Rowdy-sheeter and actor Surendra Bantwal found murdered in his apartment in Dakshina Kannada

Crime

His body was discovered in the afternoon after his friends approached the police.

TNM Staff

Surendra Bantwal

The dead body of rowdy sheeter and Tulu film actor Surendra Bhandari Bantwal was found in his apartment building near BC Road in Bantwal of Dakshina Kannada district on Wednesday. His body was discovered in the afternoon after his friends approached the police raising suspicion over the fact that he was not receiving calls since last night. Police officials from Bantwal Town police station reached his apartment to find that Surendra was dead and have said that it was a case of murder. "We are finding out who was with him last night and we will begin our investigation from there. He was killed with a sharp object," a police official involved in the investigation told TNM. Surendra Bantwal had become infamous in 2018 for wielding a talwar and threatening BJP workers in Bantwal, a video of which had gone viral on social media. Surendra Bantwal was arrested in connection with the incident and released on bail recently.  He was arrested soon after the incident took place in June 2018. He was accused of attacking BJP workers including a Bajrang Dal activist Bhuvith Shetty at a restaurant and abusing them. Two other BJP workers Ganesh and Pushparaj were injured in the incident. Police at the time said that Surendra's attack was in retaliation to an attack by Bhuvith Shetty on one of his relatives. Although Surendra had identified himself with right-wing organisations in the past, he had joined the Congress after personal differences cropped up with leaders in right-wing organisations. He also acted in the Tulu hit film Chali Polilu and a Kannada film - Savarna Deergha Sanghi. 

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Former ‘Bigg Boss’ Kannada contestant Adam Pasha held in Bengaluru drugs case

Crime

Adam Pasha was arrested by the NCB on Tuesday and will remain in their custody until November 3.

TNM Staff

Adam Pasha

Former Bigg Boss Kannada contestant and LGBTQIA+ activist Adam Pasha was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Bengaluru on Tuesday. His arrest is in regard to the ongoing investigation into the usage of drugs by influential celebrities in Karnataka. Adam Pasha, who is also a dancer, was a contestant in the sixth season of Bigg Boss Kannada. In addition to his television career, he is the royal ambassador of the Lakshya Trust, an organisation working on various issues related to the LGBTQIA+ community.    Pasha was arrested on charges under the Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The former Bigg Boss contestant was produced before a special NDPS court and remanded to custody for two weeks, until November 3. The NCB's Bengaluru Zonal Director Amit Ghawate said that a lot of transactions had happened between Adam Pasha and Anikha D, who is another accused person in the case.  Television actor Anikha D was arrested in August from her residence in Doddagubbi. The NCB had seized 270 MDMA pills, weighing 111.6 grams, during the arrest, and earmarked Anikha as a prime suspect in the case.   During the interrogation, NCB learned that Anikha has been dealing drugs on campuses since 2014. NCB sources said that she had a network of actors, musicians, models and reality TV stars who would regularly receive drugs from her. The NCB also revealed a diary with names of celebrities who used to deal drugs and began questioning those mentioned in it. The drugs in question were synthetic drugs and were also sold to students on campuses.  The case being investigated by the NCB and the Enforcement Directorate pertains to the investigation into the use of drugs by celebrities in Karnataka. Actors Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjana Galrani, party planner Viren Khanna and realtor Rahul Thonse, are among those who have been arrested in connection with the investigation.

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Bengaluru's Indiranagar residents booked for planting saplings on Gandhi Jayanti

Civic Issues

Members of I Change Indiranagar alleged that the FIR was an attempt to intimate them as they had got vehicles illegally parked on 100 ft road cleared.

Theja Ram

Sneha Nandihal

A citizens group in Bengaluru’s Indiranagar, which undertook a tree plantation drive in collaboration with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), has now been slapped with an FIR. The group alleges it is an attempt at intimidation from the traffic police. On October 1, a day before Gandhi Jayanti, members of I Change Indiranagar led by resident Sneha Nandihal went along with the BBMP contractor to identify places where trees had fallen or had been destroyed along 100ft Road, to dig up pits for the plantation drive scheduled for October 2. The citizen activists, who had been repeatedly complaining about illegal parking on the footpaths along 100ft Road, called the Indiranagar Traffic Police and asked  them to clear the vehicles parked in front of the commercial establishments. According to Sneha Nandihal, the traffic police asked her to call ACP Traffic (Indiranagar) to get the vehicles removed. Sneha called ACP Kavitha, who allegedly informed her that only 3ft of the footpath was meant for pedestrians and the rest was allotted for parking.  As per the norms, commercial establishments must have basements for parking and vehicles cannot be allowed to park on the footpaths. With no response from the ACP, Snehal called the Joint Commissioner for Traffic, Ravikante Gowda. Sneha alleges that after she contacted the Joint Commissioner of Traffic, ACP Kavitha was then instructed by her higher-ups for not clearing the vehicles that were illegally parked. On the evening of October 1, the vehicles were cleared from the footpath. Three days later, Sneha says that a false case had been registered against her at the Indiranagar Police Station for destroying footpaths. She alleges that ACP Kavitha put pressure on BBMP officials to file a complaint against her in a bid to intimidate her. On October 2, ACP Kavitha called the Assistant Executive Engineer of Domlur, Lakshmanappa. A recording of the call is available with TNM. In the recording, the man purported to be Lakshmanappa is heard saying that ACP Kavitha personally called him and asked him to file a complaint against “Sneha Nadhihal and friends” for digging up pits along 100ft road and endangering the public.  “There was too much pressure on me to file the complaint. ACP Kavitha said that if I did not file the complaint in one hour against them (Sneha and other members of I Change Indiranagar) then the Commissioner (Bengaluru Police Commissioner) will take action against me,” Laksmanappa purportedly can be heard saying.  On October 3, an FIR was registered against Sneha Nandihal and others at the Indiranagar Police station under sections 427 (causing damage to public property) and 431 (causing damage to public road) of the Indian Penal Code along with relevant sections of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act 1989.  On October 7, after members of I Change Indiranagar met with Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant, AEE Lakshmanappa submitted a letter to the Indiranagar Police, stating that he was under immense pressure from ACP Kavitha and Indiranagar Traffic Police Inspector Ramesh to file the complaint earlier.  “Commissioner Kamal Pant had told us that he would direct the DCP to look into the issue. I have contacted the DCP and it has been two weeks. The FIR is still there. We conducted the drive in collaboration with the BBMP. How can they do this to a resident? This is clearly done to intimidate us,” Sneha Nadihal added.  Indiranagar Police told TNM that the process of withdrawing the FIR has been initiated. “Since FIR is registered, we have to obtain permission from the magistrate to withdraw it. We will do it soon,” the police officer said.   

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Trump’s broadsides against science put GOP governors in a bind

The clashing messages come as large swaths of the country experience uncontrolled spread that state officials fear could swamp their already strapped health systems

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Bengaluru records 2821 new COVID-19 cases and 2798 recoveries

Coronavirus

Most of the deceased are either with a history of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) or Influenza-like illness (ILI).

TNM Staff

PTI/Representation Photo

Karnataka has reported 6,297 new COVID-19 cases and 66 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 7,76,901 and the death toll to 10,608, the Health department said on Tuesday.  8,500 patients got discharged after recovery in the last 24 hours. Out of the 6,297 fresh cases reported on Tuesday, 2,821 cases were from Bengaluru Urban alone. As of October 20 evening, cumulatively 7,76,901 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 10,608 deaths and 6,62,329 discharges, the Health department said in its bulletin. It said, out of 1,03,945 active cases, 1,03,004 patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while 941 are in ICU. As many as 36 of the 66 deaths reported on Tuesday are from Bengaluru Urban, followed by Dakshina Kannada and Kolar (4), Chmarajanagara (3), Bengaluru Rural, Hassan, Haveri, Mysuru and Shivamogga (2), and Bagalkote, Ballari, Dharwad, Raichur, Ramanagara, Tumakuru, Udupi, Uttara Kannada and Vijayapura (1). Most of the deceased 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 accounted for 2,821, followed by Mysuru (451), Tumakuru (327), Bengaluru Rural (319), Davangere (206), Ballari (188), Uttara Kannada (180), Chikkaballapura (166) and Dakshina Kannada (146), followed by others. Bengaluru Urban district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 3,12,842, followed by Mysuru (45,644) and Ballari (36,076). Among discharges too, Bengaluru Urban tops with 2,798 new discharges and a total of 2,44,740 discharges, followed by Mysuru (38,739) and Ballari (33,606). Over 68,44,594 samples have been tested so far, out of which 98,236 were tested on Tuesday alone, and 23,373 among them were rapid antigen tests. With inputs from PTI

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Tumakuru man held for threat letter to judge allegedly wanted to implicate kin

Crime

The man allegedly sent the letter to frame his relative, with who he had a property dispute.

TNM Staff

A man from Tumakuru was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly sending a threat letter to a special judge hearing a high profile drug case in Bengaluru. The man allegedly sent the letter and had allegedly attached the voter ID of his relative Ramesh with it in a bid to frame him for the crime.  Rajashekhar, resident of Lingadahalli in Tumakuru's Tipur taluk, had allegedly sent the letter along with a parcel. The parcel had wires protruding from it, which looked like a detonator. This parcel was sent to the judge hearing cases related to Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act registered against Sandalwood actors and other high-profile persons in Bengaluru. The letter stated that Sandalwood actos Ragini Dwivedi, Sanjjanaa Galrani and others, who were booked in the drug case, must be released on bail. The letter went on to state that all other persons in the case accused of extortion, robbery and theft should also be freed. The letter claimed that if the demands were not met, the bomb would be detonated, the police said. Central Crime Branch sleuths probing the drug case, said that one thing stood out in in the parcel. It came along with the voter ID card of a man named Ramesh, a farmer from Chelur in Tumakuru's Gubbi taluk. The sleuths intially suspected that Ramesh could have been the person to send the letter. A team of investigators rushed to Chelur and questioned Ramesh, who the police say, was unaware of such a letter. He, however, told them that his voter ID was missing and that he presumed  he lost it.  Ramesh then pointed the investigators in Rajashekar's direction, stating that his relative had several criminal cases registered against him. Ramesh allegedly told the officers that Rajashekar had been eyeing his property for over a year and the two men were not on good terms.  When Rajashekhar was questioned, he allegedly confessed that he wrote the letter and despatched it to Bengaluru to extract revenge against his relative, the police said. Further interrogation revealed that Rajashekhar was allegedly involved in four different cases such as setting a church on fire over a land dispute, sexually harassing a woman, assaulting a man from his village and stealing copper wires, the police said. Earlier, police said two persons were detained for questioning. When they questioned Ramesh, the police learned that Rajashekhar had been in a long-standing feud with Ramesh. The police then began questionning Rajashekhar after which he allegedly confessed.   Later, investigation revealed that there was no bomb inside but some wires which created an impression of a detonator. With inputs from PTI

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SW Railway hikes platform tickets at 13 Karnataka stations

Railways

This is a temporary measure to avoid overcrowding at railway stations during the festive season, the South Western Railway said.

TNM Staff

KSR station, Bengaluru

As an increased number of people are expected to travel by trains amid the festive season, the South Western Railway on Thursday increased the price of platform tickets at select stations in Karnataka, saying that the move will prevent crowding on railway platforms. The ticket price has been temporarily raised from Rs 10 to Rs 50. In a press release, the South Western Railway said that with a view to restrict entry of non-travellers at Railway Stations due to the extraordinary circumstances created by COVID-19 pandemic, platform tickets will be issued at the enhanced rates of Rs 50 at Krishnarajapuram, Bangarpet, Tumakuru, Hosur, Dharmapuri, Kengeri, Mandya, Hindupur, Penukonda, Yelahanka, Banasaadi, Carmelaram and Whitefield railway stations from October 21 to November 11.  The platform ticket rates had earlier been hiked at the three main railway stations in Bengaluru, and now has been extended to more stations in the state. The Railways had recently announced that more special trains will be operated from Bengaluru and other cities in Karnataka to Chennai, Hyderabad, Howrah and other cities to enable passengers travel during the festival season. "An air-conditioned double-decker superfast special express will run from Bengaluru to Chennai daily from Wednesday," a South Western Railway (SWR) zone official said in a statement. Another double-decker superfast express will operate daily from Chennai to Bengaluru from Wednesday. "The trains will have 10 coaches, including 8 chair cars and 2 luggage-cum-brake-vans with generator in both directions," said the official. All special trains will have reserved coaches. Hand sanitisation, thermal screening, social distancing, wearing masks and other health protocols will be mandatory for all passengers and railway staff. "In addition, five pairs of superfast special trains will be operated between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu from October 23 to December 2 to facilitate people travel for Dasara and Diwali festivals," said the official. Of the five pairs, two pairs will be run daily between Bengaluru and Chennai and one daily between Bengaluru and Kanyakumari. The trains will have AC and sleeper coaches. A complete AC superfast express will also be run between Bengaluru and Chennai from October 23 daily except Tuesdays till further notice. The full AC train will have 16 coaches, including 2 executive chair car and 2 luggage-cum-brake vans. Here are details of the new trains: A special train between Mysuru and Mayiladuturai in Tamil Nadu via Bengaluru will run daily from October 25 to December 1 in both directions. Another special train between Mysuru to Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu via Bengaluru will be run from October 23 to December 1 in both the directions. A daily superfast express will be run between Mysuru and Kachiguda in Hyderabad via Bengaluru from October 23 to December 2. A daily superfast express will be operated between Yesvantpur in Bengaluru northern suburb and Howrah for Dasara, Diwali and Chhath puja from October 24 to December 2. Likewise, a daily special train between Hubballi in Karnataka and Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh will run from Wednesday to November 30. A daily express between Yesvantpur and Kannur in Kerala will run from Wednesday to November 30.

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