RSS holds second protest against Jesus statue in Karnataka, calls it a Christian conspiracy

Politics

Let people who wear chaddis, pants and dhotis come here and speak, it doesn't matter," DK Shivakumar retorted

Theja Ram

The RSS on Sunday held a rally in Karnataka’s Ramanagara against the installation of the Jesus statue at Harobele. Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat, the organisation's south-central region executive committee member led the rally and made several statements against the Muslim and Christian communities. The row over the Jesus statue began after Kanakpura MLA DK Shivakumar laid the foundation stone for the installation of a 114-feet statue at Harobele on December 26. Currently, there is a 12 feet statue of Jesus on top of the hill. Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat accused the Christian community of forcefully trying to convert Hindus in the region. He said previous governments had decided to allot the land only to members of the Christian community. “They have allotted the land to over 200 people who live around the hill. It was allotted to those who belong to the Christian community. One name is there, Victoria Rani, daughter of Puttappaiah Achar. Why should Victoria Rani live here, her time is over. You (referring to the Christian community) are forcefully converting people. Religious conversion is a big problem in this country,” Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat said while adding, “How many more people will you convert? Pakistan was created, now are you trying to create a Christian place? They (Christian community members) are out to install a huge statue of Jesus Christ on that temple. Why? Because they want this place to become the biggest spot for Christians to visit.” The RSS leader went on to claim that the statue of Jesus would be installed over an idol of a Hindu god – Muneshwara. “The people of the village located just a few meters away from the hill have been worshipping god Muneshwara. On top of this hill, there are stones, which have engravings of the figure of Muneshwara. These people have installed the Jesus statue on top of that. Are you planning to stamp Hindu religion by doing this?” he added. Reacting to Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat’s statement, Kanakapura MLA DK Shivakumar said that the RSS leader’s statements would not deter him from pushing for the installation of the statue. “Let people who wear chaddis, pants and dhotis come here and speak. The BJP is operating here through the Sangh Parivar. The party has won 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state and yet they are doing all these things to keep their support base. People of Ramanagara will never back them. I will continue to fight for the installation of the statue,” he said. RSS leader calls two victims of police shooting as terrorists Addressing the rally at Ramanagara, Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat also called the two victims of police firing in Mangaluru on December 19 as terrorists. Kalladka Bhat alleged that the anti-CAA protesters in Mangaluru tried to attack a police station due to which the Commissioner had ordered the police force to shoot at protesters. “Around 50 policemen were injured and 30 policemen were admitted to the hospital. It was then that the Commissioner issued an order to shoot. Two terrorists died. After that all protesters ran away,” he said. He went on to say that members of the Muslim community were trying to turn Mangaluru into “another  Pakistan”. “There was no need for us to hold such an event as this one in Ramanagara if they (referring to members of the Muslim community) had not resorted to such violence. They want to make Mangaluru a second Pakistan. Lad ke lenge Hindustan is their agenda. We will not allow the place to become like Pakistan. If you (Muslims) want to live here, live with Hindus. Live by the vibrant culture of Hindus,” he said while adding, “Muslims in this country say Pakistan ki Jai but they never go to Pakistan. This is because among all countries in the world, Muslims are happy only in India.”    

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Techie's body fished out of Bengaluru lake after fatal coracle ride

Death

Police officials told TNM that they do not suspect any foul play and have registered a case of unnatural death.

TNM Staff

Rescue workers fished out the body of a software engineer after he had drowned in Bengaluru's Kalkere Lake in the early hours of Saturday morning. Sachin Machaiah and his friend Ullas ventured on a coracle ride in the lake at 2:30 am on Saturday after partying till late in the night. However, when the duo were in the middle of the lake, the oars slipped out of their hands and the coracle capsized. While Ullas, who knew how to swim, reached the shore to call for help, Sachin reportedly drowned in the lake. The lake's security guard Rajesh Dindi was alerted about the duo's misadventure at this point but by the time rescue workers could arrive at the lake, Sachin was nowhere to be found. This commenced a marathon search operation which ended on Sunday when Sachin's body was found, the Times of India reported. Police officials at Ramamurthy Nagar police station told TNM that they do not suspect any foul play and have registered a case of unnatural death.  The duo Sachin and Ullas, were former colleagues and close friends. They attended a party at Kundalahalli Gate and decided to explore the lake since it was close to Ullas' home. Ullas also knew where a coracle was kept in the lake. The security guard later informed the police that the coracle is used to clean the lake, Deccan Herald reported. Sachin worked in a company out of Manyata Tech Park. He was a native of Virajpet in Kodagu district.   

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Rs 10 lakh bond to stage protests? Activists, lawyers slam Bengaluru police decision

Protest

"We began this 4 months ago after buses were burnt in Ramanagara. We felt the need of making protesters responsible for public property and life," DCP Chetan Rathore told TNM.

Prajwal Bhat

Image for representation: Protest against CAA, Bengaluru

Activists and citizens in Bengaluru are furious with the city police's decision to ask protesters in the city to sign indemnity bonds of up to Rs 10 lakh to obtain permission to stage protests. Police in the city are seeking bonds and are invoking section 107 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. This gives powers to the police to seek a bond from persons who they have information will commit a breach of peace. "Earlier the police did not seek bonds from protesters. This practice by the city police violates the law," Maitreyi Krishnan, an advocate in the city and activist taking part in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) told TNM.  Lawyers and activists say that the police have made signing an undertaking with a bond attached as a prerequisite for staging protests in Bengaluru. "Section 107 of the CrPC is invoked when a magistrate receives information about a possible breach of peace. A show-cause notice is then issued and the person will get an opportunity to be heard. But in Bengaluru, police are asking us to take an undertaking failing which permission is not given for protests," says Avani Choksi, an advocate and activist in the city.  The city police however defended its decision and argued that the bond does not involve paying any money upfront. "We began this four months ago after buses were burnt in Ramanagara district. We felt the need of making protesters responsible for public property and life. They need not pay any money and only if an inquiry proves that the protesters were responsible for damage, it will cause trouble for them," Bengaluru Central DCP Chetan Singh Rathore told TNM. He added that the bond of Rs 10 lakh is not a fixed amount and could vary depending on the protest. "It varies with the tone, sensitivity, number of people and duration of the protest. The bond may be Rs 1 lakh depending on the protest. When we know that the protesters are harmless, it can come down to Rs 50,000," the DCP added. Protests in the city against the CAA and National Register of Citizens (NRC) are mainly taking place at Maurya Circle, Freedom Park and Town Hall, within the jurisdictions of DCP Central and DCP West. Earlier, police in Mangaluru asked Rs 2 crore as a cautionary deposit from activists planning to stage anti-CAA protests. Meanwhile, lawyers and activists are planning to challenge the police's decision in court and say that their actions are 'undemocratic'.   Read: Mangaluru cops asked for Rs 2 crore as 'deposit' for anti-CAA protests, allege activists  

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Bidar case: 11-yr-old awaits mother’s release as court to hear bail plea on Tuesday

Bidar sedition case

The school CEO told TNM that the girl did not attend a preparatory examination on Monday.

Prajwal Bhat

An 11-year-old girl in Bidar district's Shaheen Primary and High School is eagerly waiting for the verdict in the bail petition hearing of her mother and her teacher. The court will be hearing their bail pleas on Tuesday.  The mother, Nazbunnisa, and the teacher, Fareeda Begum, were booked for sedition and arrested after a school play voiced dissent against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).  "We are hoping that this ordeal is over tomorrow. We still cannot believe that a school play attracted a charge of sedition and that the police visited the school five times to question students," Touseef Madikeri, the school's CEO says.  The play was held on January 21 in Shaheen School following which Nilesh Rakshala, an activist from the Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) filed a complaint with the police officials in Bidar's New Town Police Station. He accused the school management of sedition and 'insulting' the Prime Minister through the play. Nazbunissa's daughter Ayesha* (name changed) was alleged to have delivered the dialogues which 'insulted' Prime Minister Modi. "In the days after the arrest, Ayesha attended school and was questioned by the police three times but on Monday, she missed her prepartory examination and she has now stopped attending school," Touseef says of the 11-year-old whose father passed away earlier and is now under the care of a teacher at the school. He further defended the play saying that it was satirical and not hateful.  But Nazbunnisa and Fareeda were arrested on January 30 and are lodged at the Bidar District Prison currently. The judge at the district court was on leave till February 4 and upon returning, he gave the public prosecutor one week's time to file objections to the bail petition. Police officials in Bidar led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Basaveshwara Hira visited the school five times to question students. The police also arrested the two women and booked them for sedition. The police's actions were heavily criticised after a photograph of the police questioning students in uniform was shared widely.  "The police visited the school five times and spoke to students they were not able to speak to earlier. They collected information about the play," Bidar SP DL Nagesh says. Students in the school, however, told TNM that they were intimidated by the police's repeated questioning. "We were repeatedly asked similar questions like who scripted the play, what our roles were, where we practiced, whether our parents attended," a student said. 

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Coronavirus: No, the virus hasn’t been detected in chickens in Bengaluru

Coronavirus

A viral message claimed that infected chickens had spread the coronavirus in the city, officials confirmed to TNM that this was not true.

Dr Nimeshika Jayachandran

Representative Image

“High alert: Chicken infected from corona virus found in Bangalore today, kindly circulate the message and avoid consumption of chicken. Spread to your dear ones,” reads the latest forward message circulating in WhatsApp groups in Bengaluru. This message is not true. “From a scientific and medical point of view, whether it is in India or elsewhere, the virus doesn’t spread from chicken. Please do not forward or share such messages,” stated Dr G Devegowda,President, Institution of Veterinarians of Poultry Industry. He stressed that spreading such news only resulted in more fear mongering and panic spreading. Speaking to TNM, Bengaluru District Health Officer (DHO) reiterated that the virus is spread via air droplets from infected individuals or carriers (who are infected with the virus but do not show any symptoms of being unwell themselves). Several such fake advisories and warnings have been shared on WhatsApp and circulated on social media extensively since the coronavirus outbreak started. A similar message that was circulated was debunked after officials from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) issued a statement. “For the past few days we have seen fake messages/posts on social media claiming that broiler chickens are spreading coronavirus are getting viral. As such there is no scientific evidence to back this claim,” reads the statement which has been signed by Dr P Venkateshwar Reddy Chief Veterinary Officer of GHMC. The coronavirus outbreak began in China’s Wuhan city, located in Hubei province. Over 40,000 individuals are reportedly infected with over 800 deaths having occurred in China alone. India has reported three positive cases from Kerala, with one individual no longer showing the virus in the lab samples. The virus belongs to the same family of viruses which caused the 2003 SARS outbreak and the sporadic outbreak of MERS in 2012. The WHO has recommended that individuals follow stringent hand hygiene measures and wash hands frequently with soap and water.

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Water Resources for Jarkiholi, Health for Sudhakar: BSY allocates portfolios

Politics

Ramesh Jarkiholi bagged the coveted Water Resources portfolio, while K Sudhakar got the Medical Education ministry.

TNM Staff

The much-awaited allocation of ministerial portfolios for the newly appointed ministers in the Karnataka cabinet finally came through on Monday. On February 6, ten turncoat MLAs who had quit the Congress- JD(S) and joined the BJP were sworn in as ministers in BS Yediyurappa’s cabinet. On Monday, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa finalized the list of ministries to be allocated to the 10 turncoat MLAs. Ramesh Jarkiholi, the MLA from Gokak, who kick started the rebellion in the Congress has bagged the Water Resources portfolio. Ramesh Jarkiholi had demanded this particular ministry as he wanted the same portfolio that his political nemesis DK Shivakumar had bagged when he was a minister in the coalition government. Although all four of the MLAs from Bengaluru were eyeing the coveted Bengaluru Development Ministry, none of them bagged it as Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has decided to retain the portfolio himself. KR Puram MLA and a prominent politician in Bengaluru – Byrathi Basavaraj, however, bagged the Urban Development portfolio. Although Narayanagowda from Mandya wanted the Agriculture Ministry, he had to settle with the Horticulture and Sericulture portfolios along with Municipal Administration. BJP sources say that only Ramesh Jarkiholi and Dr K Sudhakar got the portfolios they wanted. Dr K Sudhakar has been made the Minister for Medical Education from Health and Family Welfare. “Some important portfolios must be set aside for the next round of cabinet expansion. Some ministers are likely to be shuffled as well in July,” the source added. Here is the full list of newly allocated ministries: Ramesh Laxmanrao Jarkiholi: Major and Medium Irrigation for Water Resources Anand Singh: Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Srimanth Patil: Textile from Commerce and Industries Byrathi Basavaraj: Urban Development (excluding Bengaluru Development, BBMP, BDA, BWSSB, BMRDA, BMRCL, KUWSDB, KUIDFC & Directorate of Town Planning from Urban Development). ST Somashekar: Cooperation Department BC Patil: Environment, Forests and Climate Change Dr K Sudhakar: Medical Education from Health and Family Welfare KC Narayana Gowda: Municipal Administration, Horticulture and Sericulture Shivaram Hebbar: Labour Department  

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Rehabilitate those whose huts were demolished in anti 'Bangladeshi' drive: K'taka HC

Court

The state government was given two weeks to provide interim relief to residents and a period of one month to come up with a scheme to rehabilitate residents.

Prajwal Bhat

The Karnataka High Court directed the state government to rehabilitate and provide relief measures for residents of migrant settlements in Bellandur and Whitefield in Bengaluru which were demolished over fears that Bangladeshi immigrants were staying there. The demolitions were carried out on January 18 and 19 after police officials at the Marathahalli police station issued notices to the landowners to evict residents living in tin and tarpaulin sheds. Police then oversaw the demolition of sheds in Kariyammana Agrahara, Devarabeesanahalli and Kundanahalli despite appeals from the residents.  "As it all began due to the notice issued by the police inspector, it is the state government which takes responsibility to rehabilitate the persons who lost their homes in the demolition. We direct the state government to come up with a scheme for rehabilitating the residents and for grant of interim relief,"  Chief Justice Abhay Oka stated.  The state government was given two weeks to provide interim relief to residents and a period of one month to come up with a scheme to rehabilitate residents. The court was hearing the plea filed by the People's Union for Civil Liberties which challenged the demolition. When the demolitions were carried out, another letter written by Narayan Swamy, the Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) of the BBMP's Mahadevapura zone sought permission from the Marathahalli police to carry out demolitions. But the counsel appearing for BBMP in the high court distanced the civic body from the demolitions stating that even though a letter was sent by the AEE, the demolitions were not carried out by them. But CJ Oka stated that the demolitions were a result of the actions of Marathahalli police officials, who were present along with an excavator when the demolitions were carried out. "The counsels appearing for the state government and BBMP have both denied that they initiated any due process to evict residents in the settlements," CJ Oka said.  Police officials present during demolition of migrant settlement near Mantri Espana Apartment, Bellandur The High Court also rejected the statements made by two landowners that the residents left the settlement after they were politely requested to do so.  Read: ‘Can you identify Bangladeshi by looking at face’: Karnataka HC slams state In the week prior to the demolitions, a video was shared widely on social media claiming that illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were sheltered in the migrant settlements in Bellandur. The video was also shared by the BJP's Mahadevapura MLA Arvind Limbavali.  A news report by Suvarna News had also claimed the presence of Bangladeshi immigrants staying in Bellandur. This was despite the fact that most residents of the settlement were from different parts of India including Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and even north Karnataka.  The residents in the settlement work as housekeepers, cooks and cleaners in high-rise apartments nearby on daily wages. The residents who saw their homes demolished in January are now living in sheds nearby. "We will be collecting information on the list of residents whose homes were demolished last month. We will be providing this list to the state government," Maitreyi Krishnan, the petitioner told TNM.  Read: After video claims 'Bangladeshi immigrant' settlement in Bengaluru, BBMP razes 100 huts  

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