case filed against him in 2010. The High Court had granted Nithyananda bail in June 2010.  Justice John Michael Cunha cancelled Nithyananda’s bail after a petition requesting the same was filed by whistleblower Lenin on January 26. The High Court had issued a notice to Nithyananda on February 1 when it decided to hear Lenin’s petition. On February 3, the Karnataka Police, however, told the court that they were unable to send the notice to Nithyananda as he is currently on a spiritual tour.”   The counsel appearing for the petitioner stated that Nithyananda had fled the country, although his passport had been cancelled and a blue corner notice was issued against him by Interpol in connection with a case registered in Gujarat. However, the counsel appearing for the state government said that they did not know the whereabouts of Nithyananda. Reports indicate that Nithyananda has left India, either on a fake passport or bearing a second passport. Thus, he would not be available for trial, the petitioner informed the court. The High Court, in response, asked, "Why has his presence not been secured before the trial court? Did you (prosecution) file any objections to the exemption granted?” Live Law quoted the judge as saying. Nithyananda is facing trial under sections 376 (rape), 420 (cheating), 114 (criminal abetment), 201 (disappearance of evidence, giving false information), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and other charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the III Additional District and Sessions Court in Ramanagara in Karnataka. Since the complaint was filed in 2010, Nithyananda has been arrested twice and been granted bail by higher courts, successfully delaying the start of the trial. Ultimately, the victim approached the apex court to seek justice. The Gujarat police had declared him as wanted as he failed to appear for trial in a child abduction case.    

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/37W7Q5w
via IFTTT

Bidar sedition row: Mother, teacher to be in jail for more time, bail plea deferred

Controversy

Nazbunissa, the mother of a student, and Fareeda Begum, the head teacher of the primary section in the school were arrested on January 30.

Prajwal Bhat

The Bidar District and Sessions Court on Wednesday decided to hear a bail petition for the mother of a student and a head teacher at Shaheen Primary and High School in Bidar district of Karnataka on February 11. The duo were arrested on charges of sedition. The court has asked the Public Prosecutor to reply to the bail application within a week. Nazbunissa, the mother of a student, and Fareeda Begum, the head teacher of the primary section in the school were arrested on January 30 over a play staged in the school on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). The play was staged by students of classes 4, 5 and 6 on January 21. Subsequently, an FIR was registered by police officials in Bidar New Town Police Station based on a complaint by Nilesh Rakshala, an activist of the Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on January 26. Nilesh, in his complaint, accused the school management of 'insulting' Prime Minister Narendra Modi through the play. He also accused the school management of sedition. Police registered the FIR charging the school management with sedition but they are yet to explain whether sedition charges are applicable. Police officials in Bidar, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Basaveshwara Hira have turned up at the school five times over the past week to question students. Police officials are collecting information about the role of staff and students in staging the play. They are yet to explain on what grounds sedition charges were filed against the school management. Nazbunnisa is the mother of Ayesha* (name changed), the girl who is accused of 'insulting' Prime Minister Modi through a dialogue in the play. The head-teacher was arrested as she was in charge of the play. Nazbunnisa is a widow and since her arrest, Ayesha has been living with their neighbour as their close relatives are not in Bidar. The charge of sedition has been used against those protesting against the CAA in a bid to declare their actions as anti-national. Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code defines sedition as "any attempt to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection towards the lawful government". Yet, under explanations in the same law, it is pointed out that comments expressing “disapprobation of the measures of the Government with a view to obtain their alteration by lawful means” are not offences.  The school management stated that it will fight the charge of sedition registered against them. "We are being continuously harassed by police turning up every day at the school and asking the same questions to the students. The police is asking questions like 'Who scripted the play?' and 'Where was practice held?',"says Touseef Madikeri, CEO of the school.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/397xNPD
via IFTTT

Flower vendors in Karnataka find Rs 30 crore deposited in bank account overnight

Bank officials showed up at Rehana Banu’s house to question them about a “large deposit” and since then, her account has been frozen.

TNM Staff

A couple in Karnataka’s Chennapatna, who sell flowers for a living, was shocked to find that Rs 30 crore had mysteriously been deposited in their bank account overnight.  Rehana Banu and her husband Syed Buhan’s bank account, which was started under the Jan Dhan Yojana which allows people to open zero balance bank accounts, originally had a balance of Rs 60. In December last year, the couple found that their bank balance had rocketed to Rs 29,99,74,084. The couple realised something was amiss when bank officials visited their home to question them about a “large deposit” and to inform that their bank account had been frozen. Since then, the couple has been going from pillar to post to gain access to their accounts and find out who deposited the money. The couple first went to the bank to find out what was the amount, but bank officials did not tell them. They were not willing to update the passbook at the bank, as the account was frozen, TH reported. Bank officials also kept asking them who sent them the money, but the couple stated they knew nothing about it. Syed then visited an ATM and found that nearly Rs 30 crore had been deposited into his wife’s account, but he could not withdraw the money. Syed then recalled that he had bought a saree from an online shopping platform and they had called back to say that he had won a car and then asked for his bank account details and the OTP. The couple were asked to pay a deposit of Rs 6,900, but Syed said that they were trying to raise money for his ear surgery and could not afford it. However, Syed gave the information they requested but didn’t hear back from them. Syed then also tried to file a complaint with the I-T department suspecting fraud, but the officials reportedly turned him away. He then finally decided to approach the Channapatna police. On January 9, the police finally took up his case. Syed told the police that an unknown person from Delhi had recently contacted him claiming that he had sent him money and had asked him to keep Rs 15 crore and give him the rest, Deccan Herald reported. The police have filed a case under cheating, impersonation and also under various sections of the I-T Act and the IPC. The police suspect online fraudsters may be misusing Syed’s account and are trying to locate the man who contacted Syed.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2Sj0zGl
via IFTTT