Dakshina Kannada cops divide duties as COVID-19 cases among cops rise

Coronavirus

The positive cases include four CCB officials, one ACP official and 12 police officials from Ullal police station.

TNM Staff

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As many as 19 police officials in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka have now tested positive for coronavirus. This includes four central crime branch (CCB) police personnel who tested positive for the virus on Friday. Others who have tested positive for the virus include an official of the ACP rank and 12 from Ullal police station, a police official in the district told TNM. A policeman from Mangaluru Rural station and another from Puttur station have also been infected. All the personnel who tested positive have been admitted to the designated COVID-19 hospitals. City police commissioner Vikash Kumar Vikash said adequate protection has been provided to police personnel who were fighting the pandemic and the members of their families.  They’ve also divided the workforce in such a way that officials who work with the public don’t enter police stations.  "We have divided outdoor and indoor work. The police officials who come in contact with the public are now staying away from working in the police station. After ten days, their swab is taken and if it is negative, they return to work at the station after 3-4 days of rest," a police official in the district told TNM.  Earlier in May, a police official working at the Vittla police station in the district tested positive for coronavirus. At the time, the police station was sealed off for days and more than 20 police officials working in the station were quarantined. The police station was also sanitised.  Currently, the protocol does not state that police stations will be sealed off. Instead, the workspace of the infected official will be sealed off for 48 hours and sanitised.  As of Thursday, the total coronavirus cases in the district stood at 923 and the toll 18 while the state's infection count has crossed the 18,000 mark with 272 deaths. Ninety COVID-19 cases were reported in Dakshina Kannada on Thursday including Mangaluru North MLA and BJP leader Bharat Shetty, who took to Twitter to announce that he tested positive for the virus. He asked residents in the district to take COVID-19 precautions seriously and wear masks.     

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Bengaluru man dupes people by claiming to be close aide of CM BSY, arrested

Crime

CCB sleuths said that the total amount of money the 32-year-old man took from people is yet to be determined but that it could be to the tune of crores of rupees.

TNM Staff

The Central Crime Branch (CCB) on Thursday arrested a 32-year-old man for allegedly cheating people to the tune of crores of rupees with the promise of a government job. Shivakumar Hosalli, a native of Haveri district, allegedly duped people looking for jobs in various government departments by stating that he was a close associate of Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, CCB sleuths said. On July 1, Ramesh, a resident of Bengaluru’s Kumaraswamy Layout filed a complaint against Shivakumar Hosalli at the Ashok Nagar Police Station. In his complaint, Ramesh stated that back in 2016 Shivakumar had promised his relative Jnanashekar that he would get him a job as a clerk at Vidhana Soudha. In November 2016, Ramesh said he paid Shivakumar Rs 3 lakh for procuring the job for Jnanashekar. For over three years, Shivakumar allegedly kept evading Jnanashekar and Ramesh’s follow-up regarding the job, stating that Jnanashekar would be sure to get the post he wanted. However, over the last few months, Shivakumar allegedly began avoiding Ramesh and Jnanashekar’s calls. “Shivakumar came to Bengaluru nine years ago and was working as a painter. He later started working at various bars in the city and became the manager of Narthaki Bar and Restaurant located near Residency Road. He met Jnanashekar at the bar in 2016, when he promised him the job in return for money. Jnanashekar had heard through word of mouth that Shivakumar had a good network and would be able to help him,” said Sandeep Patil, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime). The Joint Commissioner further said that over the course of time, Shivakumar had earned a reputation, albeit a false one, of having connections with top politicians. “After the complaint was filed, we arrested Shivakumar, and now realise that he has duped people to the tune of many crores. He also conned people who had pending bills from the government stating that he could help them procure the outstanding amount for a fee, by claiming to know the Chief Minister personally. So far, we have identified a few cases but we have been receiving more complaints from people that he had duped them too,” Sandeep Patil added. CCB sleuths said that Shivakumar would frequently go to Vidhana Soudha and scout for people who were looking for jobs. He would allegedly introduce himself to them and claim that he was close to MLAs from Haveri and to the Chief Minister. “The victims didn’t suspect him as he would appear to be walking out from a meeting,” a senior police officer added. Shivakumar was remanded to judicial custody and booked under sections 420 (punishment for cheating), 170 (impersonating a public servant) and 415 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code.

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Eyeing promotion before retirement, 55-yr-old Karnataka cop writes Class 10 exams

Education

Police constable KR Manjunath appeared for the 6th and last exam in third language on Friday after completing papers in 5 subjects so far.

Soumya Chatterjee

IMAGE FOR REPRESENTATION / NAVIN BAHIRWANI-PICXY

A 55-year-old Karnataka police constable is writing the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) board exam at Kolar to get promotion before his retirement in 2025. "Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) constable K.R. Manjunath is appearing for the SSLC board exams as an external candidate at the Government Girls' Junior College at Kolar, which is an enrollment centre," district nodal officer Nagendra Prasad told IANS on phone. Kolar is about 100km east of Bengaluru in the southern state. The SSLC board exams are being held across the state since June 25 as per the lockdown guidelines, which makes wearing mask, washing hands with sanitiser and maintaining social distancing mandatory. Manjunath appeared for the 6th and last exam in third language on Friday after completing papers in 5 subjects so far. "Manjunath is attempting to pass in all 6 subjects for the second time, as he failed in 2 subjects in the first attempt 4 years ago. He will get promotion and become head constable if he passes this time,' said Prasad. Though Manjunath studied up to class 7 in the town over 4 decades ago, he secured a job in the state police department in D group and was promoted as a constable over a decade ago on service record. "As Manjunath wants to retire as head constable, he has to pass the class 10 exam, which is a minimum for the promotion. He is confident of passing in all subjects this time as he claims to have done well," said Prasad. The constable has opted to write the exam in his home town (Kolar) though he is posted in Bengaluru. "On learning that a senior policeman was writing the class 10 board exam, state Education Minister S. Suresh Kumar enquired about him during his official visit to Kolar on June 29," Prasad recalled.

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‘We don’t treat COVID-19’: A few Bengaluru pvt hospitals surprised at being on govt list

Coronavirus

TNM found that multiple private hospitals listed by the state government on the Arogya Karnataka Scheme website are not admitting COVID-19 patients.

Prajwal Bhat

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Bengaluru is grappling with over 5,500 active COVID-19 cases, but the city's residents are facing hurdles in finding hospitals with beds allocated for patients who test positive for the coronavirus.  On June 20, the Karnataka Health Department released a list of government and private hospitals, identifying them as designated healthcare centres for COVID-19 cases.  But TNM found that multiple private hospitals listed by the state government on the Arogya Karnataka Scheme website (https://ift.tt/2Arj8TX) are not admitting COVID-19 patients.  This has caused confusion among people desperately looking for hospital beds for COVID-19 patients in the city.  “When we called (phone numbers) on the list of designated private hospitals, some said they don't have a bed. Some said they don't even know why they are listed,” a family member of a COVID-19 patient told TNM.  The website's annexure of COVID-19 designated hospitals mentions the names, addresses and contact numbers of 410 private hospitals in Karnataka. 38 hospitals among those listed are in Bengaluru.  But multiple hospital officials told TNM that their hospital figures in the list even though they are not admitting COVID-19 patients. They are unaware about why their hospital has been listed.  “Our hospital is a cardiac centre and we are not admitting COVID-19 patients. We have written a letter about this, but our hospital still figures on the website,” says an official at a dedicated heart hospital in central Bengaluru.  The hospital officials said that the private hospitals empanelled with Suvarna Aarogya Suraksha Trust (SAST) under the Ayushman Bharat-Arogya Karnataka (AB-ArK) scheme were listed by the state government. But not all of them are treating COVID-19 patients.  The state government subsequently released a list of 73 private hospitals. Private hospitals, including St. John's Medical College Hospital, Sagar Hospital and Narayana Hrudayalaya, in Bengaluru confirmed to TNM that they are admitting COVID-19 patients. However, multiple hospitals TNM reached out to said that the beds allocated for COVID-19 patients are currently full and that they are unsure when beds will be available again.  Government-run hospitals including KC General Hospital and CV Raman General Hospital informed TNM that they have beds available for COVID-19 patients.  In Bengaluru, it is the civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) which facilitates the allocation of beds for patients who test positive for COVID-19. Patients can choose to avail treatment in private hospitals, but they need to keep the BBMP informed about where they are being treated.  Since 28 June, people who are tested in Bengaluru are no longer receiving COVID-19 test results from laboratories which conduct the tests. They now have to wait for the BBMP to inform them about their test results. 

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BJP MP Pratap Simha expresses concern over faulty PPE for health staff

Coronavirus

He tagged Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar and said, “Fyi, I feel, it’s a genuine concern.”

TNM Staff

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Mysore-Kodagu Member of Parliament, Pratap Simha highlighted a pressing issue of faulty personal protective equipment (PPEs) among frontline workers in Karnataka In a tweet which he has also pinned to his profile, he shared a Facebook post which cited that faulty and inadequate protective gear provided by the state government to doctors treating COVID-19 patients has resulted in a doctor testing positive. The text of the Facebook message says a doctor in the Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences Bengaluru had raised concerns about the “faulty PPE kits and shortage of N-95 masks”. He tagged Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar and said, “Fyi(for your information) I feel, it’s a genuine concern.”. Sir @mla_sudhakar fyi and I feel, it’s a genuine concern. pic.twitter.com/5A53FaOB2z — Pratap Simha (@mepratap) July 3, 2020 At the time of publishing this story, Minister Sudhakar had not yet acknowledge the tweet. With Karnataka particularly Bengaluru facing a stiffer crisis regarding COVID-19 pandemic management by the day, the issue of inadequate protection for doctors and health care workers is turning out to become a huge condern. Incidentally, Simha is the MP from the ruling party which is in power both in state and Centre. It was only on Thursday that TNM reported how doctors and staff at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health in Bengaluru were concerned over performing duties without PPE. PPE was provided only after three staff members including a doctor had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Additional Director of Karnataka State Drug Logistics and Warehousing Society, N Manjushree, said there is no shortage of PPEs in the state and they have 4 lakh PPE in stock for the COVID-19 management as of date. The full text of the Facebook message has been reproduced in full. This is my sister [name withheld] (first cousin to be precise). She's a Doctor and she treats COVID-19 patients at Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) Bengaluru. She's a frontline worker and she risks her life every single day. Last week she raised an alarm about faulty ppe kits and shortage of N-95 masks. But the Administrative Medical Officer (AMO) at KIMS, shunned and chastised her for raising this issue and since then she's been buying her own N-95 masks. Today, she tested positive for COVID-19 and she appealed to the Hospital authorities and raised her genuine concerns over the faulty protective gears, but she was again harassed and humiliated for raising the issue. This isn't just about my sister, many doctors at KIMS and doctors all around the country are facing harsh backlash from the management and government officials. This is the plight of the doctors in our country. We as a system have failed the doctors. The least that we can do is arm them with fully functional protective gear. In these trying times, I do not want to blame a particular government or a politician. This is upon us and our leaders have failed the doctors It's high time that our Netas and Babus did something about this. Clapping and showering flowers isn't going to serve purpose. Sooner or later, we won't have enough doctors to treat COVID-19 patients if the authorities do not address this issue at the earliest. Source: Karnataka Medical Association

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BBMP has not published list of containment zones in Bengaluru for days

Coronavirus

BBMP officials say that the reason is due to sudden spike in cases, due to which they need time to map the containment zones.

TNM Staff

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Over the last two weeks, Bengaluru's civic body -- the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, has stopped listing out the containment zones in the city in its daily COVID-19 reports. The last list of containment zones published on the website was on June 15, where there were 191 containment zones in the city. The wards were listed on daily bulletins released to the media, but that too stopped after June 24 when there were 477 containment zones in the city. Since then, the number of containment zones have steadily increased with 520 containment zones in Bengaluru as of Friday. However, the BBMP has not published details about the areas where these 520 containment zones are located.  "We are still in the process of tracing primary and secondary contacts of the persons, who have tested positive. Since the numbers are increasing significantly everyday, it is taking time to map the containment zones. However, we do have a list of wards where there are more than 15 cases in each of these wards," BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar said. As of Thursday evening there were 5505 active cases in Bengaluru. Anil Kumar further stated that South Zone has the highest number of containment zones with over 120, followed by West Zone, which has over 100 containment zones. East zone has around 90 containment zones, Bommanahalli has around 75 containment zones, while Mahadevapura, Yelahanka, RR Nagar and Dasarahalli have around 65, 55, 30 and 10 containment zones respectively. "These are rough estimates. We will furnish a detailed list of containment zones as soon as it has been mapped ward wise," a senior BBMP official said.  Data from the BBMP war room, states that Shantala Nagar had 30 containment zones on Thursday evening, followed by Singasandra with 29 new containment zones. Jayanagar is reported to have 22 new containment zones, while Dharmaraya Swamy Temple ward had 21 new ones.  Overall, there are 21 wards in Bengaluru which have over 10 containment zones as of Thursday.  37 % of the total containment zones are located in South zone, 20% in East Zone, 17% in West Zone,  12%  in Bommanahalli, 5% each in RR Nagar and Mahadevapura zones, 3% in Yelahanka and 1% in Dasarahalli.   

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35 acres of land in Bengaluru outskirts marked for last rites of COVID-19 victims

Coronavirus

Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban District GN Shivamurthy issued an order setting apart about 35.5 acres in the villages under four taluks

PTI

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Over 35 acres of land in nine villages on the outskirts of Bengaluru city have been earmarked for burial or cremation of bodies of COVID-19 victims in the backdrop of safety concerns raised over funerals held in burial grounds located amidst residential areas. Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban District GN Shivamurthy issued an order setting apart about 35.5 acres in the villages under four taluks of Bengaluru North, Bengaluru South, Anekal and Yelahanka. The order directed the respective Tahsildars to register these chunks of land as reserved for burial grounds and not to use for any purpose. According to the sources in the district administration, Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu and Revenue Minister R Ashoka had directed the officials to identify places on the city outskirts to dispose of the bodies of COVID-19 victims. Sriramulu had on Wednesday said COVID-19 victims would not be laid to rest in burial grounds in the city and separate places will be earmarked on the outskirts in the backdrop of safety concerns raised by public. He had also warned against unscientific disposal of used Personal Protection Equipment kits worn by the kin of the dead for the final rites, referring to reports about such instances. In some places, people have also expressed concern over bodies of those who died of the coronavirus being buried in their neighbourhood. As of Wednesday, Karnataka has 16,514 COVID-19 cases and the death toll stood at 253. This development came a day after Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu said this would be done to address safety concerns of the public. It may be recalled how recently a viral video had emerged from Ballari showing questionable behaviour from staff handling the burial of COVID-19 victims and had led to a probe instructed by the Deputy Commissioner. Later a similar video of COVID-19 victims in Yadgir district emerged which showed officials being laid to rest in an undignified manner.

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