Pro-Kannada outfits call for bandh in Karnataka on Feb 13 demanding more jobs

Protests

They are demanding implementation of a three decades-old report of a committee on providing more jobs for Kannadiga youths in the government and private sectors.

PTI

Representational image

Normal life in Karnataka may be disrupted partially on Thursday by a 'bandh' called by some Kannada outfits demanding implementation of a over three decades-old report of a committee on providing more jobs for Kannadiga youths in the government and the private sectors. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa appealed to the organisations not to cause any inconvenience to the general public as he asserted his government was always pro-Kannada. "Those agitating, if they are willing to talk to me, I'm always ready to talk to them. We have already done several that are possible (to implement the Sarojini Mahishi report), what other things can be done, I'm ready to talk to them," Yediyurappa said. The committee, headed by former union minister Sarojini Mahishi, was constituted in 1984 to recommend job opportunities for Kannadigas in Karnataka. It submitted the report two years later. The bandh is likely to affect cab and autorickshaw services as unions of drivers, including those in app-based aggregators, are supporting it. The government said bus services will be operated as usual and schools and colleges would also function while the police said no permission had been given for any rally and warned of action against those forcing closure of businesses and shops. The protest call by the "Karnataka Sanghatanegala Okkoota", comprising a few factions of "Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV)", has the backing of Ola-Uber cab drivers' association, a few auto unions, associations of farmers, street vendors, trade unions and transporters. Praveen Shetty, leader of one of the factions of KRV, said a mega rally will be taken out from Anekal Toll Gate to the Chief Minister's residence. Later, representatives of various protesting organisations will submit a memorandum to Yediyurappa demanding implementation of the report. "We have decided to join the sit-in demonstration because it is about the job guarantee to the children born in Karnataka. It is about employment to those who are born in this soil," Shetty told reporters. Ola-Uber Drivers' Association president Tanveer Pasha said the bandh has his organisation's support. The All India Trade Union Congress and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions have extended their "moral support" to the bandh call. KRVs another important faction led by T A Narayana Gowda and former MLA Vatal Nagarajs organisation Kannada Chalavali Vatal Paksha have not supported the bandh. Primary and Secondary Education Minister Suresh Kumar said there will be no holiday for educational institutions on Thursday. There will be no holiday tomorrow. I believe that the organisations which have given call for Bandh will hold it peacefully, Kumar told reporters. Transport minister Laxman Savadi said buses in the city and elsewhere will operate as usual and appealed to the bandh supporters not to cause any trouble to the passengers. Minister for Kannada and Culture C T Ravi said the BJP government has shown 'commitment' towards implementation of the Sarojini Mahishi report. We have already implemented the report in the government sector. "In the private sector, we are trying to implement it step by step. A cabinet decision has been taken to implement it step by step," he said. Bengaluru police commissioner Bhaskar Rao said permission has not been given to the protest and none can forcibly shut shops or businesses.  

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Karnataka's new Urban Development minister announces Rs 200 crore flyover in Bengaluru

Politics

Someone must tell him that flyovers don’t always solve traffic problems, activists said.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Byrathi Basavaraj on FB

Byrathi Basavaraj, the MLA from the KR Puram constituency in Bengaluru has a big announcement for his constituents stuck in traffic jams, he plans to build a new flyover at a cost of Rs 200 crore. The announcement was made at a meeting in Palace grounds, following the portfolio allocations on February 8. The flyover will be between Indiranagar BDA complex to Medahalli, which is a village that comes after KR Puram, according to Asianet News. The distance between these two points is more than 12 kilometers, and is consistently choked with traffic at all hours of the day. Byrathi Basavaraj was initially given the Urban Development Department excluding Bangalore and Town Planning department, BBMP, BDA, BWSSB, BMRDA, BMRCL, KUWSDB and KUIDFC. These departments would be held by the Chief Minister himself. Read: Does Bengaluru need a minister – and if yes, should the CM even hold the post? However, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa reshuffled the portfolio on Tuesday, and the changes included that Byrathi Basavaraj would get the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB), and the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC). After the announcement of the new portfolio, Byrathi Basavaraj immediately made the announcement regarding the flyover. Read: BS Yediyurappa reshuffles portfolios just a day after allocating them People have been voicing their concerns against the increasing concretization of the city, and have been vocally against new flyovers. Srinivas Alavilli, from Citizens for Bengaluru, says, “Sounds like the minister loves lot of concrete. Someone must tell him that flyovers don’t solve traffic problems but make them worse through induced demand. Use the ₹200 crore to get storm water drains cleared. The upcoming Metro and suburban rail project will solve the traffic problem much sooner than he can build half the flyover.” Urban Development expert from IISc, Ashish Verma underlined the fact the money would be wasted in building a flyover. “Why is the minister jumping to prescribing solutions when there is already a draft CMP (Comprehensive Mobility Plan) being prepared, and is under review? Such point-based road infrastructure measures have little short-term impact, but at a much higher investment cost. In simple words, high investment with low return. No sensible person will make such a huge investment,” he said.

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Despite police pressure, women at Bengaluru's Bilal Bagh continue protest against CAA

CAA

The protesters were contacted by the police and told to not continue their protest.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

“We have been here for five days and nights, and nobody can make us get up and leave from here unless our demands are met,” Syed Imran, one of the leaders of the protest at Bilal mosque, near Tannery road in Bengaluru proclaims, to shouts and applause.  The protest at Bilal Bagh against NRC and CAA started on February 8, and is a complete set up with carpets, shamiana, sound systems and lights. It has been ongoing non-stop for the past four days, organised by local Muslim leaders, and has seen people from the community, students and others participating.   The police had previously taken down the protesters’ numbers, and contacted them or their families to stop the protest, according to the Deccan Herald. The organisers say they were even called to the police station, and urged to stop the protest. But the protest goes on unabated. Imran says, “This protest movement is the longest that I can remember,” while addressing the group of women and men, who were gathered under a shamiana. “The only time people across the country mobilized like this in protest, was probably only during independence!”    Women and men sat in a semi-circle around the stage, dominated by a large tricolour flag. A woman holds the mic and urges the protesters, sitting on blue plastic chairs, to respond after her. They shout in great enthusiasm, even though it is almost lunchtime. Some of the slogans which were called out include: "Gundagardhi nahi chalegi" "CAA down down" "Inquilab Zindabad" “The mosque has issued in writing that they are not the ones who are supporting this protest. Local leaders are supporting it financially, including Ismail Shariff. There are people here cooking and serving each other, and even students who stay up all night to protest and then sleep here. This is a real 24-hour protest.” Imran adds.            View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by teresa a. braggs (@teresaabraggs) on Feb 11, 2020 at 1:58pm PST   The shamiana has been set up on the middle of the road, and though no traffic can pass through, surrounding businesses continue as usual. A construction steel business close-by unloaded some iron from a lorry even as protesters were shouting slogans against the government. Protest organisers say that rather than winding up, they are going to try make the protest even more interactive and educational. “We are planning to have a workshop on how to document these protests on February 13 evening. We are also starting a library of pertinent material to read, and have been asking for donations", said Ahmed, a doctor who said that he quit from one of the two hospitals where he was working at, in order to be more active in the protests.  The students who joined the protest have also made a “resistance wall”, a wall complete with posters, with slogans written all over them denouncing Modi, NRC, CAA, Fascism and Communalism. one of the students present there said she was taking a semester break from college to join in the protests. “The people become more active in the evening, and more even people join us for raising slogans after work,” one of the organisers said. 

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How gender sensitisation workshops are helping Bengaluru’s bus drivers, conductors

Gender

BMTC drivers and conductors say that the workshop opened up an avenue for them to indulge in dialogue about gender sensitivity.

Theja Ram

The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus drivers and conductors have become infamous for their rash behaviour and insensitivity towards fellow passengers. A quick scan of the consumer complaints lodged on the BMTC’s grievance redressal website, shows the myriad instances where drivers or conductors have misbehaved with passengers, or where women commuters have complained of conductors not helping out when faced with harassment from fellow passengers. In order to address these issues and also sensitise the BMTC employees, the agency along with Bangalore Political Action Committee conducted gender sensitisation workshops for over 11,000 BMTC drivers and conductors over a span of one year. The last of the workshops was completed earlier in January. Fifty six crore rupees were allocated by the Union government for the programme under the Nirbhaya Fund, a portion of which was used for the program. Speaking to TNM, Sushma Mahabala, Leader of B.SAFE program for BPAC, says that workshops were conducted twice a week for a batch of 80 to 120 drivers and conductors per batch. “They were three-hour workshops and were in an interactive format,” she says, adding, “There were so many complaints of rash behaviour by drivers and conductors. There were also complaints about sexual harassment by fellow passengers. The workshop was done not only to sensitise the employees about the problems faced by women and the transgender community, but also as to why it is important to change the existing paradigm.” BMTC Managing Director C Shikha says that the BMTC is happy with the workshops conducted for the drivers and conductors, and that the agency is looking at holding similar workshops for all its employees in all divisions this year.  What the workshops entailed Pushpa Murthy, a lawyer, who conducted the workshops for BPAC, who is also a B.Clip leader, says that the focus was not only on women's safety but also on how the drivers and conductors must behave and ensure that the buses are safe spaces for commuters. “There were four categories: respect, inviting, safety and ease. We counselled them about how the burden of managing households and also working jobs falls on women and why it is necessary to treat women commuters with respect,” Pushpa says. One of the most widely-reported complaints by women commuters, Pushpa says, was that bus drivers do not stop the buses at the designated bus stations and also resort to using foul language when asked to wait until the women deboarded with their luggage. “We had to explain to them why this is important. We told them about how to manage situations when a fellow woman passenger faces harassment by men on the bus. About how to quickly diffuse the situation and ask the men to step back. We counselled them about keeping calm and treating everyone with respect,” she says. The workshop also informed them of various helplines including the childline and women’s helpline that they could contact. They were taught about the various laws related to sexual harassment and also about zero FIR. What drivers and conductors say Shankar is a 40-year-old BMTC driver who reports to the Kengeri Depot. He has been a BMTC driver for over 15 years now and he says that one of the crucial aspects of the workshop was that it brought about dialogue on women's safety and how it was something that most of the employees were unaware about. “For most of us drivers and conductors who have worked for so long, we become aware of the different types of commuters who come and go and how to deal with them. But so many of us were not aware about why women are always wary and that our behaviour could also help reassure them that the bus is a safe space,” he says. Ambareesh, who reports at the Rajarajeshwarinagar depot, says that during the workshop, most of the drivers complained about the women and the clothes they wear. “That was considered normal. For us to think that the way women dress and expect that they have to dress a certain way. Most of the drivers come from rural communities where these issues are not discussed openly. In the workshop, we learned that women have to suffer a lot more issues than men do. Although we read about it in papers, until someone asked for our opinions and gave us advice, it was something that we never paid attention to,” Ambareesh says. Bhagyalakshmi, a 43-year-old conductor at the Deepanjali Nagar depot says that ever since the workshops began, drivers and conductors have been speaking about various ways to address safety issues within their buses. She says that the workshops have sparked discussions on the way most of the male employees viewed women and transgender persons. “When it comes to transgender passengers, most of us only viewed them as people who come and beg. We were informed about how gender is not only male and female. They taught us why there is a need to view the issue through another lens and that women and transgender persons too are entitled to public spaces as much as men. Before this workshop, so many of us did not know about zero FIR, helplines and other issues. We did not know anything about gender sensitivity. Now after the workshop, most of us talk about these issues,” she adds. Bhagyalakshmi says that they were made to write and enact a short play about how they believe the drivers and conductors must behave or react in different situations. “This helped us think about various scenarios and why being respectful and cordial would also make our lives easier,” she adds.

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Wasn’t driving the Bentley, claims Mohammed Nalapad: Cops arrest bodyguard

Crime

Mohammed Nalapad turned teary-eyed and accused the media of portraying him as a goonda.

TNM Staff

Congress MLA NA Haris’ son Mohammed Nalapad on Wednesday appeared before the Sadashivnagar Traffic Police in Bengaluru for questioning in connection with the accident involving a Bentley Continental GT. The Bengaluru Police on Tuesday said that Nalapad was driving the black Bentley along the Mekhri Circle underpass on Sunday afternoon and rammed into a bike and autorickshaw, injuring two people. “I was not the one driving the Bentley. I was in a Lamborghini ahead of the Bentley. Balu (Balakrishna, Nalapad’s bodyguard) was the one who drove the car. Some channels are saying that he does not know how to drive a Bentley and that is not true. He has been my driver for so long. I helped the people who were injured and took them to the hospital and paid the hospital bills. This is a conspiracy against me,” a teary-eyed Nalapad told the media after police questioning. Nalapad claims he did not drive the Bentley, which rammed into a bike and auto on Sunday in Bengaluru. He says his bodyguard was behind the wheel and even resorted to tearing up. @thenewsminute pic.twitter.com/kMgvRilQ6y — Theja Ram (@thejaram92) February 12, 2020 Nalapad questioned the media as to why he was being portrayed as a “goonda”. This isn’t the first time that he has been accused of breaking the law. The MLA’s son was in the spotlight in 2018 after a case of attempted murder was registered against him at the Cubbon Park Police Station. Nalapad was accused of brutally beating up Vidvat, son of a prominent businessman, at an uptown café in Bengaluru. “Why are you people (media) portraying me as a goonda? Goonda, goonda, goonda. That’s all you people say. Haven’t I changed. After that incident, since the last two years, I have tried to change so much and yet you people keep saying goonda. The headlines are so misleading that my father-in-law asked me if I had killed two people. I did not drive the car,” Nalapad said. The Sadashivnagar Police on Wednesday arrested Balakrishna, Nalapad’s bodyguard, who had surrendered to the police on Sunday claiming that he was the one driving the car. The police have booked him under sections 279 (rash and negligent driving) and 337 (causing hurt by act of negligence) and relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act. “Since it is a bailable offense, Balakrishna has been granted bail,” the police added. This comes after Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ravikante Gowda had on Tuesday said that Mohammed Nalapad was the one behind the wheel. Ravikante Gowda said that Balakrishna had surrendered to the police on Sunday soon after the accident. He, however, claimed that Balakrishna was lying about being the one behind the wheel of the Bentley and that the police had evidence of Nalapad driving the car.  At around 2.30 pm on Sunday, the Bentley Continental GT (TS 09 UC 9), which was speeding along the Mekhri Circle underpass rammed into a bike bearing the license plate number KA 03 EV 8346 and later rammed into an autorickshaw bearing the license plate KA 05 AD 4756.  The two-wheeler rider Praful Kumar, an engineer, and the autorickshaw driver Abdul sustained injuries and were admitted to a nearby private hospital. A woman named Sabiha and her six-year-old son also sustained minor injuries and were administered first aid.  Read: Mohammed Nalapad, MLA NA Haris's son drove Bentley car that rammed bike and auto: Cops  

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Queer woman's Kannada poem on gender dysphoria selected for university syllabus

Poetry

The poem will be part of the fourth semester Kannada paper at Kuvempu University.

Pooja Prabbhan

24-year-old Shilok Mukkati from Bengaluru is overjoyed. Her Kannada poem titled Kabalisidha Kranthi Kadu —an open letter which addresses the struggles of gender dysphoria— has recently been selected for the undergraduate syllabus of Kuvempu University. The poem will be part of the fourth semester Kannada paper and has been published in the textbook titled Nudi Vihara – 4. A media consultant, dancer and writer, Shilok who identifies the feminine energy in her as “shakti”, believes that she best expresses herself through poetry and athmanatyam (the language of the soul). “The acceptance of the poem feels like a closure, in all honesty. I’ve always had to fight— all these years I’ve had battles with the law, battles with my body, I have fought for my identity as a woman. My body or clothes don’t define what I really am,” begins Shilok.  “Particularly because, as a child, there was a moment when a teacher actually bullied me. He insulted me in front of 80 students in class, owing to my style of narration, and that had everyone in splits. I broke down and the insult somehow remains etched in my memory. The acceptance of the poem feels like an acceptance of my closeted identity all through high school,” she adds. Shilok identifies as a queer woman and it hasn’t been an easy journey for her thus far. “Dr Shivalinge Gowda of Kuvempu University got to know about me from my mentor Dr Belururaganandan, a professor from Bangalore University. Dr Beluru has always been supportive of my writing. Dr. Shivalinge was on the lookout for voices that deserve to be heard— gender, sexuality and the like. Dr Beluru suggested my name, and then I presented my works to Dr Shivalinge sir. The poem Kabalisidha Kranthi Kadu caught his fancy in particular. It went through the process of selection and that’s how it became a part of the syllabus,” she explains. Speaking about how she wrote the poem, Shilok says, “I think poetry in itself is like a conversation with myself, when I don’t have people to speak to. It was no different with this poem—it is an open letter which addresses some of my innermost battles, the process, the journey, what has changed and what had to change. I also feel, when words flow from your heart, it resonates with your readers a lot better.” While she’s currently in a better space, Shilok asserts that her struggles have only strengthened her desire to be identified as a woman.  “I do not identify myself as a transgender woman. I identify myself as a queer woman. As a child, I’ve always dreamt of being a woman, so that is my identity,” she says. “As any other queer person, it has been very challenging to me—breaking the gender binary, being trapped in a man’s body. Coming from an orthodox family, high school was very depressing. My shift to Bengaluru changed things for the better, that’s where I found my voice. I tried understanding the world. Understanding gender and sexuality. It led me to know what I am,” she adds. As someone who’s always been inclined towards literature and dance, Shilok believes that creativity played a crucial part in her growth. "Poetry has always been therapeutic. Aside from poetry, I use the medium of dance to express myself. When you’re being jailed/trapped in a certain condition and not given a chance to express your gender, art is the only thing that helps you unleash your inner voice. I’ve written so many different poems on gender and sexuality. I started writing in Kannada because there’s a genuine lack of language to talk about the LGBTQ+ communities. I believed there was a need to spread it in Indian languages. The poem was written during the beginning of my transitioning, where I was figuring out what gender is for me. And, how it’s affected by the conditioning of the society and coming to terms with the fact that I am a woman,” she explains. She won a national award for her radio programme Lesbians and the Shadows —which was on the story of a lesbian girl opening up about her sexuality to her mother. “The programme was divided into three segments, and I clinched an award for the same,” she says. Shilok currently works with a Switzerland- based dance production. “I do a show called F_feminity with three other performers. It’s a Swizz-Indo collaboration. I’m also working on a project titled Zubaan with a publishing house. I have choreographed a piece called Unraping Silence—it’s a very personal testimonial, which talks about sexual harassment and impurity. I’ve shed light on the five stages of my life where I’ve faced sexual harassment. The piece doesn’t victimise and yet questions several aspects of gender and sexuality,” she says. After Section 377 was struck down by the Supreme Court, things seemed to have gotten better for the LGBTQ+ communities. But, Shilok says that the battle isn’t over. “There’s the Transgender Persons Act, which has been passed. Yet incidentally, it doesn’t safeguard our rights at all. We still have to fight for our rights. It’s tainted by misogynist power. There is a need for people to be sensitised as the law cannot change people’s minds,” she says. Taking us through her forthcoming projects, Shilok says, “I will be travelling to a festival in Berlin in March. There’s a lot of poetry yet to be released from my end. I’m a full-time student at COMMITS, so my hands are full as life’s a constant juggle between performances and studies.” Giving us a peek into her plan of action for the next five years, Shilok signs off saying, “My journey from political activism to art has been rather insightful. Art has always been a tool for activism. I want to stick to art as it’s powerful and from the business perspective also it makes sense, because money is important. I want to become an entrepreneur, get into art management. I hope to have an art residency and work deeply on gender,” she says.

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11 injured after fire breaks out in restaurant in Bengaluru’s Koramangala

Fire

A short-circuit in the building triggered a fire, which in turn caused a gas cylinder explosion.

TNM Staff

Madhuri Rao on Twitter

At least eleven people were injured with 2 persons critical after a fire broke out in a restaurant in Bengaluru on Tuesday evening. The fire took place at Sardarji Londonwaley restaurant in Bengaluru’s Koramangala Fourth Block at around 7.30pm.   According to reports, a short-circuit in the building triggered a fire. This was followed by a gas cylinder explosion in the restaurant. Fire, police, and rescue officials rushed to the restaurant, which was near the Wipro signal. Four fire tender vehicles and fire fighters battled the fire for over an hour before it was doused. Visuals show the restaurant on fire, with the flames bringing down its roof.   #Koramangala #sonyworld signal #fire pic.twitter.com/8QSKhlihpm — Madhuri Rao (@theredditgirl) February 11, 2020   According to Deccan Herald, the fire originated in the ground floor at around 7.20pm due to a short-circuit and spread to the rest of the building. The fire spread to the first floor where the restaurant, and its kitchen were located. At least gas cylinders exploded in the blaze. The fire also affected another restaurant Ambur Biriyani, paan shop and a kulfi shop located in the same building.   #WATCH Cylinder blast at a food outlet in Bengaluru's Koramangala. 10 injured, one serious.@CPBlr @BBMP_MAYOR @BBMPCOMM @justbarundas @ByBvRao #Bengaluru #cylinder #blast #accident #karnataka #Koramangala pic.twitter.com/LmGOaSVeVZ — Ashish Pareek (@pareektweets) February 11, 2020   The Deccan Herald reported that the injured have been admitted to a private hospital. Rajan, a 30-year-old restarant staff has been admitted with severe burns. Meanwhile, traffic in the surrounding areas was affected, with many vehicles stopping to watch what was happening with the fire. Times of India reported that people in the neighbouring buildings were also evacuated following the fire as a precautionary measure. The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) for South East Bengaluru, Isha Pant, said the police will file a case against the building owners as they had not taken adequate fire safety measures, which lead to the incident.  

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