Ban on SDPI, PFI? Karnataka says will go to Centre only after substantial evidence is collected

Law and Order

The Law Minister told that state government have been suspecting the involvement of SDPI, PFI and other “similar” organisations over unlawful activities since the attack on Tanveer Sait in Mysuru.

Soumya Chatterjee

PFI Annual Parade: Image for Representation

Karnataka Law Minister KC Madhuswamy has stated that the state government will approach the Centre to ban Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and Popular Front of India (PFI) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) only after a report with enough evidence is prepared by the state police. SDPI is the political offshoot of the controversial Popular Front of India PFI. SDPI started its political journey in Kerala with a Muslim and Dalit voter base and then spread to coastal Karnataka. And over the years, it has been slowly expanding its reach. But over the years, the PFI has had its brush with the law with the most serious incident being that of an NIA court sentencing 21 PFI members in an arms training case in Kerala. In Karnataka, SDPI currently has many elected representatives in urban local bodies including in Bengaluru. Speaking to TNM, Law Minister Madhuswamy said, “The Honourable Home Minister (Basavaraj Bommai) and I have discussed this (issue of banning PFI and SDPI). We have called for an inquiry report from the police regarding rumours of these organisations (SDPI and PFI) carrying out activities which are unlawful.” He added, “Only after obtaining concrete information about their wrongdoings, we will be able to say if they can be banned or not. Right now without evidence, it will be premature for me to comment if we can take action against them or not.” He said the state government have been suspecting the involvement of SDPI, PFI and other “similar” organisations over unlawful activities since the attack on Tanveer Sait in Mysuru. Former Minister and Narasimharaja MLA Sait was attacked on the night of November 17 by a man when he was attending a marriage function. Within a week police had arrested Abid Pasha, a PFI member accused of being the mastermind of the attack and also an accused in nine other murder cases across the state. According to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the attempted murder, Abid had allegedly trained Farhan Pasha – the man who stabbed Tanveer Sait. Madhuswamy added the suspected involvement of six SDPI activists in connection with the attempted murder of a 31-year-old BJP cadre Varun Bhoopalam on December 22. According to police, the six men were allegedly hired as hitmen to stab either BJP MP from Bengaluru South Tejasvi Surya or Yuva Brigade founder Chakravarthy Sulibele originally who took part on the December 22 pro-CAA rally. Earlier during the anti-CAA stir in Mangaluru in December where two persons were killed in police firing, Education Minister S Suresh Kumar had also targetted the PFI and SDPI and accused them of fanning violence in the port city. He had then hinted that a proposal to ban both organisations will be taken up in the cabinet. And the issue came up during the cabinet meeting on January 17. Reacting to this, SDPI state committee member and former general secretary Riyaz Farangipet, said the party will counter the ban legally if the state government actually proceeds with the banning procedure. “This step by the BJP is understandable as it is only the SDPI which can counter the BJP. They want to paint us as anti-Hindus, but we are not anti-Hindu. We are only anti-Hindutva and anti-RSS,” Farangipet told TNM. When asked about the alleged role of SDPI/ PFI activists in recent cases, he claimed that the party has already denied any involvement and the police statements won’t stand the scrutiny of courts.  He further added, “If a party has to be banned for its members’ criminal records then the BJP should be banned first. The criminal cases against BJP leaders only are much more than that against SDPI members. Our party will continue conforming with the Constitution.” Meanwhile, a senior police source said that to make a case for banning under UAPA, there needs to be credible evidence that an organisation is acting at war against the State. "PFI doesn't come under the ambit of being a terorist organisation now. They can be banned for illegal activities like the way SIMI was banned under UAPA but at the moment there is no grounds for banning PFI. We have compiled a list of the cases where members of PFI were involved but we have not seen a case in which the organisation has been charged," the source stated. With inputs from Prajwal Bhat

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‘Malgudi Days’ review: Vijay Raghavendra unable to save this slow but nostalgic film

Review

Director Kishore Moodbidri could have made a better attempt at forging a stronger connection between the flashback and the present in the script.

Aravind Shwetha

Malgudi Days has a very special place among both cinema and book lovers. Thanks are due to author RK Narayan and Shankar Nag (director of the entertaining TV series), who not only made our childhood dreamy but also gave us a reason to get all nostalgic as soon as we hear the title song. The fictional town of Malgudi, according to many fans of the book, is derived from two famous localities in Bengaluru – Malleswaram and Basavanagudi. The ‘Dodmane’ in Agumbe, where portions of the TV series were shot, is still a favourite tourist destination. With so much hype around the title alone, the film Malgudi Days starts on a high note. The movie may not be on par with the path-breaking serial, but it has its own interesting elements. Writer Lakshmi Narayana Malgudi (Vijay Raghavendra) has announced his retirement from writing and his fans are heartbroken. The man, who lived his entire life creating wonderful memories for his readers, carries around a heavy heart but refuses to share with anyone the reason behind it. While his family suggests that he settle in a foreign land, Malgudi has other plans. He decides to go back to the place where he spent his childhood – Malgudi. On the other hand, Prakruti (Greeshma), who has quit her job after reporting workplace harassment, is on the way to find herself. The two bump into each other and begin a journey together. En route, they narrate their stories to each other. In the flashback, set in the 70s, Malgudi (a young Vijay Raghavendra), a studious Class 10 student, falls in love with Lenita. Her father, a cop, is recently transferred to Malgudi and the family is still in the process of settling down. Malgudi’s love for Lenita doubles when he finds out she is mute. Amidst all this, communal tension breaks out between Hindus and Christians in the town. While Lenita reciprocates Malgudi’s love, miscreants blame Lenita’s family for indulging in conversion. As the tension intensifies, Malgudi flees to Bengaluru. Forty years later, still in love with Lenita, he enters Malgudi with the hope of meeting her. But, will he succeed? While the makers have repeatedly clarified that the movie has nothing to do with the book, the expectations of cine-goers remained high. The makers have tried to justify the title to an extent but fall just short of expectations because of poor editing at crucial twists and turns. In movies shot in the Malnad region of Karnataka’s Western Ghats, nostalgia evokes a certain sweet and painful emotion watching the rain while resting one’s head on windows/doors. The movie tries to portray the ambience and feel of Western Ghat villages but the artwork is not up to the mark. Though the heroine’s looks take the audience back to the 70s, it is not convincing. Vijay Raghavendra doesn’t disappoint as an actor. A child protege, Vijay had won the National Award in 1994 and hasn’t turned back since then. He went on to become a seasoned actor and it shows in his performance in Malgudi Days. He fits both the characters – student and writer. He has taken great pains to appear normal with prosthetic makeup, which at times appears amateurish, as the older Malgudi character. In certain scenes, makeup appears to restrict his lip movements, but Vijay has been careful to outdo this struggle with his acting skills. His on-screen presence throughout the movie stands out. Prakruti’s character needed better treatment because the love story seems to a small plug-in in the story. The actor Greeshma, who was earlier seen in Nathicharami, however, seems in control in whatever limited role she was assigned. But she needs to work on expressing intense emotions. Arjun Kapikad and Dhanraj CM have done their parts without much hoopla. A few other characters in the movie are forgettable. Director Kishore Moodbidri could have made a better attempt at forging a stronger connection between the flashback and the present in the script. Editor Pradeep Nayak had scope for enhancing the quality of the final output by chopping off a few unnecessary scenes. He seems to have gotten along with the ride and let the slow pace try to impress the audience. The biggest drawback of the movie is the music by Gagan Baderia; it is just average as the songs make no impact. Films that promise a nostalgic ride can be tricky as even with one small error they can be labelled an art film. My Autograph had walked this line carefully. While switching between present and past, the movie had managed to capture the audience’s undivided attention throughout. Comic relief too added to its success. But, Malgudi’s length, with no comic relief, puts the audience’s patience to the test at many places.  Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the series/film. TNM Editorial is independent of any business relationship the organisation may have with producers or any other members of its cast or crew.

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'State govt data ignored', Karnataka govt objects to Niti Aayog rankings

Niti Aayog

Karnataka Chief Secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar wrote to Niti Aayog pointing out 14 specific discrepancies in the SDG India Index Report 2019.

Prajwal Bhat

TM Vijay Bhasker, Karnataka Chief Secretary

The Karnataka Chief Secretary has formally lodged a complaint with NITI Aayog for what he perceives are low scores given to the state on various Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators. Chief Secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar wrote to Niti Aayog pointing out 14 specific discrepancies in the SDG India Index Report 2019. Karnataka's score dropped in poverty, hunger, quality education and industry, innovation and infrastructure goals in the 2019 report. The SDGs are a collection of 17 global goals designed by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action against poverty, protect the planet and ensure peace and prosperity for all by 2030. Chief Secretary Vijay Bhaskar highlighted 'inherent contradictions' in the selection of SDG indicators. "In SDG-9 the goal is titled as Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, but there is no specific indicator on Innovation. India Innovation Index-2019 was published by NITI Aayog and Karnataka topped the list, but the same is not reflected in SDG India Index," reads the letter by the Chief Secretary. Similarly, he points out that 'manufacturing employment as a proportion of total employment' is taken as an indicator for industrial growth. "However, this indicator undermines the importance of services sector which is a bigger contributor to total employment compared to manufacturing sector. Hence, this indicator needs to be modified accordingly," reads the letter. Karnataka wants Niti Aayog to observe the progress made in central and state schemes that have the same result. It is documented in the SDG India Index Report 2019 that Karnataka has 19.9% of eligible population receiving social protection benefits under the maternity scheme. The state's health department report however tells a different story. In 2019, 83% of the eligible population had received the benefits. The Chief Secretary also pointed out that the examples of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana because the state runs schemes that serve the same purpose of improving roads and housing in rural areas. He further argues that the Karnataka was wrongly shown as having only 28.1% of households covered by health schemes or insurance in the years 2018 and 2019. He states that even though the estimates remained constant over the two years, the state had made progress in addressing the issue through the Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka (ABRK) scheme. "I would like to point out that our state covers 100% health Assurance to all BPL as well as APL families under the health assurance model Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka (ABRK) scheme," reads the letter.

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Vodafone Idea down in Bengaluru, many users take to Twitter to complain

Vodafone Idea

It is suspected that Optical Fibre Cables (OFC) may have been damaged in the city.

Shilpa S Ranipeta

Several Vodafone Idea users across Bengaluru have been facing connectivity issues with little or no signal. Users got a notification on their phones that read, “Temporarily turned off by your carrier for SIM.” Users from Kumaraswamy layout, Indiranagar, Electronic City and Shantala Nagar took to Twitter to complain about a loss of network, no signal, and some reporting that their “voice service has been restricted.” “Vodafone Idea network down for the past 1 hour in Bangalore. When will this be restored,” one user tweeted. Some users said that network has been down for over two hours. Vodafone Idea has been responding to tweets saying that the issue is temporary, and that they are working on it. It is suspected that Optical Fibre Cables (OFC) may have been damaged in the city. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner Anil Kumar told TNM that it is on a drive to remove Optical Fibre Cables, which are above the ground.  “We have been asking telecom companies to move their OFC underground. These companies cannot lay OFCs wherever they want on electric poles and trees which make it visually ugly. We cannot differentiate between OFC of different companies and we want to ask Vodafone in which area, the OFC was removed. We don't know which area this has happened. The question of blaming BBMP does not arise,” Anil Kumar said. The BBMP, after amending the permissions given for installing OFCs, had earlier stated that October 15 is the deadline to lay cables underground. This was done to ensure cables are not hung in public places. The BBMP had also fined Airtel and Reliance Jio for digging up newly laid roads in October 2019 to lay OFCs underground. After this issue was resolved, the BBMP gave telecom companies six weeks till February 7 to remove OFCs which are above ground and take them underground. TNM has reached out to Vodafone Idea and will update when it responds. Within hours, #Vodafonedown began trending on Twitter. No network in Bangalore since two hours @VodafoneIN.. Pathetic service. #Vodafonedown #vodafoneidea #vodafoneindia — Manoj Gunasekaran (@manoj_g1992) February 7, 2020 Pathetic experience. How can you guys be so irresponsible? Forget about internet! What are we supposed to do without network? #Vodafonedown — soma (@deadlysoma) February 7, 2020 #Vodafonedown @VodafoneIN Can anyone update why the Vodafone Network in BLR is completely down since an hour now? What's going on? You guys want us to change service provider? Do we get discount on postpaid bills due to no service or you will still charge for full month@TRAI — Shanto Banerjee (@banerjeeshanto) February 7, 2020 @VodafoneIN you should pay penalty to the customers for this downtime #Vodafonedown — Jatin Seth (@imjatinseth) February 7, 2020 #Vodafonedown @VodafoneIN Such pathetic service. No internet connectivity .. This is the era of 5G and you are giving not a single G. — Vizzy (@vizzyno1) February 7, 2020 So I joined Vodafone services thinking they will be better, unfortunately, it is even worse. Network is down in Bangalore!! #Vodafonedown — Toyesh Shukla (@toyeshshukla) February 7, 2020 If you pay the bill a min late you are charged 100 rs.. Who will compensate for this outage?#Vodafonedown @VodafoneIN — shortee1 (@shortee1) February 7, 2020 Vodafone network goes blank across Karnataka. Company says it will take two more hours for it to be restored, blames BBMP for cutting its OFC and disrupting its network. Two terrible service providers having a great day. @VodafoneIN @BBMPCOMM #Vodafonedown — Harish Upadhya (@harishupadhya) February 7, 2020 This network outage is the latest in a whole slew of troubles for the telco, which has been teetering on the verge of collapse, and is desperate need to be bailed out. Following the Supreme Court’s AGR verdict, the company reported the biggest ever quarterly loss in India’s corporate history, and is in need of aid. With both parent companies saying that they will not be infusing any new capital into the Vodafone Idea joint venture, its existence has been in question. Amid this confusion, the company has also rapidly been losing subscribers. With inputs from Prajwal Bhat

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Bengaluru police joins TikTok video sharing platform

Social Media

The Bengaluru Police's entry into TikTok comes after other state and city police departments such as Kerala Police, Uttarakhand Police, Durg Police joined the platform to connect with its citizens.

TNM Staff

Bengaluru Police are known for their quirky and effective social media presence after experimenting with memes and pop culture references in 2017. Now, the city police has debuted on another social media platform - TikTok. The first video uploaded by Bengaluru police highlighted safety with messages like " If you jump the signal, someone may never be able to jump again". The TikTok page also showed a video of Bengaluru South East DCP Isha Pant singing the popular Kannada song 'Jotheyali'. The Bengaluru Police's  entry into TikTok comes after other state and city police departments such as Kerala Police, Uttarakhand Police,  Durg Police joined the platform to connect with its citizens. @blrcitypolice Talent hits a target no one else can hit! Our intention to be with city and citizens! This melody interprets the same... Jotheyali Jothe Jotheyali... ♬ original sound - BENGALURUCITYPOLICE Speaking on the development, Bhaskar Rao, Bengaluru Police Commissioner  said, “Bengaluru Police has always believed in the power of social media to build a connect with citizens. We were one of the first city police departments to come onto social media to create fun and informative content. TikTok is the latest platform and has immense potential for us to communicate about social issues in short, creative and engaging videos.“ @blrcitypolice Bengaluru City Police now Officially on TikTok . Follow us Right now. #followtrafficrules ♬ original sound - BENGALURUCITYPOLICE An official from TikTok stated that they were delighted with the news of Bengaluru police joining the platform. “We are delighted to have Bengaluru City Police on TikTok. TikTok as a platform allows for creation of hyper-local content, thus helping law enforcement agencies stay local and relevant in their communication with citizens. In the coming time, we look forward to welcoming more such agencies onto our platform and harnessing the positive impact the platform can have on society,” a TikTok spokesperson said. In 2017, Bengaluru police's other social media pages on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter became popular after a marketing company Crowd Kart took over the pages. The social media pages turned Game of Thrones theories into safety tips to reach out to the young audience between the ages of 18 and 30 in the city. Read: Turning GoT theories into safety tips: Bengaluru police’s social media feed has swag  

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Bidar sedition case: MP, state minister justify police action, want school blacklisted

After primary school students in the school in Bidar district staged a play on the CAA and NRC, they were subjected to five rounds of questioning by police officials.

Prajwal Bhat

Justifying the actions of Bidar police, which has come under fire for questioning school children, BJP MP Bhagwanth Khuba and district in-charge minister Prabhu Chauhan criticised Shaheen Primary and High School and asked that the state government blacklist it.  After primary school students in the school in Bidar district staged a play on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and voiced dissent against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they were subjected to five rounds of questioning by police officials. The widowed mother of an 11-year-old student, who took part in the play, and a teacher of the school were arrested on charges of sedition. Calling the play 'seditious,’ BJP MP from Bidar Bhagwanth Khuba said it was an offence to tell children to shame the country and its laws. "I request that the education department should take action as per the law and this school, which is run like a madrassa, should be banned. The school is disturbing social harmony. If this school is not shut down, then there is no doubt that it will threaten the sovereignty of this country. The education department should blacklist the school and the accused persons should be charged with anti-national activities," reads the statement issued by the MP dated January 27.  Prabhu Chauhan, who is MLA of Aurad and Minister of Animal Husbandry and Minority Welfare, echoed Khuba's words in an interview with a television reporter. "What has happened at Shaheen College should not happen again. An enquiry will happen and it will be found who is responsible," Prabhu Chauhan said.  Reacting to the news of Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad visiting the school, he said, "That is what I am saying. No pimping (bh**wagiri) will be allowed here. I am capable, I will look after my district. So whatever he does, won't work here. Our police is doing very good work. Whoever is guilty will be punished. Shaheen college will not be allowed to go scot-free. Whoever writes dirty things, we will not leave them," he added.  Child rights groups have condemned the police's questioning of school-going students in Bidar. Police officials led by Bidar Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Basaveshwar Hira have turned up at the school five times to question students and staff members connected to the play staged on January 21. The Karnataka State Commission for Child Rights sought a report from the Bidar Superintendent of Police over the questioning of school students in Bidar. The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) of Bidar district has also issued a notice to police officials regarding their conduct in investigating the incident. Karnataka's DG and IGP Praveen Sood said that though he would not defend the actions of Bidar police, the interrogation of children took place before he took charge as the DG and IGP. He assured a delegation of lawyers and activists who met him in his office on Thursday that the police would be sympathetic to the accused in the case.  Meanwhile, the Bidar district and sessions court, which is hearing the bail petition of the accused, posted the hearing to February 11. Until then Nazbunnisa, the mother of the 11-year-old student, and Fareeda Begum, the head-teacher of the school's primary section will continue to languish in jail.  

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Bengaluru civic body begins razing down 5-storeyed building that tilted

Infrastructure

Located on Vinayaknagar Street in Hebbal's Kempapura, the five-storey building being used as a hostel for boys tilted on Wednesday morning.

IANS

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) ordered the destruction of a tilted building in the city after evacuating about 150 people from 35 families in the vicinity, an official said on Thursday. "The top portion of the building has been destroyed 70 per cent today (Thursday). Later, the destruction contractor will allow machines to be used," Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Yelahanka joint commissioner Ashok said. Located on Vinayaknagar Street in Hebbal's Kempapura, the five-storey building being used as a hostel for boys got tilted on Wednesday morning, spreading panic in the neighbourhood. Though the tilted building owned by one Rahul, a jeweller, was a sound structure, Ashok said a neighbour, Babu, hired a JCB excavator to dig deep beside the affected structure to build his own structure. "Babu not only dug very deep but also damaged the foundation pillar of the tilted building, weakening the structure and leading to its slant," said Ashok. Babu has been booked and arrested even as the police are on the look-out for the JCB owner and operator. The titled building erected five floors unauthorisedly and falls into the B Khata category. It was constructed without the civic body's plan, said Ashok.  A Khata and B Khata denote the two types of khatas that exist under BBMP. Khata is a document which shows a property owner having an account with the municipality to pay taxes. An A Khata denotes that the building owner has paid relevant property taxes and that the building conforms to building bylaws and government rules. A B Khata denotes that the building is in violation of government regulations regarding properties in Bengaluru, even when the civic charges for the property have been cleared by the owner. "As per procedure, we issue notice, but such constructions are rampant in the city. Under the BBMP jurisdiction, there are 15 lakh B Khata structures," said Ashok. For all B Khata sites, the civic body does not give any plan and there is no proper control on them, he said. Ashok said the case to regularise the B Khata buildings to A Khata buildings is currently pending in the Supreme Court. Luckily, no injury or loss of life has been reported from the tilted building. The civic body arranged alternative accommodation for the affected families, but most of them chose to stay with their relatives, said Ashok.

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