Karnataka reports 8324 new COVID-19 cases, 2994 are from Bengaluru

Coronavirus

Bengaluru currently has 37,315 active COVID-19 cases.

PTI

Representational image

Bengaluru Urban district reported 2,993 fresh coronavirus cases and 25 deaths on Saturday. With this, the city has cumulatively reported 1,24,442 cases and 1,911 deaths till date due to the coronavirus. There are currently 37,315 active cases in Bengaluru, with 285 patients being admitted to ICUs in the city. Karnataka on Sunday has reported 8,324 fresh cases statewide, taking the tally to 3,27,076 whereas fatalities touched 5,483 with 115 fresh deaths, the health department said The total infections comprised 2,35,128 discharges including 8,110 today. There were 86,446 active cases in the state including 721 in the ICU, the department said in a statement There were cumulatively 85,215 discharges in the city, including 2,174 on Saturday. According to the health bulletin, 468 fresh COVID-19 cases were reported in Ballari, 333 in Shivamogga, 325 in Hassan, 319 in Davangere, 309 in Mysuru, 290 in Dharwad, 276 in Belagavi, 272 in Dakshina Kannada and 238 in Koppal. Bagalkote, Bengaluru Rural, Gadag, Kalaburagi, Chikkamagaluru, Chikkaballapura and Udupi were among the districts which also reported fresh COVID-19 cases. The department said 11 deaths due to coronavirus were reported today in Mysuru, nine each in Dharwad and Haveri, seven in Dakshina Kannada, six in Hassan, five each in Shivamogga and Tumakuru. Deaths were also reported in Bagalkote, Belagavi, Chikkamagaluru, Davangere, Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Kolar, Koppal and Mandya. While a majority of those who died were above 50 years, there were young people who succumbed to the infection. There were two people in their teens (14 and 17), who hailed from Mysuru, six in their thirties and 11 in their 40s who succumbed to the disease. Most of those who died of coronavirus had Severe Acute Respiratory Illness or Influenza-Like Illness. The department said as of today, 3,98,584 lakh people were home quarantined whereas, in the past 14 days, 3.72 lakh primary contacts and 3.16 lakh secondary contacts have been traced. There were as many as 72,684 tests done on Saturday, taking the total tests done so far to 27.86 lakh, the department added.

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Bengaluru police rescue 11-year-old boy from kidnappers in 24 hours

Crime

The kidnapper had demanded Rs 2 crore from the boy’s father, who immediately filed a complaint with the police.

IANS

Bengaluru top cop with the team who rescued the boy

An 11-year-old boy, Mohammad Umar, was rescued from the clutches of a gang of kidnappers within 24 hours of his abduction with the Bengaluru police also nabbing all the six accused.  "The gang kidnapped the boy from outside his house in the city centre on Thursday evening on the pretext of buying kites for him and drove him to Tumakuru in a car at night. The gang's kingpin called his father on the same night and asked him to pay up Rs 2 crore as a ransom for returning his son," Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant told reporters. As Umar is fond of kites and was familiar with the kingpin, who also lives in the same locality, he went with him on his bike to buy kites from a shop in Shivajinagar. "Instead of taking Umar back to his house, the gang bundled him into a car and drove to Tumakuru at night along with 4 accomplices," added the Bengaluru top cop. Tumakuru is about 70 km northwest of Bengaluru in the southern state. The kingpin warned Umar's father not to complain to the police if he wanted his son back alive but the latter immediately filed a complaint in the local police station. "As the kingpin was familiar with Umar's family and knew that his father was a well-to-do businessman, he plotted to abduct the boy for Rs 2 crore ransom and roped in 5 of his friends for executing the crime," said Pant. On the way to Tumakuru from the city, the gang gave Umar a soft drink laced with some sedative. "On the basis of the complaint and details furnished by Umar's father, Additional Police Commissioner (East) S Murugan formed teams to locate the gang. Using surveillance, the teams located the place where the gang kept Umar and raided the spot at Tumakuru," said Pant. When three of the abductors tried to escape, they were chased and overpowered and Umar was rescued unharmed. "On interrogation, the accused gave details of the kingpin's whereabouts. When our raiding team confronted him at his house in the city, he tried to escape and attacked the team members, which opened fire in self-defence. The kingpin got injured but is safe," Pant added. Lauding the police team for rescuing the boy and arresting the gang within 24 hours, Pant announced Rs 50,000 award for the team members.

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Ragini Dwivedi lashes out at TV anchor who said 'actresses use drugs for anti-aging'

Controversy

The anchor was taking responses from various Sandalwood personalities about a recent drug bust when he made the statement.

TNM Staff

Kannada actor Ragini Dwivedi has taken to task Public TV, a Kannada news channel, after one of its anchors made misogynistic remarks about women actors in Sandalwood, and for targeting her on television. On Saturday morning, the news channel, which was broadcasting a bulletin related to the recent drug bust conducted by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), had called actor Ragini Dwivedi for a reaction.  Two days ago, the NCB had busted an inter-state drug racket and seized huge amounts of ecstasy in Bengaluru and Pune. Three accused were arrested in Bengaluru and Tumakuru. Following this, the NCB had issued a statement which said that actors and musicians from Karnataka were under the NCB’s scanner for alleged drug use.  The news channel was reportedly procuring reactions from various personalities in Sandalwood on Saturday morning. During the bulletin, the anchor of the channel, MR Arvind, said to Ragini via a telephonic conversation, “But women actors inject drugs into their faces for anti-aging." To this, the actor lashed out and said, “Where did you get such information from?” Ragini was then disconnected from the phone call.  “Mr Arvind (anchor) sits on the show and speaks without getting any facts right, talks about ANTI-AGING and attaches it with drug (use) and when asked to clarify and authenticate his statement, he cuts my call,” Ragini tweeted.  @publictvnews you anchor MR Arvind is sitting on your esteemed channel and talking without and homework and knowledge about actresses and anti-aging only for the purposes of his fame and trp... i need an explanation to where his information is coming from ..(contd) — Ragini Dwivedi (@raginidwivedi24) August 29, 2020 She further demanded action against the anchor. “Anchor MR Arvind is sitting on your esteemed channel and talking without doing homework or knowledge about actresses and anti-aging. To demean actresses, he said and I quote 'actresses use drugs on skin for anti-aging'. I said, 'I need clarity on this immediately.' When I asked for clarity, your channel cut my call hence to put it out there pls EXPLAIN this theory (sic),” Ragini tweeted.  @publictvnews to demean actress he said and I quote “ actress use drugs on skin for anti-aging “I need a clarity on this immediately .. When I asked for clarity your channel cut my call hence to put it out there pls EXPLAIN this theory — Ragini Dwivedi (@raginidwivedi24) August 29, 2020 The actor demanded that the news channel issue a clarification on the matter and asked that they get their facts right before broadcasting information on television. She also condemned the anchor’s question and said that the channel was putting down women in Sandalwood by asking such questions. “Request Public TV to take immediate action on half knowledge anchors or hosts ... This needs to be done for the respect of women in the industry and in general (sic),” she said.  Soon after Ragini put out a series of tweets, the news channel published a story claiming that Ragini had lashed out against filmmaker Indrajit Lankesh. During Saturday’s broadcast, the channel had also called Indrajit Lankesh, who had said that parties and drug use occur in the film industry.   “When asked for clarity about statements related to anti-aging from your anchor who is sitting at a public forum and making uneducated statements about scientific terms, you have started a new controversy on me. Must be so, so proud of your actions,” Ragini tweeted, along with a screenshot of the bulletin on the news channel.  WOW @publictvnews when asked for a clarity about ANTI AGING FACTS from your anchor who is sitting at a public forum uneducated about scientific terms he makes .you have started a new controversy on me only ... must be so so proud of you actions pic.twitter.com/GXQmH2Tp0g — Ragini Dwivedi (@raginidwivedi24) August 29, 2020 “Drugs as an issue should be resolved at the earliest. As it is a plague to our society. As the dealers have been now captured, (I am) congratulating the narcotics bureau who have done this work and requesting them to get to the (bottom) of this circuit for the good of all (sic),” she added.

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Bengaluru woman burns 2-yr-old grandson's face and hands for crying

Crime

The SG Palya police arrested the grandmother Mubbashira on Saturday.

TNM Staff

Representation photo

An incident of child abuse has come to light in Bengaluru where a two-year-old boy was allegedly beaten and suffered burn injuries on his body inflicted by his grandmother. The incident occurred in the city's Sudduguntepalya, on Friday. Investigating officers said that the mother, Hajira, had gone to her maternal home in SG Palya a month ago, as she was due to give birth to another child. Hajira and her husband Irfad, who is a daily-wage worker, have five children. While three of her older sons stayed back with Irfad in Gurappanapalya, she had brought her two-year-old boy along with her to her maternal home in Sadduguntepalya. Twenty days ago, Hajira gave birth to another baby boy and was living with her mother Mubbashira.  On Friday, the two-year-old boy allegedly began crying for his father. When Hajira tried to pacify him, he allegedly did not stop crying and kept asking for his father, the SG Palya police inspector Ramesh told TNM. "The grandmother Mubbashira began hitting the boy. She even burnt his face and body with put out matches. She kept hitting him and telling him to stop crying but the boy did not. In order to stop him from crying, they taped the boy's mouth and then beat him," Inspector Ramesh added.  The boy fell unconscious and it was then that Hajira allegedly called her husband Irshad, who rushed to the spot. The boy was rushed to Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health, where he is currently undergoing treatment.  Irshad then filed a complaint with the Suddugunte Palya police, after which an FIR was registered against Mubbashira and Hajira under section 326 (causing grievous hurt with a deadly weapon) of the Indian Penal Code, read with section 23 (whoever, having the actual charge of, or control over, a juvenile or the child, assaults, abandons, exposes or wilfully neglects the juvenile or causes or procures him to be assaulted) of the Juvenile Justice Act.  While the police arrested Mubbashira on Saturday, they did not arrest Hajira as she is nursing the 20-day-old baby boy. The custody of the two-year-old will be given to his father Irshad after he is discharged, Inspector Ramesh said. "The child is out of danger now and will be discharged in a day or two. So far, we have learned that Hajira and Irshad fell in love and got married a few years ago. When the little boy kept asking for Irshad, Mubbashira got angry and is said to have told him that he cannot go to his father. When the child insisted, she started hitting him," he added.  

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DySP Ganapathy death: Special court orders fresh case against Cong MLA KJ George

Court

The development comes after the court rejected the CBI's closure report.

TNM Staff

In a major setback for former Congress minister KJ George, the Special Court for Legislators and Parliamentarians in Bengaluru on Friday ordered that a case be registered against him for his alleged role in the death of DySP Ganapathy. The Special court also ordered cases to be registered against two IPS officers accused in the case. Judge TN Inavally said that there is scope for investigation in DySP Ganapathy’s death case. This comes after the Central Bureau of Investigation submitted a closure report to the court in October last year, CNN News18 reported.  The court ordered that a case be registered under sections 306 (abetment of suicide with common intention) along with 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. Nehal Ganapathy, son of the deceased officer, had moved the special court.  Ganapathy was working as a DySP in Mangaluru and died after taking his life on July 7, 2016 at Sree Vinayak Lodge in Madikeri. Before he took the step, Ganapathy had told local media that KJ George and two IPS officers were harassing him. The prime accused in the case was the then Home Minister KJ George, Pronab Mohanty, who was at the time the IGP Lokayukta and AM Prasad, who is now the DGP, Home Guards and Civil Defence and was then serving as ADGP Intelligence, were allegedly harassing him. He had also said that “if he dies, the three men would be responsible for it.”  In October last year, the CBI had submitted to the court in Madikeri that there was no evidence indicating that the three accused were responsible for the death of DySP Ganapathy. However, the Special Court rejected the CBI’s closure report and dismissed the petition filed by the investigating officer to close the case, TNIE reported.  After his death in 2016, upon the family’s request, the CID was tasked with probing the case. The CID had filed a closure report stating that there was no evidence against the accused to indicate that they were responsible for Ganapathy’s death. The family had subsequently moved the Supreme Court and the case was transferred to the CBI, which also gave the accused a clean chit. The CID, which probed Ganapathy's death, had stated that distress in his professional and personal life, the suicide of a colleague DySP Kallappa Handibag on July 5, 2016, and mental health problems were reasons for Ganapathy's death. The CID had maintained that neither KJ George nor the two IPS officers maintained any contacts with Ganapathy in the days leading up to his death.  

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Former national athletics coach Purushottam Rai, who trained Olympians, dies at 79

Death

He died just a day before the award was to be conferred to him.

TNM Staff

Veteran athletics coach Purshottam Rai died due to a cardiac arrest on Friday, just a day before he was to be conferred with the prestigious Dronacharya Award. Purushottam Rai was 79 years old. "He took part in the rehearsal for the National Sports Awards but later suffered a heart attack and passed away," a top Athletics Federation of India official told PTI. The National Sports Awards ceremony will be held virtually on Saturday due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rai was to receive the Dronacharya Award from President Ram Nath Kovind in the lifetime achievement category. Purushottam Rai coached top athletes such as Olympian quartermiler Vandana Rao, heptathlete Pramila Aiyappa, Ashwini Nachappa, Murali Kuttan, M K Asha, E B Shyla, Rosa Kutty and G G Pramila. "It is a tragic incident and we at AFI are shocked. He spent his whole life for athletics and he made immense contributions to Indian athletics. We condole his tragic demise and express our condolences to his family," said AFI president Adille Sumariwalla. Rai began his coaching career after securing a diploma from Netaji Institute of Sports in 1974. "He was a good coach under whom many top Indian athletes, including many Olympians, had trained. It is such a sad incident to pass away just a day before receiving the award," said former long-jump Anju Bobby George, one of India's star athletes Rai also coached the Indian team for the 1987 World Athletics Championship, 1988 Asian Track and Field Championships and 1999 SAF Games. He was also involved in coaching roles at Services, Department of Youth Empowerment & Sports (DYES), and Sports Authority of India (SAI).   "Mr. Rai was a dedicated coach between 1980-90. He trained many national and international athletes at Sri Kanteerava Stadium. He was the third coach to receive this award in Karnataka. Earlier the late N Lingappa and last year VR Beedu were awarded. Our sympathies are with his family, may God give him strength in this hour of grief," Karnataka Athletics Association said in a statement.  (With PTI inputs)

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Protests erupt in Karnataka's Belagavi over installation of Sangolli Rayanna statue

Controversy

Police resorted to lathicharge on Friday after two groups of protesters clashed.

PTI

Tension prevailed at a village in Belagavi district bordering Maharashtra on Friday, with a section of people objecting to installation of a statue of 18th century warrior and freedom fighter Sangolli Rayanna. Protests were staged after the installation of Sangolli Rayanna's statue at Peeranwadi. Pro-Kannada activists celebrated the move, while several people, who speak Marathi gathered around the statue and staged protests.  After the two sides exchanged a war of words, the police resorted to lathi charge to bring the situation under control. According to official sources, some admirers of Rayanna installed his statue at a road junction in Peeranwadi during the intervening night of Thursday and Friday. A section of others raised objections as the news spread, leading to tension in the area. Those objecting, largely Marathi speaking, were opposed to the location where they wanted to install a statue of Maratha ruler Shivaji, after whom the circle is named. They also have apprehensions that its name too may be changed in future. Realising that the situation was turning tense with some skirmish breaking out, police used batons to disperse the gathered crowd. According to officials, they also tried to calm the protesters stating that the statue has been installed without requisite permission and the issue can be dealt with legally. An FIR has been booked in this regard and action will be taken, they said. Additional forces have been called in to avoid the situation spiralling out of control. Reacting to the incident, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa in Bengaluru said he has spoken to Belagavi Deputy Commissioner and other officials and has given them necessary instructions. "I have told officials that without differentiating between Kannadigas and Marathi people, the situation should be handled delicately and issues should be resolved... everything is peaceful now, everyone is cooperating. I thank the people for this.. everything will be resolved," he told reporters. Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said police have taken stringent measures to control the situation and that he has spoken to Belagavi Police Commissioner and IG, also ADGP Law and Order is visiting the area. Later in a tweet, Bommai said, "the state government is in favour of Kannadigas and was committed to protect their interest. I have asked ADGP (L&O) to look into the FIR lodged by the police at Peeranwadi. He is already at the spot and I have instructed him to hold a peace meet and resolve the issue in a cordial manner." ADGP (L&O) Amar Kumar Pandey, who visited the spot said efforts are on to find a peaceful solution. "the situation developed in the morning has been attended by the city (Belagavi) police.... three cases have been registered and investigation will follow," he added. On August 15, police thwarted attempts to install Rayanna's statue there, citing absence of permission from the authorities for the same, and also Supreme Court directions against such moves near highways. This had led to protests in different parts of Karnataka by pro-Kannada organisations, especially in Belagavi, which has a sizeable Marathi-speaking population. District in-charge Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi had said on Thursday a decision to install the statue will be taken on August 29 within legal parameters and as per the guidelines of Apex Court. Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he has spoken to Belagavi District in-charge Minister, Deputy Commissioner and Police Commissioner, and asked them to deal with the situation carefully. Alleging that the government by neglecting the Sangolli Rayanna statue issue has allowed it to become controversial, in a statement he said there can be no compromise on the issue of state's land, water, language and people who are its pride. "I also appeal to Kannada organisations and admirers of Rayanna to be patient and cooperate in resolving the issue," he added. JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy hit out at a section of Marathi people for protesting against the statue of Rayanna and said there is no need for anyone else's approval for installing the statue of a great freedom fighter. In a series of tweets, he said whether it is Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti or Shiv Sena or someone else, if anyone insults Rayanna, the brave son of this land, it is like testing the patience of Kannadigas, and warned that they don't tolerate such things.   "There can be no compromise on the issue of the state's land, water, language and border..," he added.   Meanwhile, the state BJP condemned the act of violence by the workers of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) and Shiv Sena at Peeranwadi.   Noting that BJP was of the firm view that both Shivaji Maharaj and Sangolli Rayanna can co-exist in Karnataka, party spokesperson Captain Ganesh Karnik in a statement said any opposition to erect the statue of Rayanna was 'meaningless' and 'reprehensible.'   "BJP feels that a few vested interests are making desperate attempts to foment trouble in the otherwise peaceful border city of Belagavi.   We appeal to the people of Belagavi to respect everybodys sentiments and not to give room for strife and violence," he added.   Sangolli Rayanna (1798-1831) was the army chief of the erstwhile Kittur Kingdom ruled by Rani Chennamma and fought against the British who hanged him to death from a Banyan tree near Nandagad in Belagavi district in 1831.  

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