Bengaluru riots case: Former Mayor Sampath Raj files plea for anticipatory bail

Bengaluru Riots

Sampath Raj has been named as the prime conspirator and executor in the case by the Central Crime Branch.

TNM Staff

Representation photo

Former Bengaluru Mayor and DJ Halli corporator Sampath Raj has filed an anticipatory bail petition with the Bengaluru Sessions Court on Saturday evening. Sampath Raj's counsel filed the plea as he has been named as the prime conspirator in the DJ Halli and KJ Halli violence case. The sessions court has adjourned the hearing to October 27.  Details of his alleged role in the riots that took place in Bengaluru on the night of August 11, were placed before the sessions court on October 12 when the police filed the chargesheet in the case.  Sampath Raj tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the first week of September and has been in the hospital ever since. The Central Crime Branch, which is probing the case, has requested the health department to form a panel of doctors to inquire on Sampath Raj's health condition.  CCB sources told TNM that the sleuths suspect that Sampath Raj may be avoiding arrest on the pretext of COVID-19 treatment. Sampath Raj and his personal assistant Arun Kumar were questioned by the CCB on August 17. Arun Kumar was subsequently arrested. CCB sources said that the investigators unearthed 11 screen recordings of alleged WhatsApp calls between Sampath Raj and the persons protesting outside the DJ Halli and KG Halli police stations on the night of August 11.  The CCB, in its investigation, had concluded that the long-standing rivalry between Sampath Raj and Pulakeshi Nagar MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy was the cause for the riots that occurred in Bengaluru. The CCB has accused Sampath Raj of allegedly concocting and executing a plot to cause unrest.  During the 2018 Assembly elections, Sampath Raj was an aspirant for the party ticket from Pulakeshi Nagar. However, Srinivas Murthy, who had defected from JD(S) to Congress, was given the ticket to contest. The rivalry between the two leaders has been an open secret in political circles since then, CCB sources said. However, the Congress party's leaders including Siddaramaiah and the state president DK Shivakumar have vehemently denied the rivalry between the two leaders on multiple occasions. The Congress claimed that the BJP-ruled government was indulging in politicking over the riots that had occurred. 

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Bengaluru floods: BBMP to build stronger retaining wall of Vrishabhavathi river

Civic

Meanwhile, the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre on Saturday issued a yellow warning for 16 districts, including Bengaluru.

TNM Staff

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad on Saturday said that a new and stronger concrete retaining wall will be built along the stormwater drain in the Vrishabhavathi Valley, which flows through the city. This comes after the long spell of rain on Thursday flooded Gurudatta Layout and Dattatreya Nagar (Ward No 161) and resulted in large-scale destruction of property in south Bengaluru. Three persons, who were being washed away downstream, had to be rescued by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). Revenue Minister R Ashoka, who oversaw the relief operations, said that in terms of waterlogging, the situation has improved since Saturday. Speaking to reporters, the minister said that most of the rainwater collected in the stormwater drains in south Bengaluru gathers and flows through the area. It may be recalled that parts of the wall along the stormwater drain had collapsed recently and flooded parts of Mysore Road. The work on rebuilding the wall, which was ongoing, had to be temporarily halted due to the heavy rain. Deccan Herald reported that the flooding was caused not only due to the missing retaining wall but also due to overflow of rainwater from the Dubasipalya drain. Meanwhile, the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) on Saturday issued a yellow warning for 16 districts, including Bengaluru. The KSNDMC also issued a thunderstorm warning in these districts, while warning of isolated heavy to very heavy rains over interior Karnataka, Malnad and the coastal regions. For Bengaluru, the agency predicted that widespread light to moderate rains with isolated places and heavy rains, associated with thunder activity, is likely over BBMP area for the next two days till October 26. The alert was issued to the Deputy Commissioners of Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru Urban, Chikkaballapura, Chikkamagaluru, Chitradurga, Davangere, Ramanagara, Shivamogga, Tumkuru, Dakshin Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Belagavi, Dharwad, Gadag and Haveri districts.

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Karnataka Minister Eshwarappa to lead march demanding ST status for Kuruba community

Politics

IANS

Official Twitter

Karnataka's third-biggest community Kuruba (shepherds) will organise a padayatra from Kaaginele in Haveri district to Bengaluru, with the demand to include their community in the list of Schedule Tribe castes. The march will be led under the joint leadership of Kuruba community seer Kaginele Niranjananadapuri Swamiji and Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister KS Eshwarappa.  In a press conference on Saturday, Eshwarappa said that the padayatra of Kurubas will commence from Kaaginele to Bengaluru from January 5, 2021. "This is an apolitical movement. This is nothing to do with any party in power in Karnataka or elsewhere. This is the community's work. Therefore, we all join hands with our community seer," he said. The seer, Niranjananadapuri Swamiji, stated that prior to organising the padayatra, the community will organise four massive conventions across the state. "The first convention will be the women's convention and this will be organised on November 8 in Kaaginele at Haveri,” said the Minister. He further added that the community will organise other conventions in Davangere, Kalaburagi, Mysuru and Bagalakote districts.   One of the biggest conventions will be held in Bengaluru palace on February 7, to demand that the community be included in the list of ST castes. It is expected to have the participation of 10 lakh people.  Kuruba community's demand to include them into ST caste will pit them directly against the powerful Nayaka community in the state. Both communities claim that they are seven to eight per cent each of the voters in the state. Both communities are largely interlinked geographically, socially and politically in the state. Notably, Kaginele Kanaka Guru Peetha is the main matha (monastery) of the Kuruba community and is the spiritual and cultural centre of this community. The Kurubas subscribe to the teachings of Kanakadasa, a renowned composer of Carnatic music, poet, philosopher, saint and a musician. He is known for his keertanas and ugabhoga, compositions in the Kannada language for Carnatic music. Like other Haridasas, he used simple Kannada language and native metrical forms for his compositions.

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18 killed, dozens wounded in suicide bombing at Kabul education centre

Terrorism

The Islamic State group said it was behind the attack in messages posted on its social media channels, but did not provide any evidence.

IANS

@MuslimKhalili/ Twitter

At least 18 people and dozens have been injured in a suicide bombing that took place at an education centre in a western neighbourhood of Afghanistan's capital Kabul, the BBC reported citing the interior ministry. The bombing took place on Saturday around 4:30 p.m. (local time) outside Kowsar-e-Danish, a private education centre that offers courses for students in higher education. The security guards of the facility had identified the suicide bomber and intercepted him, after which he detonated his explosive vest, Kabul police spokesman Ferdaus Faramarz told reporters via a text message. The death toll rose from 11 to 18, including the bomber. In the preliminary assessment, 20 were wounded in the explosion. The number of casualties may change," he said. Many have been taken to hospital. There are fears the death toll may rise. "We heard a huge blast outside an education centre in Pul-e-Khushk locality of Dashti Barchi area. The explosion triggered panic in the area in Police District 13 of Kabul," eyewitness Mohammad Nabi told Xinhua. The casualties were transported by ambulances and police vans to hospitals. The Islamic State group said it was behind the attack in messages posted on its social media channels, but did not provide any evidence. Several educational and cultural centers, mosques and sports facilities have been attacked in the district in recent years, and most of the attacks have been claimed by the militants of the Islamic State (IS) group. Earlier, the Taliban denied involvement in the attack.  "A suicide bomber wanted to enter the education centre," interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said in a statement, according to a leading media outlet. The spokesman added that the attacker was identified by security guards "after which he detonated his explosives in an alley". A local resident claimed he was standing about 100 metres from the centre when "a big blast" knocked him down. Afghanistan has seen a rise in violence in recent weeks - with most of the attacks carried out by the Taliban. The violence threatens to imperil peace talks between government forces and the Taliban in the Qatari capital, Doha. The building (where the bombing took place on Saturday) in the predominantly Shia Muslim Dasht-e-Barchi area usually hosts hundreds of students. The Shia community in Afghanistan has previously been targeted by Sunni Muslim extremists such as the Islamic State group, which views the Shia practise of Islam as heretical.

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CM Yediyurappa announces Rs 25K aid for rain-hit families in Bengaluru

Rains

The CM also said that the government would look for a permanent solution to prevent flooding in Bengaluru.

PTI

PTI photo

On Saturday, a day after south Bengaluru was battered by heavy rains, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa announced a compensation of Rs 25,000 for every family affected by floods. Speaking to reporters after chairing a high-level meeting with city legislators and official concerned, Yediyurappa also assured that the state government was looking into a permanent solution to ensure that such incidents don't repeat. He added that the state government had realised that many have lost their ration, books and clothes besides day-to-day essentials due to floods, and hence, the state government has decided to release Rs 25,000 aid for each families. He quickly reiterated that the state government would also evolve strategies to "mercilessly" clear all encroachments along with the storm water drains in the city. "In this flood, there are about 650-700 houses that may have been affected, hence, I asked the BBMP (civic body) officials to work honestly so that not even a rupee is misused," he appealed. Noting that he has also given instructions to take permanent measures to avoid such incidents from repeating, Yediyurappa said they came up with a plan to clear encroachments and improve the condition of storm water drains, but even as the work was on, this happened. "We will see to it that there are no encroachments here on and take measures so that such incidents don't repeat. I'm assuring a permanent solution... all encroachments of storm water drains will be cleared mercilessly, we will start the work in two to three days," he added. After rains lashed the city on Friday evening, several areas, especially south Bengaluru region had faced the brunt as storm water drains overflowed, roads turned into rivulets and many houses were inundated. While there was water logging in many parts of the city, areas such as Hosakerehalli, Nayandahalli, Basavanagudi, Bommanahalli, Rajarajeshwari Nagar and surrounding places were affected as several roads and houses in these areas were submerged under water. Ahead of his visit to affected areas, Yediyurappa chaired a meeting with Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Administrator Gaurav Gupta, its Commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad and other senior officials, along with Revenue Minister R Ashoka, who is also MLA from the city, and took stock of the situation. The CM, who is also the in-charge of Bengaluru’s city-related affairs, instructed the city's civic body to stay alert as the Met Department predicting heavy rains for two more days. It may be worth noting that Gurudatta Layout and Dattatreya Nagar, near Hosakerehalli, some areas near Rajarajeshwari Nagar were the worst affected as many houses in the locality were flooded. Gushing waters even swept away some vehicles in the locality. According to officials, several wards recorded more than 100 mm rainfall on Friday night. With no rains on Saturday morning and water receding in the flooded areas, civic workers are carrying out the cleaning activities. Revenue Minister R Ashoka, who visited the affected areas earlier in the day, had assured that he will speak to the Chief Minister regarding providing relief to those affected and directed officials to carry out the survey work. "Last night itself National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) team was called in, who rescued three people. "Water and food arrangements were made for those in need," he said, adding that as the work on a large storm water drain related to Bengaluru South region is underway, it resulted in flooding.  

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Caste very much there in Indian cities: A panel discussion in Bengaluru

Caste

The online discussion featured Cynthia Stephen, Vijeta Kumar, Rajendra Prabhakar and Naveen Bharathi.

Aditi Kumar

Image courtesy: Picxy.com/lakshmiprasad S

“What we really have the is ‘The Great Indian Apartheid’,” said Professor Deepak Malghan of the Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB), in a panel discussion on ‘Explaining caste discrimination in Bengaluru’. The online discussion, conducted by IIMB, took place at 6 pm on October 23, and had speakers who talked about lived experiences as well as what they had found in their fields of work on caste. The crux of the nearly two-hour-long discussion was that caste is visible and tangible in the way Indian cities, and the society, work. Professor Deepak shared that 95% of faculty members at IITs and IIMs are drawn from only 5% of society, meaning that only 5% of India’s diverse social groups are represented in the faculty of these renowned institutions. Cynthia Stephen, a Dalit activist, writer, social policy researcher and journalist, shared her experience of caste. She said that she was not aware of her Dalit identity for a long time, as her parents hid it from her in order to try and shield her from discrimination. This is the case with many Dalit families, as elders in the family hope that it will make easier the younger generations’ integration into society, Cynthia said. However, the superstructure of caste does not allow this kind of invisibility, as Cynthia found out through multiple instances in her life. Cynthia recounted that was denied opportunities in many English daily newspapers that have offices in Bengaluru, despite her experience and knowledge; and that caste-based discrimination happens only when competing on equal footing with those with privilege. “That”, she said, “is when the structural discrimination of caste kicks in.” Vijeta Kumar, a Dalit writer and professor of English, emphasised a similar point. She said, “The fact that caste isn’t visible has given people some sort of escape to people to feel they have nothing to do with it, when they are consciously practicing it, and are in the system of practicing it, every day.” She also observed that in her classroom, she had to “customise” caste for savarna students to help them understand it. In the aftermath of the Hathras alleged gang-rape case, Dalits were expected to talk only about caste on social media, disregarding other aspects of their identity. “This one-dimensional expectation is entirely a product of the Savarna gaze,” Vijeta said.   According to Rajendran Prabhakar, a social activist who works with lower-income communities, caste operates in the low priority that slums are given in governance. Around 45 lakh people live in 1,000 slums in Bengaluru alone, and have continued to live in the same condition for decades. Around 70-90% of those living in slums belong to SC/ST and other minority communities. Their lives and issues are not even a concern for the upper-middle class that rules politics and governance, Rajendran observed. “The existence of slums itself is a clear indication of the existence of caste in Bengaluru, in any urban city,” he said. Naveen Bharathi, who is researching social segregation in urban India at the Centre for the Advanced Study of India in the University of Pennsylvania, has been collecting data on the subject for a few years. He said that growing up in a diverse neighbourhood leads to more empathy in a person, owing to the diversity of experiences one witnesses. That being said, Bengaluru is segregated in such a way that 20% of the city has no Dalit people in neighbourhoods. Unlike in the US, segregated colonies exist side-by-side in India, yet do not interact at all. To emphasise the point, Naveen shared a picture of a slum right next to the posh Infosys offices in Bengaluru, which has seen no development in several decades, despite being next to a multi-billion-dollar enterprise. “Globalisation has not really blurred out caste distinctions,” he added. The panelists drove home the point that caste invades almost every aspect of Indian society, both culturally and physically. It is certainly not just a thing of the past, as one’s privilege might lead one to believe. As the panelists pointed out, this conversation on caste needs be an ongoing one, and not just one that happens in the wake of caste-based atrocities. 

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Bengaluru residents upset as stormwater drains overflow after rains lash city

Rain

A compensation of Rs 25,000 will be provided for every family affected by flooding.

Prajwal Bhat

Bengaluru shop flooded

On Friday evening, Anwar noticed that water had entered the godown in his shop even though it had been raining only for a couple of hours. His shop —  Riding Gear —  selling plates and stickers, is located on the main road leading to Lalbagh in central Bengaluru. By 7 pm, Anwar had spent a frantic hour moving the important items in his godown to a nearby helmet shop located on higher ground. "It has been years since we had water enter our godown like this," Anwar says, standing in knee-deep water on Saturday morning.  "There is some work being done on the stormwater drain on this road. We don't know why the water entered the shop so quickly yesterday but it should be addressed immediately," says Anwar who has been living in the area since 1993. Anwar's shop was one of the several shops inundated in central and southern Bengaluru as heavy rains lashed the city on Friday, flooding over 650 houses and sweeping away vehicles in some areas.The spell of rain abated in the night and there was sunshine on Saturday morning, which meant that residents could pick up the pieces from the damage caused. Commercial complex in Bengaluru pumping out water on Saturday Near Lalbagh and in City Market, many automobile shops and other shops selling mattresses and tarpaulin were seen drying their wares outside the shops on Saturday morning. Pourakarmikas were seen clearing debris and cleaning the streets. "There was waterlogging in front of our shop after a stormwater drain overflowed here but it receded quickly, and we have been able to avoid any major hassle," Manjunath, a provision store manager near City Market told TNM Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, after a meeting convened to discuss the havoc wreaked by the rain, announced that a compensation of Rs 25,000 will be provided for every family affected by flooding. The Chief Minister also noted that encroachments in stormwater drains had exacerbated the flooding in the city. He announced that encroachments along stormwater drains in the city will be cleared mercilessly. "I have asked BBMP (civic body) officials to work honestly so that not even a rupee is misused. According to me, there are about 650-700 houses that might have been affected," Yediyurappa said. Pourakarmikas cleaned up debris after the rains in Bengaluru "We will see to it that there are no encroachments from now on, and take measures so that such incidents don't repeat. I'm assuring a permanent solution... all encroachments of stormwater drains will be cleared mercilessly, we will start the work in two to three days," he added. Revenue Minister R Ashoka said that there were some pending works to remove encroachments in stormwater drains in Bengaluru South and that this would be taken up immediately. The damage was highest in Hosakerehalli, where areas near the Bheemanakatte Lake were flooded. Overflowing stormwater drains also caused several areas in and around Hosakerehalli in the Padmanabhanagar Assembly segment to flood.  Elsewhere, flooding was also reported in Nayandahalli, Basavanagudi, Bommanahalli and Rajarajeshwari Nagar. Gurudatta Layout and Dattatreya Nagar, near Hosakerehalli, and some areas near Rajarajeshwari Nagar were the worst affected as many houses in the locality were flooded. The Chief Minister's office said that there were no casualties in the rainfall that occurred on Friday but with further rains predicted over the weekend, officials have doubled efforts to keep rescue personnel ready in the event of another heavy spell of rain. While rain stayed away on Saturday, weather department officials predicted that there will be further rains in the evenings over the weekend. The Chief Minister asked Bengaluru's civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to be alert to the possibility of fresh rains.   

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