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Sunday, February 16, 2020

3 engineering students from Kashmir arrested on sedition charges in Karnataka

Arrest
The three students had made a selfie video, which Bajrang Dal objected to.
The Karnataka Police on Saturday arrested three Kashmiri students studying at the KLE Institute of Technology in Hubballi under charges of sedition. The arrests came after the Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, staged protests inside the college calling the three students ‘anti-nationals’ for raising slogans in favour of Pakistan in a video. On Saturday morning, a student of the college, also a member of Bajrang Dal, received a video on WhatsApp of the three Kashmiri students and alleged that the three students had hailed Pakistan in the video. He informed the outfit’s members about the three students, after which a group of Bajrang Dal’s members gathered outside the college and began shouting slogans. “Arrest the anti-nationals, arrest the anti-nationals,” the Bajrang Dal members shouted. In the video which has now gone viral, one of the three students can be seen initially uttering something with background music on, after which they chant 'Azadi' one after the other. Then joining the chorus to the music that is playing, one of the students says "Pakistan" and after a few beats he says "Zindabad." The music they played is said to be Pakistani military's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) song, which police said needs to be ascertained. The video seems to have been recorded at the college hostel. Speaking to TNM, Shivanand Sattigiri, a member of the Bajrang Dal, who led the protest, said that he and several other members went to meet the College Principal to demand that the three students be handed over to the police. Protests by members of Bajrang Dal “The Bajrang Dal members barged into the college and began shouting slogans. They said that a video of the three students from Kashmir had gone viral and that they were making anti-national statements. They demanded that I call the police,” said Basavaraj, the Principal of KLE Institute of Technology. Basavaraj said that he called the police. However, a scuffle broke out between the Bajrang Dal members and the three students. “We got into an argument with the students. We began saying that people like them must be chased down and killed in every street. That’s when the argument happened,” Bajrang Dal member Shivanand Sattigiri said. Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner Dileep said that the Principal of the college then called the Gokul Road Police Station and informed him about the protests being staged by Bajrang Dal. “We have arrested the three students. Two of them were in the first year and one was in the third year. They are from Kashmir’s Shopian and they have been booked for sedition and disrupting communal harmony,” Commissioner Dileep said. (With PTI inputs)
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Saturday, February 15, 2020

Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani visits Bengaluru migrant settlements where hutments were razed

Migrant
The residents highlighted the recent demolition drive by officials over unfounded concerns of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants staying in settlements.
Jignesh Mewani, an independent MLA from Gujarat and a Dalit leader, visited migrant settlements in Bengaluru on Saturday morning, weeks after residents of few settlements in Kariyammana Agrahara in the city lost their homes in an unauthorised demolition drive over fears of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants staying there. Jignesh Mewani visited the migrant settlements at Thubarahalli and Munekolala near Marathahalli, and Kariyammana Agrahara near Bellandur in the city to speak with residents. The residents of the settlements in Munekolala also had their huts razed to the ground on Thursday over a private land dispute. The residents of the settlements spelled out their problems to Jignesh Mewani. In a video taken of the interaction between Jignesh and residents of a settlement located near Vagdevi School in Munnekolala near Marathahalli, residents can be heard telling Jignesh what happened on Thursday when people came to demolish their hutments. Multiple residents allege that the people who came to demolish the settlements manhandled them, allegedly “threw” a small child, threatened them and physically pulled them out of their huts. A resident can be seen telling Jignesh, "There were few people who came to us and asked us to leave the sheds. We asked them why we should leave when we are paying rent?" Around 20 hutments were demolished in the incident on Thursday, police officials said, due to a private dispute.  The residents in Kariyammana Agrahara meanwhile raised the issue of the demolition drive conducted on January 19 in which hundreds of huts were razed down in the presence of police officials. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) recently termed the demolition drive 'unauthorised', and the Karnataka High Court has since asked the state government to formulate a scheme to rehabilitate residents within the next month.  "The residents came to Jignesh Mewani to raise concerns about the demolition, and it was a positive interaction. He listened to their travails and promised to do what he could," Kaleemullah, a civic activist based in Bengaluru said.  He pointed out that politicians from Bengaluru had not extended support for residents living in these areas. On Friday, Jignesh Mewani also visited Bilal Bagh, the site of the indefinite protest led by women against the CAA and NRC on Tannery Road in the city.
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Bidar teacher, mother yet to walk out of prison after getting bail for anti-CAA play case

Bidar sedition case
A lawyer representing the women told TNM that the formalities are yet to be completed.
The mother of a student and a headteacher in Karnataka's Bidar district who have been charged with sedition are yet to walk out of the district prison after getting bail on Friday, a police official said. "We are yet to receive the court order on bail to release Fareeda Begum and Nazbunnisa. If we receive the court order today, the women can walk out of the prison by evening," according to Bidar district prison Superintendent Shivaputra Hajimani. Narayan Ganesh, an advocate representing the women told TNM, "We expect the formalities to be completed by the end of today and the two women will leave the jail." Bidar Principal District and Sessions Court granted conditional bail to Fareeda Begum, a head teacher at the Shaheen Primary and High School and Nazbunnisa, a parent of one of the students in the anti-CAA play, in which the minor students allegedly 'insulted' Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Nazbunnisa was arrested for after her 11-year-old daughter uttered the dialogue that landed the play in trouble, while Begum was arrested for allowing the play to be staged in the school. The play was staged by students of classes 4, 5 and 6.  The two women were arrested on January 30 following a complaint by a right-wing activist on January 30. Two weeks later on Friday, the Bidar district and sessions court granted bail to the women on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh with two sureties for the same amount. With its head office at Shaheen Nagar in Bidar and managed by the Allama Iqbal Educational Society, the Shaheen Group of Institutions runs a string of institutes from kindergarten to undergraduate. With IANS inputs  
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Kambala jockey hailed as 'India's Usain Bolt' called for trials by Sports Min

Kambala
The 28-year-old took just 13.62 seconds to cover a distance of 145 metres at the Kambala at Aikala village.
Srinivasa Gowda, a Kambala jockey from Mijar in Karnataka, has been called for trials by the Sports Ministry after he set a new record as the fastest runner in the history of the traditional sport of the coastal region. "I'll call Karnataka's Srinivasa Gowda for trials by top SAI coaches. There's lack of knowledge in masses about the standards of the Olympics especially in athletics where ultimate human strength & endurance are surpassed. I'll ensure that no talents in India are left out untested," tweeted Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday. Yes @PMuralidharRao ji. Officials from SAI have contacted him. His rail ticket is done and he will reach SAI centre on monday. I will ensure top national coaches to conduct his trials properly. We are team @narendramodi ji and will do everything to identity sporting talents! https://t.co/RF7KMfIHAD — Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) February 15, 2020 One of the tweets read: "Here's India's very own USAIN BOLT..Mr. Srinivasa Gowda from Karnataka who ran a 100m buffalo race (Kambala) in merely 9.55 seconds whereas Usain Bolt's world record is 9.58 seconds. Thank you @KirenRijiju Sir for acknowledging such talent!" Shashi Tharoor had earlier tweeted: "Faster Than Usain Bolt? Karnataka Man Running With Buffaloes Covers 100 Metres in Just 9.55 Seconds. I urge the Athletics Association of India to take this man under their wing & make an Olympic champion of him. Wonder how many hidden talents we have!" Faster Than Usain Bolt? Karnataka Man Running With Buffaloes Covers 100 Metres in Just 9.55 Seconds. I urge the Athletics Association of India to take this man under their wing & make an Olympic champion of him. Wonder how many hidden talents we have! https://t.co/G7jPE2zIng — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) February 15, 2020 The 28-year-old is a construction worker and took just 13.62 seconds to cover a distance of 145 metres at the Kambala at Aikala village about 30 kilometres from Mangaluru. The 28-year-old is a construction worker and took just 13.62 seconds to cover a distance of 145 metres at the Kambala at Aikala village about 30 kilometres from Mangaluru. Netizens quickly drew comparisons to eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt, who currently holds the world record in the 100-metre race at 9.58 seconds set in 2009. “I did not think I would run this fast. The buffaloes were quick and I followed them,” he said to TNM following his victory. He did this by following a simple regimen on a daily basis for a month. “I mainly exercise and swim every day. Once a week, I practice running on the slushy track,” he said. Kambala is an annual race held in Karnataka where people sprint 142m through paddy fields with buffalo. Traditionally, it is sponsored by local Tuluva landlords and households in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. Also read: ‘Didn't think I'd run so fast’: Kambala jockey hailed as 'Usain Bolt' for record run
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'Women have given me the courage to speak up': Naseeruddin Shah at Bengaluru protest

Protest
On Tannery Road in Bengaluru, Bilal Bagh has been set up where women have been protesting against CAA and NRC for over a week.
Legislator from Gujarat Jignesh Mewani, actor Naseeruddin Shah, and transgender rights activist Akkai Padmashali addressed the women-led protest in Bilal Mosque on Tannery Road in Bengaluru against the CAA and NRC on Friday. Actor Naseeruddin Shah also turned up at the protest around 9 pm. Addressing the protesters he said that the women-led protests have given him the courage to speak up. "Everywhere in the country, women are protesting. These brave women are being asked by some elements: How can they come out on the streets? Who has given them permission and whether men have sent them to protest? To them, I have only one thing to say: These brave women are awakened now and don’t need anyone’s permission to protest," he said. The protest in Bilal Bagh is ongoing for a week and on Friday, independent MLA from Gujarat Jignesh Mewani addressed the people gathered at the protest site. "Mothers, the light and brightness of your faces....if Modi sees you all just once, he will resign. Although this protest belongs to all of us, it especially belongs to all you revolutionary sisters and mothers. That's why I haven't come here today to give a long lecture, I have come to just witness your illumined faces," he said. He said that women in other parts of the country were also putting up a resistance. "Today I have come to you with the message from Sabzi Bagh of Patna and Shaheen Bagh of Delhi. And that message is this. In Patna and Delhi the sisters and mothers are putting up a strong resistance, if you continue a similar resistance here we shall definitely be victorious," he said.. On Tannery Road where Bilal Bagh has been set up, women have blocked off the road by setting up a tent in which slogans are shouted and songs are sung.  Also joining in with the protest was Akkai Padmashali, an award-winning trans rights activist. "Our country is going through an undexlared emergency. The people who are here are fighting against the government, and we are seeing how the government will respond," she said. The protest on Tannery Road was set up along the lines of the indefinite protest at Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi against CAA and NRC.     
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Siddaramaiah, Cong leaders detained during plan to lay siege to CM's office

Politics
The Congress leaders held a protest in Bengaluru condemning the sedition case filed against the school in Bidar, among other allegations of curtailing fundamental rights.
The Congress in Karnataka on Saturday held a protest in Bengaluru accusing the ruling BJP government of "breaking democratic ideals." The Congress accused the BJP government of curtailing the fundamental rights of people by imposing sedition cases against those who spoke out against Citizenship Amendment Act.  "Whenever they (BJP) want, they impose section 144 to curtail people from protesting against CAA and NRC (National Register of Citizens). They have slapped sedition case against a poor mother in Bidar for speaking out against CAA. These kinds of things are not done in a democracy. People's fundamental rights are being curtailed," former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said.  Congress leaders including Siddaramaiah, Gandhinagar MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao and Bengaluru Rural MP DK Suresh along with several other leaders gathered at Maurya Circle in Bengaluru to lead a protest march to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa's official residence -- Kaveri, located in Kumara Krupa Road. However, Siddaramaiah, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Rizwan Aarshad and DK Suresh were detained on Race Course Road. Gundu Rao and DK Suresh tried to jump the barricade erected by the police to stop them, and march towards the Chief Ministers residence, but were stopped midway and detained. "Police force is being is being misused by the BJP government. Those who are raising their voices and speaking out against the Union government and the BJP leaders are being booked for sedition. We are going to protest in front of Chief Minister's residence," former Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Dinesh Gundu Rao said.  The Congress leaders and protesters were detained, as the Congress party workers planned to lock the gates of the CM's office.  Security was heightened outside Kaveri on Saturday in the wake of the protest march that was to be held. "The current government is misusing the police department and have used their influence to slap sedition cases against innocent people. This is blatant violation of fundamental rights. How can criticising BJP leaders become an act of sedition? It is very clear that the current government is trying to stifle dissent," Siddaramaiah said.  Bengaluru Rural MP DK Suresh accused the BJP of trying to curb people from protesting in order to cover up the party's "intent to divide people on the basis of religion."  "BJP does not want people to openly show that they are not happy with the government because BJP is diving people in the country on the basis of religion. First they imposed section 144 in Karnataka to stop protests, then they resorted to firing at protesters in Mangaluru and now they have filed a sedition case against innocent people and have subjected small children to interrogation. It is clear that the government is misusing the police force," DK Suresh added.   The management of Shaheen Primary and High School in Bidar were charged with sedition over a play that was staged by students of classes 4, 5 and 6 on January 21. The play spoke against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).  Nazbunnisa, the mother of a student, and Fareeda Begum, the head mistress of the school’s primary department, were arrested on January 30. Students aged between 9 and 12 years were interrogated by the police within the school’s premises. Several activists and lawyers had alleged police excess and accused the Bidar police of violating laws including the Juvenile Justice Act.  On December 19, Section 144 was imposed in Karnataka following which massive protests broke out in several districts. However, the protests in Mangaluru turned violent after police resorted to lathicharge. Police also fired shots at the protesters, which killed two people. The police also threw tear gas shells into the Highland Hospital. With PTI inputs
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After criticism, Yediyurappa to seek legal opinion on Anand Singh as forest minister

Politics
Anand Singh has several cases of mining violations against him. He is also accused of encroaching forest land.
Activists and the BJP’s opposition in Karnataka have raised objections to the appointment of BJP MLA from Vijayanagara Anand Singh as the Karnataka Minister of Environment and Forests on Friday, putting Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa under pressure to reconsider his decision. Sources say that Yediyurappa is mulling over shifting Anand Singh out of the Forest Ministry after the BJP high command expressed its ire against Yediyurappa’s decision to re-allocate the Forest Ministry to Anand Singh. Anand Singh was arrested in connection with the illegal mining scam and also for encroaching on forest land. “The Chief Minister has instructed Anand Singh that legal opinion would be sought regarding his appointment and if there are objections legally, then his portfolio would be changed,” the source said. Citizens Agenda for Bengaluru and several other activists outraged against Singh’s appointment and called for his portfolio to be changed. Amidst the high drama, Anand Singh met Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday to discuss the matter. “I am willing to let go of the portfolio if Chief Minister Yediyurappa says so,” Anand Singh said after the meeting. Anand Singh has 15 cases of mining violations, including violations of the Karnataka Forest Act, registered against him. He is accused of criminal conspiracy, theft, criminal breach of trust, cheating and dishonesty, criminal trespass and forgery. This is the case currently being heard by the Bengaluru court. Anand Singh provided Yediyurappa an update on the 15 cases of mining violations including violations of the Karnataka Forest Act against him during the meeting on Friday, sources close to the Chief Minister said. Of the 15 cases registered against him, 11 cases have a stay order from the Karnataka High Court; investigation is underway in three cases and one case is currently being heard at the Special Court for MLAs and MPs in Bengaluru. When the 10 new BJP MLAs were allocated ministries on February 10, Anand Singh was initially granted the Food and Civil Supplies ministry. However, just a day later, Yediyurappa submitted a fresh letter to the Governor Vajubhai Vala stating that changes had been made in portfolio allocations. In the new list, Anand Singh bagged the Environment and Forests portfolio. Once a close associate of mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy, Anand Singh was arrested twice for his involvement in the 2009 Ballari mining scam, which resulted in the collapse of the BJP government that year. The CBI arrested Anand Singh in 2013 in connection with the Belikere Port case on allegations of exporting iron ore mined illegally. He was arrested in 2015 by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Karnataka Lokayukta on charges of illegal transportation of iron ore.    
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