Murder of homeless woman and necrophilia caught on CCTV camera in Karnataka

Crime

The Hassan police have formed two teams to nab the unidentified man.

TNM Staff

Screen grab from CCTV footage

A horrifying act of murder and necrophilia has occurred in Karnataka’s Hassan district and the entire incident has been caught on CCTV camera. At 12.03 am on August 26, a man wearing a white shirt and blue jeans can be seen creeping up to the side of a pavement, where two homeless people are sleeping. He suddenly lifts his hands and it is then that one can see him holding a huge cement block in his hands. He drops the block onto the homeless person sleeping on the right corner of the pavement and he runs away.  Between 12.03 and 12.40 am, the homeless woman can be seen struggling with her head injury. The woman tries to move and leans against the wall located onto her right.  At around 12.42 pm, the same man returns, only to find that only the woman in the pink saree, whom he attempted to kill, has a bleeding wound on her head and is struggling. By tthen the man, who was sleeping next to the homeless woman would have left the spot. The man with the white shirt and blue jeans tries to grab her and is seen forcing her to stand up. The woman, however, pushes him away and he leaves.  At 12.58 am, the same man, once again walks towards the pavement. The woman is now seen lying down. He picks up the same cement brick and once again throws it on her head and runs away. He returns just three minutes later, only to find that she is dead. The man goes on to rape her dead body.  The incident occurred near Bengaluru-Mangaluru Road in Hassan near the Kannika Parameshwari Temple. The CCTV camera was installed by a co-operative bank, located adjacent to the pavement, where the woman was murdered.  Hassan district Superintendent of Police Srinivas Gowda told TNM that the man is yet to be identified and that two teams have been formed to trace him. In addition, a technical team has also been formed to look for clues based on forensic evidence gathered at the scene. Hassan police said that they have questioned the other homeless man, who was sleeping on the pavement next to the woman as well.  Currently, the police have registered a case under section 302 (murder). “The man first killed the woman and then he had intercourse with the dead body. We are waiting for the forensic report to come in first before we can add more sections to the FIR since this is a sensitive case,” Srinivas Gowda added.  

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Karnataka HC appoints retired judge to assess damage caused by Bengaluru riots

DJ Halli Violence

The same retired judge had probed the alleged illegal Arkavathy Layout denotification case against ex-CM Siddaramaiah.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka High Court, on Friday, appointed Justice (retired) HS Kempanna, a retired judge of the same HC, as the Claims Commissioner to assess damage to public and private properties as a result of the August 11 Bengaluru riots.  Justice (retd) Kempanna had worked 17 years as a District and Sessions Judge for 17 years before being appointed as an additional judge in the HC in 2010. He had earlier led a one-man commission which probed the Arkavathy Layout denotification case against former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in 2014. The commission had submitted its report to the government in 2017. During that time the BJP had criticised the commission’s functioning calling it a sham as it never called either Siddaramaiah, the then CM or the then Leader of Opposition Jagadish Shettar. As widely reported, Bengaluru witnessed an incident of mob violence in DJ Halli and KG Halli Police Station limits on August 11 over a provocative and communally-charged social media post. As a result of the arson, the house of one city MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy and the DJ Halli police station was partially gutted. Many vehicles were burnt among other damages to property. Incidentally, it was the MLA’s nephew Naveen who made the provocative post. He is also among the arrested.  Already the state government has directed a magisterial probe by  Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner G N Shivamurthy. On the other hand the Central Crime Branch is leading the probe and have made the arrests. More than 300 people have been arrested in connection with the case and a total of 52 FIRs (first information report) was registered. Among the bigwigs who have been nabbed by police are from the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and Muzammil Pasha and Kaleem Pasha, the husband of a Congress corporator Irshad Begum. Three persons died of bullet injuries as police resorted to open fire to contain the escalating violence. A fourth person who was arrested by police in connection with the riots had also died due to complications of a preexisting health condition.   The retired judge will investigate liability of the arsonists and award compensation to victims, the HC on Friday said.  This comes after the state government on August 17 approached the HC bench  headed by Chief Justice Abhay Oka for the same purpose. The government had been vocal about recovering the costs of the damages from the rioters. Among other charges of arson, the Central Crime Branch of police had invoked provisions of stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). 

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Centre allows packed meals to be served on domestic flights

Aviation

The Union government has also allowed hot meals to be served on international flights.

PTI

Representation photo

The Union government has permitted the airlines to serve pre-packed snacks, meals and beverages on domestic flights and hot meals on international flights, according to an official order. Moreover, any passenger who refuses to wear a face mask in a flight can be put on the no-fly list by the airline, said a senior official of the aviation regulator DGCA. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, in-flight meal service was not permitted on domestic flights since their resumption on May 25. On international flights, only pre-packed cold meals and snacks were being served depending on the flight duration since May this year. In an order issued on Thursday, the Civil Aviation Ministry said, "Airlines may serve pre-packed snacks/meals/pre-packed beverages on domestic flights depending on the duration of flight." Airlines and charter flight operators can "serve hot meals and limited beverages" on international flights "as per the standard practices", it added. The ministry said only single-use disposable trays, plates and cutlery should be used while serving food or beverages in domestic and international flights. "Crew shall wear a fresh set of gloves for every meal/beverage service," it noted. The ministry also permitted the aircraft operators to let passengers use the in-flight entertainment system on international as well as domestic flights wherever available. "Disposable earphones or cleaned and disinfected headphones will be provided to passengers at the start of the journey," it noted. Meanwhile, a senior official of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said, "A passenger who refuses to wear a face mask can be put on no-fly list by the airline." The official said no new order has been passed in this regard as the airline and its cabin crew are sufficiently empowered under the existing DGCA rules to take action. As per the DGCA rules, an airline can choose to put an unruly passenger on its no-fly list after internal deliberations. Subsequently, other airlines may follow suit in putting that passenger on their no-fly lists. Scheduled international passenger flights continue to remain suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, special international flights have been operating under the 'Vande Bharat Mission' and bilateral air bubble arrangements that have been signed with various countries. Domestic flights resumed in India on May 25 after a gap of two months in view of the pandemic. However, airlines are allowed to operate 45 per cent of their pre-COVID domestic flights.

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Bengaluru Metro carries out trial run on Yelachenahalli-Anjanapura route

Metro

The elevated section of the Yelachenahalli – Anjanapura line is expected to be commissioned on November 1 which is Karnataka Rajyotsava day.

Nikita Ghodke

Representative image

The Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) on Thursday carried out a trial run of the metro route between Yelachenahalli and Anjanapura, which is part of the second phase of the Namma Metro project in Bengaluru.  Chief PRO of the BMRCL, Yeshwanth Chavan, told TNM on Thursday that the trial run will be carried over the next 30 days over the 6 kilometre long route.  “The metro trial run is being carried out from Yelachenahalli to Anjanapura, which is around 6 kilometres long. This will be conducted in different phases for 30 days. The different system parameters of speeds are being monitored for safety purposes and it will begin with the slowest to the maximum speed it can run,” he said. TNM had earlier reported that the elevated section of the Yelachenahalli – Anjanapura line will be commissioned on November 1, which is also the state formation day-Karnataka Rajyotsava. The route will have five stops: Anjanapura Road Cross, Krishnaleela Park (ISKON), Vajarahalli, Talaghattapura and Anjanapura Township. This is the first route under Namma Metro’s Phase 2 project that is expected to open.  The project has suffered much delay — earlier, it was supposed to be completed by 2018 and the deadline was pushed to August 2020. However, due to the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, construction activities had been stopped, leading to further delays.  Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has also indicated willingness to restart metro services in Bengaluru.  "Despite COVID-19 pandemic normalcy in public life is being restored step by step. Taking all the necessary precautionary measures, Metro services will be restarted soon," CM Yediyurappa told PTI. Metro services have been prohibited across the country since March 2020, since the nationwide lockdown was imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to reports, the Ministry of Home Affairs may greenlight the restarting of metro train services from September 1, under the ‘Unlock 4.0’ guidelines.  

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Karnataka urges Centre to increase GST on luxury goods

Economy

Home Minister Bommai said the state would miss the revenue target of Rs 1.8 lakh crore set for this fiscal in the GST Council meet held on Thursday.

IANS

Cash-starved Karnataka on Thursday urged the Union government to increase GST (Good and Services Tax) on luxury goods to make up for the revenue shortfall caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. "State Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who represents Karnataka in the GST Council and participated in its 41st meeting through video conferencing on Thursday, told Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to put more tax on luxury goods, tobacco and pan masala for increasing the revenue and compensating states like Karnataka, which have been hit by the pandemic," a finance department official told IANS in Bengaluru. Admitting that the COVID-19-induced lockdown since March 25 and its extension till May 31 impacted revenue collection due to subdued economy and continued restrictions on a number of tax generating activities, Bommai said the state would miss the revenue target of Rs 1.8 lakh crore set for this fiscal (2020-21). "With the war on containing the pandemic costing the state heavily, the Centre has to compensate us to make up for the revenue shortfall from lower tax collection in Covid times," Bommai told the Finance Minister, who is a Rajya Sabha member from the southern state. Though Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa also holds the finance portfolio and presented the state budget for this fiscal in the Assembly on March 5, he could not attend the GST Council meet as he is resting after recovering from COVID-19 earlier this month. Goods and Service Tax (GST) compensation for the state since April is Rs 13,764 crore, and its collection in the first four months was 71.61%. "The Centre should borrow more to compensate the state, which is reeling under the financial crisis due to COVID-19 crisis disrupting life, livelihood and the economy and causing untold hardship since mid-March," Bommai said. A special cess is levied on the highest tax slab of 28% on luxury goods to compensate the states for the revenue loss due to GST subsuming the state's taxes and local levies. "A reduced share in Central taxes, delay in GST compensation and loss of revenue due to the Covid-19 lockdown have pushed the state into financial stress," added the official, citing the minister’s statements at the council.

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Karnataka records highest single-day spike of 9386 COVID-19 cases

Coronavirus

With 141 deaths, the toll in the state mounted to 5,232 with Bengaluru having the highest deaths across districts at 1,845.

PTI

Representational image

Karnataka on Thursday reported its highest single-day spurt of over 9,300 new cases of coronavirus and 141 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 3.09 lakh, the state health department said. Out of 9,386 fresh cases reported on Thursday, 3,357 cases were from Bengaluru Urban alone. With 141 deaths, the toll in the state mounted to 5,232 with Bengaluru having the highest death across districts at 1845.  The day also saw 7,866 patients getting discharged after recovery. As of August 27 evening, cumulatively 3.09 lakh positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 5,232 deaths and 2.19 lakh discharges, the health department said in its bulletin. Out of 84,987 active cases, 84,240 patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while 747 are in ICU. Out of the total deaths reported on Thursday, 59 are from Bengaluru Urban, followed by Mysuru 18, Dakshina Kannada 7, Ballari 6, Belagavi, Haveri and Koppal 5, and others. Most of the dead are either with a history of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) or Influenza-like illness (ILI). Among the districts where the new cases were reported, Bengaluru Urban accounts for 3,357, Mysuru 895, Ballari 550, Davangere 391, Belagavi 318, followed by others. The twin coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi recorded 506 new coronavirus cases and eight deaths. While Dakshina Kannada recorded 297 new cases and seven COVID-19 deaths, Udupi logged 209 positive cases and one death. Bengaluru Urban district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 1.18 lakh infections, followed by Ballari 19,596 and Mysuru 15,775. A total of 26.48 lakh samples were tested so far, out of which 68,187 were tested on Thursday alone. Among the samples tested on Thursday, 29,004 were rapid antigen tests.

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30 lakh people in Karnataka’s tourism sector lost jobs due to COVID-19: Min CT Ravi

Coronavirus

Among those who suffered mounting losses are hundreds of tourist operators, taxi drivers, hotel owners, tourist guides and all those in the supply chain, the Minister said.

IANS

About 30 lakh people in the tourism sector lost their jobs across Karnataka due to the COVID-19 pandemic since mid-March, Karnataka Tourism Minister CT Ravi said on Thursday. "The coronavirus spread has taken away the livelihood of about 30 lakh people since it broke out in the state in mid-March and rendered them jobless, as the pandemic-induced lockdown and its extension with restrictions crippled the tourism sector," Ravi told reporters in Bengaluru. Sudden enforcement of lockdown since March 25 and its extension till May 31 and continued restrictions on travel, transport and gatherings in public places to contain the disease plunged the flow of domestic and overseas tourists to the southern state for the first time in many years. "As one of the largest sectors to provide the higest number of direct and indirect jobs after agriculture and construction across the country, tourism has suffered the most due to the pandemic," lamented Ravi. Among those who suffered mounting losses are hundreds of tourist operators, taxi drivers, hotel owners, tourist guides and all those in the supply chain, as tourist spots and destinations remained out of bounds. The minister hoped once the normalcy is restored with road, rail and flight services resuming fully, the tourism sector would bounce back and those who are in distress would get back their jobs. "Once the industry recovers in the post-Covid situation, I am sure those who lost their jobs temporarily will get back to work as tourism will revive gradually," said Ravi. Admitting that the pace of revival was slow, the minister said that though jungle lodges and resorts of the state tourism department have been attracting guests since Unlock 2.0 began on July 1, the state tourism development corporation and private hotels have seen only 10% business over the last two months. "As there is no let-up in Covid spread and people are wary of the virus infecting them, travelling and tourism will pick up after normal life is restored fully," said Ravi. The state government is framing a new tourism policy to increase the footfalls by four times the number in the pre-COVID times. "The draft of the new tourism policy will be tabled for approval in the ensuing Assembly session starting September 21," added Ravi.

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