Veteran cardiologist AV Shetty passes away in Mangaluru

Obituary

The first open heart surgery in Karnataka, which took place at the government Wenlock Hospital, was performed under his watch.

TNM Staff

Dr. AV Shetty

Veteran cardiologist AV Shetty died in Mangaluru on Saturday after a brief illness, his family said. Shetty, 85, breathed his last at his residence. He is survived by wife, two daughters and a son. The family lives near Kadri Kambala cross in Mangaluru city. Hailing from Kundapur in Udupi district, AV Shetty was acknowledged as the first cardiologist of Dakshina Kannada district. The first open heart surgery in Karnataka, which took place at the government Wenlock Hospital here, was performed under his watch. It was conducted by Dr SR Ullal.  A recipient of Prince of Wales gold medal from Mumbai University, he studied at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh in 1962. He completed his MRCP degree in 1963 and acquired FRCP in 1974. Shetty served as professor of cardiology at Kasturba Medical College for 25 years and after retirement served as chief of cardiology at Father Muller Hospital. He had also served as president of Mangaluru chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the DK chapter of the Association of Physicians of India during 1992-93. One of his daughters works at the Father Muller Medical College Hospital in Mangaluru. AV Shetty served as the chief of Cardiology at Father Muller Medical College Hospital following his retirement. He also managed a consultation practice in Mangaluru's Car Street area. 

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IIM-B staff, students write to PM Modi demanding justice for Hathras victim and family

Hathras case

We seek assurance that the family will not be intimidated, but rather supported to get justice,” the open letter said.

TNM Staff

File image

A total of 187 professors, students and staff at the Indian Institute of Management in Bengaluru (IIM-B) have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemning the alleged gangrape and murder of the 19-year old Dalit girl from Hathras.  In their open letter, they said, “We demand justice for the girl who died under the brutal attack without recourse to good medical care and who was not given the dignity of a last farewell. We demand justice for the family who was even denied access to participate in her last rites. We seek assurance that the family will not be intimidated, but rather supported to get justice. We demand that in addition to the perpetrators of the rape, those who seek to bury this matter with such impunity are also punished.” The Uttar Pradesh police has been criticised for allegedly not acting on the complaint initially, and later burning the victim’s body in the wee hours of Wednesday without the family’s consent.  While the family is now demanding a judicial inquiry into the alleged rape and murder, the UP government has recommended a CBI investigation. The incident and the police’s handling of the case has triggered nationwide protests including in the national capital against the Yogi Adityananth-led administration. The letter has been reproduced in full: Dear Honourable Prime Minister: We, the undersigned faculty, staff, students and alumni of IIMB, strongly condemn the vicious gang-rape of the 19-year old Dalit girl from Hathras. We demand justice for the girl who died under the brutal attack without recourse to good medical care and who was not given the dignity of a last farewell. We demand justice for the family who was even denied access to participate in her last rites. We seek assurance that the family will not be intimidated, but rather supported to get justice. We demand that in addition to the perpetrators of the rape, those who seek to bury this matter with such impunity are also punished. We demand justice for the innumerable girls and women, from all walks of Indian society, but especially from the poorest and the most marginalized communities, who are targeted and abused daily on the basis of their caste or religion. We demand the right to safety. To dignity. For all Indians. We demand that our law and order system follows due process and justice in this case and always. Not encounters. Not cover-ups. Not extra-judicial killings. Not use tools of governance against us every time we peacefully protest actions of our government. We demand that the government and the police do their jobs and ensure safety and security for every Indian citizen. Injustice impacts all of us directly and indirectly. We are one body and when one part is hurt, the whole is hurt. Injustice can occur only with the consent of all of us. We will no longer sit by idly while our Dalit sisters are subjected to harassment and indignity. As the heirs of Ambedkar, Gandhi, Kabir, Savitribai Phule, Basavanna and countless others who have fought for equality and our rights, we will no longer consent to this injustice. We stand together and say “Enough!” This stops in our generation. This stops with us.a

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Sandalwood drug case: CCB raids five pubs in Bengaluru

Crime

Meanwhile, the ED is questioning actors Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjana Galrani about the properties they own and how they got funds to buy them.

TNM Staff

Bengaluru’s Central Crime Branch, which is probing the alleged drug racket in Sandalwood, conducted a search and seizure operation at five pubs in the city in connection with the case. “In the drugs case investigation, we found that generally drugs are taken in some pubs. So a warrant was obtained to search 5 pubs yesterday (Saturday) night,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Sandeep patil said.  Investigators say that the managers and owners of these pubs are being questioned to determine whether they were in knowledge that drugs were being distributed. The CCB has also issued a lookout notice for Aditya Alva, one of the men accused in the case. Aditya Alva is the son of ------ and brother-in-law of Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi. He is accused of funding promoters of private parties that were allegedly organised in the city.  “Several parties were held at his resort in Hebbal. He participated in several of these parties too. He has been absconding since the CCB arrested the actors and party promoters,” a CCB official said.  The Enforcement Directorate, meanwhile, is questioning actor Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjana Galrani at the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison. The ED suspects alleged money laundering activities that the actors were involved in. An ED source told TNM that actor Ragini has acted in 22 films, of which she played the lead in four films. She allegedly earned Rs 5 lakh per film for the side roles and Rs 15 lakh each for the four other films. 

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No economic revival plan for Karnataka or Bengaluru: Cong leader Randeep Surjewala intv

Politics

Randeep Surjewala was made in-charge of the Karnataka Congress last month.

Naheed Ataulla

File photo: PTI

Karnataka is not new to All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, who is in charge of the state unit of the party. In 2018, Surjewala, who also heads the AICC communications department, moved base to Karnataka to plan and strategise for the Assembly elections. A troubleshooter and crisis manager for the Congress high command, Surjewala in an interview said that the feedback he has got from state unit leaders is that a united leadership can champion the cause of the people and oust the BJP government. Here are excerpts from the interview. In your first interaction with Congress members as in-charge of Karnataka, what was the  feedback from them?   The feedback was that there is rampant corruption, paralysis of governance and maladministration in Karnataka. There is neither any political direction nor any cohesive plan by the BJP government here to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. The numbers are telling their own story and Karnataka now contributes to almost 10% of deaths by coronavirus in India.There is no plan for economic revival of Karnataka or Bengaluru. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s  pledge is to latch on to power at any cost and at all cost. His only concern is staying in power and this lust for power has become detrimental to the progress of Karnataka.  The feedback I have got from the Congress unit in Karnataka is that a united leadership will be able to champion the cause of people and voice their agony. What are the major concerns of the people in Karnataka?  There is a dual attack on farmers in Karnataka — one from the state and the other from the Union government regarding the anti-agrarian reforms passed by the Parliament and the land reforms by the Karnataka Assembly, in order to help a selective group of crony builders  There are three levels of corruption — corruption in pandemic in the purchase of PPE kits and ventilators, corruption through land reforms  by a set of crony builders and allegations  of corruption against Yediyurappa's son, son-in-law and grandson. How important are the upcoming bye-elections in Sira, RR Nagar and others for the Congress, as these will be the first for DK Shivakumar as KPCC president Every election is important, no poll is big or small. The Congress treats the smallest of elections like the panchayats as important as the Parliament’s. What is the criteria for the selection of candidates for upcoming bye-polls?  Criteria is commitment to the party's ideology and to the cause of the people, besides winnability. The commitment of candidates to continue in the party in the future and toil for the people is a factor that will be considered now. Has the Congress started preparations for the Assembly elections in Karnataka? No. For us, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Legislative Council and the   panchayat polls are important. We are going to prepare for these grassroot bodies as they are imperative for them to throw up newer leadership. The same people may grow to become   members of the Legislature and Parliament. We will be concentrating on these elections for now. What are the lessons the Congress has learnt from Karnataka and Rajasthan where loyalists landed the party in trouble? There is a vast distinction between Karnataka and Rajasthan. In Rajasthan there was a difference of opinion that led to some consternation inside the party. In Karnataka, it was lust for power and the persons who defected sold their souls to the highest bidder. Consequently, Yediyurappa and the BJP fund managers spoiled the political culture of a state like Karnataka by indulging in mass defections to manufacture a majority where none existed. Yediyurappa's government has no public mandate but one manufactured in the factory of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. But with old-timers and loyalists defecting or rebelling, is this a pointer to those at the helm losing grip over the party?  No, Why? The Congress has always been a party with a lot of mature, experienced, senior leaders and a bubbling set of younger people with ideas. That's how the Congress has evolved again and again. The party is open to new ideas and fresh talent while respecting maturity and experience. Regarding the memorandum submitted by some leaders questioning the leadership, the issue is over and there is nothing more to comment. The KPCC president has mooted for a cadre-based party, do you endorse his views? The Congress, from the days of Mahatma Gandhi, has been a party of mass movement, founded upon culture and ideology. However, it is imperative that the cadre of the party supports  that mass movement and that is why we should have a movement completely identifiable with  the cadre group through the organisational network from bottom up.  A common concern of the rank and file in Karnataka is that  AICC general secretaries appointed are engaged in other responsibilities and their visits to the state are limited to meeting the top leaders only My predecessor,  KC Venugopal, rose as a worker from the ranks of the party. He was in the  NSUI, Youth Congress, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, state and  Union minister and  now in the AICC. I am also a worker who has risen from the rank. Obviously we try to meet everyone humanly possible at the grassroots level. I will  be back in Karnataka on October 10 for a farmers convention in Davanagere, and later for an anti-corruption day besides a signature campaign from farmers against the farm laws. I am going to travel across the state and meet all the party workers.

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Late IAS officer DK Ravi’s wife Kusuma joins Congress, may contest from RR Nagar

Politics

"Kusuma Ravi is educated and can connect with youth and women voters," DK Shivakumar told TNM.

Theja Ram

Kusuma Ravi, wife of deceased IAS officer DK Ravi whose death had sparked a controversy, joined the Karnataka Congress on Sunday. Kusuma Ravi is also being considered as the Congress’ candidate for the Rajarajeshwari Nagar bye-elections, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President DK Shivakumar told TNM.  Speaking to TNM, DK Shivakumar said that the party is seriously considering Kusuma Ravi as a candidate as she is educated, and also someone the party views as a candidate who can connect to the “younger crowd”.  “Kusuma Ravi is educated. As a candidate, there are various challenges she will face but the party is of the consensus that she is a suitable candidate. We have suggested her name to the high command and they will decide,” DK Shivakumar added.  DK Shivakumar said that the party wants to field a woman candidate as she would be able gather the support of the women voters in the constituency. “There is a generation gap among voters these days. We are looking to field young and educated candidates. The BJP has its own caste calculations and we do too. Besides, Kusuma comes from a political family. Her father wanted the ticket but we had denied him the ticket,” Shivakumar added.  Kusuma’s father is a former council member from the RR Nagar zone and also the former Chairman of the Mysuru Planning Committee. “She also is a Vokkaliga and considering that DK Shivakumar and his brother are from the Vokkaliga community, they want to capitalise on those votes in RR Nagar as the BJP would not field a Vokkaliga candidate,” a senior Congress leader said.  DK Ravi, Kusuma’s late husband, was found dead at his residence in March 2015. DK Ravi had earned a reputation of being an honest officer, known for going after land encroachers. Several Congress leaders including former Kolar MP KH Muniyappa, former Bangarapete MLA Narayanaswamy and the then Kolar MLA Varthur Prakash were accused of harassing DK Ravi. His death has resulted in bandhs in Kolar and several parts of the state, where the ruling Congress government was accused of “trying to protect” it partymen, who were allegedly harassing Ravi.  After much outrage, the then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had ordered a CBI probe into the matter. In November 2016, the CBI had in its closure report, noted that DK Ravi had ended his own life.  Congress sources said that former RR Nagar MLA Munirathna Naidu, who is a powerful figure in the constituency, is likely to rejoin the party if the BJP does not field him as the candidate for the bye-polls. Munirathna was one among the 17 Congress and JD(S) MLAs who had resigned from the coalition government and later defected to the BJP. Munirathna is also accused in a voter ID scam in 2018.  Elections were postponed in RR Nagar after large scale seizures of voter ID cards ahead of the polling from an apartment in the area. Police are probing the incident and named Munirathna as the 14th accused in the case. The Election Commission had announced that the 9,700 odd seized voter IDs have been returned to the respective owners.    Sources in the BJP said that Munirathna is unlikely to be given a ticket to contest polls and he is currently in talks with Congress leaders to rejoin the party. “DK Shivakumar does not want to give the ticket to Munirathna even if he rejoins as he defected when it suited him. He wants to build loyalists and fielding Kusuma is strategic for him,” the leader added.

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CT Ravi resigns as Karnataka Tourism Minister after getting key post in BJP

Politics

The resignation comes in expected lines as CT Ravi had hinted that he might not carry on with the tourism portfolio after getting the key post in the BJP organisation

TNM Staff

File image

A week after he was made the national general secretary of the BJP, Karnataka Minister CT Ravi resigned from his position of the Tourism and Culture Minister in BS Yediyurappa cabinet. Sources said that while Ravi submitted his resignation to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, it is yet to be formally accepted. He will fly to the national capital on Monday to meet the top brass of the party.  The resignation comes in expected lines after Ravi had hinted that he might not carry on with the tourism portfolio after getting the key post in the party’s organisation. When he was at his home district headquarters town of Chikkamagaluru last Thursday, CT Ravi has said that he had kept his resignation letter ready for submission. Ravi's resignation also comes in the midst of reports that the Chief Minister may go in for a Cabinet reshuffle and expansion soon.   There are 28 ministers in Karnataka against the maximum permissible limit of 34. There are many ministerial aspirants, including those who had switched over to the ruling BJP from the Congress and the JD(S). On September 26, Ravi was named one of the eight national general secretaries. Incidentally, along with Ravi, his party colleague from the state and Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, too, was made the national president of the party’s youth wing. It may be recalled that Ravi was initially disappointed with his portfolio following the formation of the BSY government in 2019. Ravi, who is the party’s MLA from Chikkamagaluru, was upset when he was given such a low key portfolio and had even decided to resign within an hour of his appointment.  Ravi had recently posted on Twitter one of the popular verses of "Mankuthimmana Kagga", written by famous Kannada litterateur DV Guddappa.  "Nothing stops when a person dies. The seasons continue to change. Time may grieve for some time. From the soil in which the dead are buried, rises the sprout of grass. Earth is pregnant again with new life. Nature is in a constant state of cultivation - Mankutimma," the Minister wrote.

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Railways in Karnataka’s ghat section gets tech upgrade with new signal system

Transport

The project, which cost Rs 4.4 crore would help in introducing additional passenger services in the region.

IANS

Representational image

With a view to overcome the critical infrastructural deficiency hampering train operations in the region, the Mysuru Division of South Western Railway (SWR) has introduced an upgraded signalling project in the ghat section for enhanced safety. A SWR official disclosed that this work was executed at a cost of Rs 4.4 crore, which was borne by Hassan-Mangalore Rail Development Company Limited. "The Multi-Section Digital Axle Counter (MSDAC) technology commissioned between Yedakumari and Kadaga Ravalli stations on the Sakleshpur-Subramanya Road Ghat Section on October 1 in record time will significantly enhance the sectional line capacity," a note released by the SWR stated.  South Western Railway, Mysuru Division Divisional Railway Manager, Aparna Garg asserted that the introduction of the new safety protocol will pave the way for safer and more efficient train operations in the ghat section where the demand for new passenger services is being made persistently. According to the note, nearly 35% enhanced capacity would help in introducing additional passenger services and also the operation of freight trains will be more efficient as detentions are brought down. "The new technology greatly reduces the maintenance of track circuits in the inhospitable terrain of the ghat section," the note further read. "The MSDAC is a cutting-edge technology designed for train detection with added safety features. The maintenance costs are comparatively lower with a high degree of reliability so much essential for seamless train operations in Ghat section," an official stated. He further added that this was a daunting task in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Unprecedented rainfall in the area -- 6,000 mm since the commencement of work -- compounded the already delicate situation," the official said. According to the official, difficulty in moving skilled manpower for specialised work in the ghat section, non-existent road connectivity to transport cables, location boxes, MSDAC equipment, fear of landslides at the time of trenching for laying cables, lengthy tunnels, steel girder bridges, rocky topography, dependence on DG sets for power, etc were some of the biggest challenges that they faced during the execution of the work.

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