Kannada actor Sharmiela and friend injured in car crash in Bengaluru, case registered

Accident

Actor Sharmiela Mandre and her friend K Lokesh Vasant have been booked for rash driving.

TNM Staff

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Despite the COVID-19 induced lockdown in Bengaluru and elsewhere in India, a popular Kannada cinema actor ventured out, which ended up in a car crash. The actor has been identified as 33-year-old Sharmiela Mandre.  Sharmiela and her co-passenger, 35-year-old K Lokesh Vasant, suffered injuries in the accident. The police said they are still investigating who was behind the wheel, but according to the actor, it was her friend named Dawn.   The accident took place around 3 am on Saturday, reported the Deccan Herald. The local patrol team, which was informed about the incident via the central control room, said the vehicle was found abandoned in Vasanthnagar.  According to the Bangalore Mirror, the luxury car with registration number KA-51-MJ-2481 had crashed against a railway underbridge near Vasanthnagar. The patrol police found the car abandoned at the spot.   After the accident, Sharmiela and Lokesh went to a private hospital on Cunningham Road. According to reports, the duo left the hospital later. The actor told some media outlets that she had a severe stomach ache and wanted to buy medicines. She therefore her friends who had a movement pass for their car to take her to a clinic. While the duo reportedly told the hospital that they had met with an accident in Jayanagar, the police found the vehicle in Vasanthnagar area. The front part of the vehicle was completely damaged. Sharmiela is known for her roles in films like Sajni, Kevvu Keka and Shivamani, among others. Reports said that Sharmiela had bruises on her face while Vasanth suffered injuries on his hand. The Bangalore Mirror report said that the High Grounds Traffic Police have taken a suo motu case after the hospital recorded the incident as a medico-legal case. The case has been registered under sections 279 (rash driving) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 134B of the Motor Vehicle Act.  Talking to reporters, BR Ravikanthe Gowda, Joint Commissioner (Traffic), Bengaluru, said that the high-end luxury car had a police pass on it. He announced that a case under the National Disaster Management Act will be registered against them if they had gone out for a joyride and had no valid reason to disobey the lockdown orders. Reports further said when questioned by police, Lokesh had asked the police not to register a case and refused to cooperate with the investigation. However, according to The Times of India, the actor said that she was out to buy some medicines and had sought help from her friend as he had the pass to drive during the lockdown.      

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One more death and 16 new COVID-19 cases in Karnataka, total infected 144

Coronavirus

Two out of the 16 new cases were linked to the Tablighi Jamaat conference held in Delhi in March.

Theja Ram

The Karnataka government on Saturday reported 16 new cases of coronavirus taking the total number of cases in the state to 144. The Health Department also confirmed one more death in the state, taking the total number of fatalities in the state to four.  The new cases included seven cases from Mysuru district, of which 4 people have a history of travelling to New Delhi. Health department officials clarified that they did not attend the Tablighi Jamaat conference held in New Delhi in March between March 8 and March 21. Two people who attended the conference tested positive in Mangaluru and were isolated at the Yenepoya Hospital in the city. The total number of cases in Karnataka with a history of attending the conference is 16.  Four cases in Bengaluru Four cases were reported in Bengaluru city, all of whom have travel or contact history. Among them, the father and the domestic help of P58, a 25-year-old resident of Bengaluru, who returned to the city from London on March 18, were infected.  A 43-year-old man, who is the son of P101, a 62-year-old woman from Bengaluru with no travel history, also tested positive for coronavirus. A 78-year-old man who returned from Dubai on March 17 also tested positive for the virus in Bengaluru. Death in Bagalakote Education Minister Suresh Kumar said that the 75-year-old man who succumbed to COVID-19 in Bagalakote on Friday night, had initially gone to an ayurvedic consultant. He later went to a private hospital in Kamadeshwara, where he got an echocardiogram test. He went to another hospital and was admitted there for four days before he was sent to the district government hospital. He was there for a day and succumbed to the illness.  The man died of comorbidities. He had uncontrolled diabetes, a cardiac stent and was suffering from hypertension, Minister Suresh Kumar added. Three other patients in Udupi, Ballari and Bengaluru Rural Three other patients from Udupi, Ballari and Bengaluru Rural, also tested positive for the virus. The patient from Udupi, a 63-year-old woman, returned to India from Dubai on March 22 and is also isolated in a hospital in Mangaluru. The case in Ballari was reported in Hosapete, a town where a family of three people earlier tested positive for the virus. A 47-year-old woman has now tested positive and is isolated at the district hospital in Ballari.  A 60-year-old man from Kochi in Kerala with a travel history of visiting Germany also tested positive for the virus. He is isolated in a hospital in Bengaluru Rural. 

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Two men try to sell alcohol illegally during lockdown in Bengaluru, get arrested

Coronavirus

The duo was managing the sale from an apartment in RT Nagar.

TNM Staff

Bengaluru police arrested two people for selling liquor at high prices during the 21-day lockdown, where liquor sale has been banned. Sandeep Patil, Bengaluru Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime, stated that 100 bottles were seized from the two people who were arrested. "While there is complete lockdown and malls, pubs, wine shops are closed, some tried to illegally sell liquor at high prices," he said.  While there is complete lockdown & malls, pubs, wine shops r closed..some tried to illegally sell liquor & at v high prices..2 accused arrested..100 bottles seized.. pic.twitter.com/tLNC35U0eK — Sandeep Patil IPS (@ips_patil) April 3, 2020 The arrested persons were identified as Dhananjay (29), a resident of Vijayanagar, and Sanjay (29), a resident of RT Nagar in the city. During a raid, alcohol worth Rs 1.25 lakh was recovered from them. The duo was arrested after the police received a tip-off about their illegal operation. They were coordinating the sale of alcohol from inside an apartment in RT Nagar.  They had stored hundreds of liquor bottles in their flat and were selling them at Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 per bottle, a price that is much higher than their retail prices. Among the seized bottles were 26 bottles of William Lawson's blended whiskey 750 ml each, 23 bottles of Dewars White Label whiskey 750 ml each, 48 bottles of Kingfisher pint beer, and three bottles of vodka 750 ml each.  Liquor stores in the city have remained closed since March 22, the day of the Janata Curfew.  A day later, an official order was issued by the Excise Department in the state to close all liquor stores till March 31. This was later extended to April 14.  The Excise Department had earlier exempted liquor stores with a CL-11 license and Mysore Sales International Limited (MSIL) stores from closing down during the lockdown period. But that decision was reversed on March 23.  Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has clarified that liquor stores in the city will remain closed till the lockdown is over. "There will be no liquor till April 14 at least," he said when reporters asked him when liquor stores will be open again.  There have been reports of thieves stealing liquor stores in Mangaluru and Gadag since the lockdown was enforced. In Mangaluru, liquor worth Rs 1 lakh was stolen from a MSIL shop managed by a man named Purushotam Pilar, at Kuthar Nithyanandanagara on the outskirts of the city. 

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As two Karnataka ministers in charge of health spar, Education minister to hold press meets

Coronavirus

The feud between Sriramulu and Sudhakar started as both were vying to be the one in-charge of managing the pandemic in Karnataka.

TNM Staff

The feud between Karnataka's Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar and Health Minister B Sriramulu has reached a stalemate with Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa appointing Primary and Secondary Education Minister Suresh Kumar as the government's official spokesperson for coronavirus-related matters in the state. The first COVID-19 case was reported in Karnataka on March 9. Since then, B Sriramulu and Dr K Sudhakar have indulged in petty feuds in a game of one-upmanship. 'Who will be lauded for the exceptional work done by Karnataka in the wake of the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic?’ and ‘who is the most visible face gaining public approval?’ —  this is what the two Ministers are fighting over, sources said.  With both Sudhakar and Sriramulu shooting out updates and figures related to COVID-19 that did not correspond with the Health Department, the feud reached its peak in late March. The bickering did not stop and Dr K Sudhakar, who is an MBBS graduate, felt he was better qualified to be the one in charge due to his medical background.  With the feud reaching Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa's doorstep, the septuagenarian leader, with decades of experience airing out petty political fights, decided that neither of the feuding ministers would be in charge of handling media briefings. Chief Minister Yediyurappa decided that Suresh Kumar, whose team is known for its coordination and timely updates, would handle the briefings. This decision, sources say, was made as there were severe discrepancies in the information being given out by Sriramulu and Sudhakar.  Petty feuds during a pandemic The feud between the ministers has been evident since day one.  On March 24, Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala signed off on a notification that Sriramulu would be given the Health portfolio but without COVID-19. COVID-19 and related matters would be handed over to Dr K Sudhakar. Soon after this notification was signed, an angry Sriramulu is believed to have met the Chief Minister, and expressed his displeasure over being sidelined without notice. Sudhakar, who was also called in for the meeting, in which Yediyurappa attempted to broker peace, is said to have informed the Chief Minister that he is better equipped to handle the pandemic than Sriramulu.  In order to stop the bickering, Yediyurappa put Sudhakar in-charge of COVID-19 cases in Bengaluru, while Sriramulu was put in charge of the rest of the state.  Just a day after this meeting, on March 25, Sriramulu tweeted that a woman from Gauribidanur in Chikkaballapura had died of COVID-19. However, Sudhakar maintained that the woman's test results were yet to arrive. On March 26, Sudhakar tweeted that the woman had died due to COVID-19.  On April 1, Sriramulu tweeted that 342 people from Karnataka had attended the Tablighi Jamaat meeting. Just hours later, the Health Department said that 1,500 people had attended the meeting. With the jarring difference in information, the issue once again reached Chief Minister Yediyurappa. Since both Sudhakar and Sriramulu showed no signs of making peace, and in order to take the burden of their feud off the shoulders of the Health Department, he put Education Minister Suresh Kumar in-charge of handling the information outflow, sources close to Yediyurappa said. Dr Sudhakar denies that a fight exists With this decision, Dr Sudhakar on Saturday issued an official statement that there was no feud between him and Sriramulu. He went on to even state that Sriramulu is like a brother to him.  “There are no differences between me and Health Minister B Sriramulu. We are working together to fight against coronavirus and we are constantly in touch with each other to find solutions to this problem. Sriramulu and I are striving towards the development of the people of Karnataka like brothers,” he tweeted.  

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ASHA workers are helping in the fight against COVID-19, but most without protective equipment

Coronavirus

A status check on ASHA workers across south India who say they are pleading with the government for protective equipment.

Prajwal Bhat

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers are playing a key role in fighting against the spread of coronavirus in India.  The community health volunteers are trained to be the interface between the community and the public healthcare system in India. They are going door-to-door, spreading awareness about coronavirus and crucially, collecting information about those who are likely to be infected with the virus. Some are even recording the temperatures of people who are residing in coronavirus containment zones and of people who have returned from abroad recently. But even though ASHA workers are coming in contact with people who are quarantined at home, they are yet to be provided equipment gloves and hand sanitisers. Some have been given masks but they are not being replaced periodically. “We have written to the state government requesting that masks should be provided periodically and that gloves and hand sanitisers should be distributed to our workers,” Nagalakshmi D, Secretary of Karnataka State Samyukta ASHA Workers' Association. The letter was written on March 24. Protective equipment was promised in many districts of Karnataka, they are yet to be distributed to ASHA workers. In Ballari, the district administration issued a notification detailing the procurement of 20,600 triple layer masks, 1050 N-95 masks and 2060 sanitisers for ASHA workers. But Nagalakshmi, who is based in Ballari, says equipment is yet to reach ASHA workers in the district. ASHA worker in Gadag district of Karnataka A family of 3 persons tested positive for coronavirus in Ballari district on March 30 and Nagalakshmi says, ASHA workers in the district are conducting door-to-door surveys even in Hosapete town, where stringent lockdown measures have been imposed. “Buses are provided for ASHA workers to travel but we request that protective equipment be given to health workers. We are asking for small measures to be taken,” says Nagalakshmi. She notes that in some parts of the state including in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits, masks and sanitisers were provided for ASHA workers on Monday. However, the masks are not replaced periodically. ASHA workers in Davangere district of Karnataka The situation is similar in parts of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. B Praveena, an ASHA worker from Nizamabad in Telangana told TNM that health workers were only provided cloth masks and caps. "We are not provided anything else. We regularly go to households with foreign returneed to enquire if they are showing any symptoms and to check if they are following quarantine guidelines," says Praveena.  She says that the workers pleaded with health department officials to replace their protective equipment but their pleas are yet to be heard. Kusuma Kumari, an ASHA worker from Polavaram in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, says that she was initially given 20 single-use masks and a hand sanitiser. But the masks and hand sanitisers were not replaced even though they ran out within two weeks.  ASHA workers in Hassan district of Karnataka Similarly, ASHA workers in Thiruvananthapuram are going door to door to collect information about people with symptoms of coronavirus. A section of ASHA workers were provided with masks, gloves and sanitisers periodically. This was confirmed by Dhanya SC, an ASHA worker in Kerala’s capital city. Few ASHA workers told TNM that the equipment provided was not sufficient in number. There have also been reports of a health worker in Kerala contracting the disease. TNM had earlier reported how doctors and nurses in Telangana and Tamil Nadu had raised concerns about the lack of safety gear including masks and gloves.  Similarly, ASHA workers in all four states were also pressed into service after the outbreak of coronavirus. But they have been advised to keep sufficient distance from residents while collecting information and carrying out surveys even as they plead for protective equipment.  Read: ‘Who will protect us?’: Doctors and nurses in TN, Telangana allege lack of safety gear With inputs from Saritha S Balan and Charan Teja    

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Ayurveda didn't 'cure' Prince Charles of COVID-19: Ayush Minister's claims denied

Coronavirus

Minister of State for AYUSH, Shripad Naik had claimed that Dr Isaac Mathai, who runs Soukya Ayurvedic Centre in Bengaluru had successfully treated Prince Charles, who has COVID-19.

TNM Staff

The Minister of State for AYUSH and Goa's Lok Sabha MP Shripad Naik courted controversy after his statement that Ayurvedic treatment "cured" Prince Charles, who has COVID-19. In a press briefing held in New Delhi, Shripad Naik had said, "I received a phone call from Dr Isaac Mathai, who runs the Soukya Ayurveda Resort in Bengaluru. He told me that his treatment of Prince Charles through Ayurveda and Homeopathy has been successful. This is just one example of how the system can work." The Indian Express had reached out to the spokesperson for the Prince of Wales, who said that the Shripd Naik's claims were incorrect. "“This information is incorrect. The Prince of Wales followed the medical advice of the NHS (National Health Service) in the UK and nothing more," IE quoted Ella Lynch as saying.  TNM spoke to Dr Isaac Mathai who said that Prince Charles is "a patient of his" and he would not comment on the issue. "I have so many patients and I cannot speak about their health condition because it's a matter of confidentiality," Dr Mathai said.  On April 2, Prince Charles issued a video statement and thanked UK's National Health Service for its efforts in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic "And at a time when doctors, nurses and all the vital ancillary staff that form the backbone of our remarkable NHS are increasingly under such enormous strain, and risk, as they battle heroically to save lives in intensive care centres and to contain, as much as possible, the spread of this virus, our thoughts and prayers are very much with those marvellous people whose extraordinary skills and utter, selfless devotion to duty and the care of their patients make us so very proud," the Economic Times quoted him as saying.  Prince Charles' wife and the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker-Bowles had undergone treatment at Dr Mathai's Soukya Ayurvedic Centre in November 2019. 

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Bengaluru's Russell Market shut till April 14 for violating social distancing norms

Coronavirus

BBMP officials had earlier allowed the market to function from 8 am to 10 am

PTI

The Bengaluru civic body, , Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike on Friday decided to shut down Russell Market till April 14 midnight as shopkeepers were not following the social distancing norms. A decision to this effect was taken after the Brutal Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike commissioner BH Anil Kumar received information inputs that the traders were not abiding by the social distancing norms. "BBMP has decided to close down the iconic Russell Market till April 14 midnight as social distancing measures were not being followed despite repeated warnings," Kumar tweeted. In his order, the BBMP joint commissioner of East zone said some of the shops had been allowed to operate to ensure uninterrupted supply of essential commodities. However, the requisite social distancing norms were flouted at the Russell Market due to which it was decided to shut it down, he said.   Section 144 has been imposed in Bengaluru till April 14 in the wake of the nation-wide lockdown. Not more than five people can congregate in a public place. Markets have been allowed to function between 8 and 10 am. BBMP officials said that there were no markers in Russell Market and the traders were not practising social distance. "A lot of people were gathering in one space," the official added.  Earlier on March 27, Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya attempted to shift a part of KR Market's traders to National College Grounds in a bid to avoid crowding the primary market in the city. This too, backfired as large crowds gathered at National College Grounds and did not maintain social distance.  This market at the grounds was shut down by the BBMP within a day for similar reasons as well. Until the lockdown exists, two and four-wheel vehicles have been banned from plying. People intending to buy groceries have been advised to walk to the stores closest to their homes.  Read: Part of Bengaluru’s KR market shifted to new location, closed down after crowd gathers  

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