Ireland triple deaths: Family in Mysuru in shock and disbelief

Crime

The bodies of Seema Banu Syed and her two children were recovered from their home by the Irish police on Friday.

Soumya Chatterjee

Seema Banu Syed and her two children

It has been two days since her family back in Mysuru district’s Honaganahalli village were informed about the deaths of 37-year-old Seema Banu Syed and that of her two children.  “They (Seema’s parents) are still in a state of shock and in disbelief that their daughter and their grandchildren are no more,”  Sufi Masood, Seema’s maternal cousin, told TNM. Read: Indian woman, her two kids found brutally murdered at their home in Ireland “When they first got the call from the Embassy there, they thought somebody must have been playing a prank on them. They did not pay any heed until they got calls from the local police and the media,” Masood added. With lockdown restrictions lifted, Seema was due to return to India the coming week and meet her parents, said Masood.  The deaths of Seema and her two children— 11-year-old daughter Asfira Riza and 6-year-old son Faizan Syed has brought a sense of shock to the Ballinteer suburb in South Dublin, where they were residing. Media reports in the UK said that a man has been arrested in connection with the triple murder after he turned himself in. The identity of the accused is yet to be revealed. As earlier reported by TNM, while the two children were found dead on Friday with ligature marks around their neck, Seema was found dead in another room of their house. The postmortem reports have revealed that the children died due to strangulation, and their deaths have been treated as ‘murder’. However, the postmortem on Seema was reportedly ‘inconclusive’, suggesting that her death could be suicide or murder.  According to Irish police and local press, the deaths are likely to have occured the previous weekend, close to a week before the bodies were discovered. This after the police were alerted by neighbours who were concerned about not seeing any member of the family in a long while. Incidentally as reported by the UK media, Seema’s husband Sameer Syed was due to appear before a court where he was being tried for charges of seriously assaulting her. Her family is hoping that the police would probe all angles. Masood added, “Recently in a video call, her parents only asked her to come knowing of the recent incident of violence. That is when we had gone to the police there. We were only waiting for the lockdown to be lifted there so that she could return with her children. Currently the distraught family is in talk with the Indian embassy officials and the Irish authorities so that the mortal remains of their loved ones can be brought back at the earliest. “We don’t have the money of around Rs 15 lakh which is required to bring their bodies home. We want help from the government and authorities there to bring the bodies back,” he added. 

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#ShutDownEcitySWMPlant: Bengaluru residents hold Tweetstorm against waste plant

Civic

Residents of Electronic City tagged Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, Deputy CM Dr Ashwath Narayan, BBMP Administrator Gaurav Gupta and other authorities on the tweets.

Soumya Chatterjee

File image

Residents of Bengaluru’s Electronic City Phase 2 on Sunday started a tweetstorm demanding to shut down the solid waste management plant located in their neighbourhood due to the regular stench and pollution it has been causing. Despite numerous complaints to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike and (BBMP) other agencies like the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, the residents said there has been no improvement in the situation over the years. They said the stench is affecting the health and well-being of residents. With hashtag #ShutDownEcitySWMPlant, the tweets tagged Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, Deputy CM Dr Ashwath Narayan and BBMP Administrator Gaurav Gupta, among other authorities. Pointing out that the waste plant has been producing toxic air, polluting water and causing severe stench, the residents also called out the solid waste management (SMW) authorities for not taking any action and no adhering to its own promises of resolving the matter.  There are houses as close as 50m to the plant. Residents can’t even keep their windows open due to flies. How long do they suffer beacue of BBMP’s ineptitude #ShutDownEcitySWMPlant @BBMPCOMM @Gaurav_Gupta67 @BBMPSWMSplComm @CMofKarnataka #LetEcityBreathe pic.twitter.com/JUB2FFGcrw — Deepu Chandran (@deepuchandranpk) November 1, 2020 When it comes to SWM plant authorities make big promises, but fail to adhere to it. In this time of covid its more important that air/land/water cleanliness should be maintained everywhere, especially in areas like Ecity. #ShutDownECitySWMPlant @CMofKarnataka @BangaloreBuzz — Naveen Shetty (@NaveenS39535899) November 1, 2020 The stench & emissions from large composting plants are known to cause severe health problems. They emit bioaerosols,TVOCs, sulphide, mercaptans, methane & NMHC that affect respiratory systems. #ShutDownEcitySWMPlant #LetEcityBreathe @BBMPSWMSplComm @BBMPCOMM @Gaurav_Gupta67 — sandeep kumar (@kumar_s0207) November 1, 2020 #ShutDownECitySWMPlant Don't build SWM plants near any residential area. Do not rob people of their fundamental right to breathe fresh air. Find a sustainable situation to dispose of plastic waste. @SwmrtBengaluru @BangaloreMirror @CMofKarnataka @PMOIndia @BJP4Karnataka https://t.co/ww0Gs8OHyy — Phani Kumar (@phani_ams) November 1, 2020 #ShutDownECitySWMPlant ECity residents are facing death by a thousand cuts. The lungs are squeezed out of oxygen and filled with carbonaceous fumes of illegal garbage @BJP4Karnataka @BJPLive @PMOIndia @ECityBangalore @BangaloreBuzz @EconomicTimes @timesofindia — Sajith C P (@sajith_cp) November 1, 2020 Chikkanagamangala SWM plant is taking away resident’s basic right to breathe by heavily polluting air in & around. It poses a serious health risk by emanating poisonous stench throughout the day. #ShutDownECitySWMPlant@BBMPSWMSplComm @ELCITA_IN @BBMPSWMJtComm — Vijayalakshmi Hugar (@viju_hugar) November 1, 2020  

Body 2: 

While the BBMP claimed that the plant is yet to be utilised to its full capacity, residents allege that the discrepancies in the plant’s functioning not only causes stench but also affects the quality of groundwater in the area due to improper effluent disposal practices.

Residents have been facing the issue of the irregular functioning of the solid waste management plant for years now. They had even threatened to boycott the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 protesting over the issue.

The residents said the BBMP has continuously failed to adhere to their own commitments given to them. “We have been demanding the installation of odour measurement devices in the plant for the past one and a half years. This has also been minuted in every single meeting with the BBMP SWM Commissioner and Joint commissioners. Yet, there has been no movement in this regard. We have again submitted our written request to BBMP SWM Commissioner to implement these (odour management measures). We haven't received any response yet. SWM Rules 2016 also talks about setting up such devices,” Deepu Chandran, one of the residents, told TNM.

He added, “It (the foul smell) gets so severe some days that it lasts for almost 20 hours at a stretch. October 26 was one such day.”

Another resident, Ranjesh Hebbar, said, “Decentralised waste processing is the only solution. Every ward will act responsibly if they have to manage their own waste. Why should we, the residents of Electronic City Phase 2 suffer?”

Other than the present issue of the waste management plant, the residents also oppose the proposed Waste to Energy (WTE) plant in the vicinity. In April 2019, a WTE plant has been proposed in the area, which is being opposed by the residents owing to the environmental threat these plants are associated with globally. 

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Two years after official flag for Karnataka was mooted, here's where proposal stands

Karnataka Rajyotsava

On Karnataka Rajyotsava, TNM explains what happened to the 2018 proposal of an official flag for Karnataka, and the history behind it.

Pooja Prasanna

Former CM Siddaramaiah launching the flag in 2018

On November 1, Karnataka Rajyotsava (Karnataka Formation Day) is celebrated every year and Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa hoisted the bicoloured ‘Kannada flag’ at Bengaluru's Kanteerava Stadium, alongside the Indian flag, this year too. While the red and yellow flag has been the de facto state flag, largely used across Karnataka while celebrating its language and culture, the proposal sent by a previous Karnataka government to award official status to a version of the Kannada flag is still pending and has been put on the backburner now. Amidst the pandemic, like for other major festivals, the state government has banned mass gatherings for Karnataka Rajyotsava as well. Most years, the day is celebrated with much pomp and splendour with pro-Kannada organisations and fan clubs of Kannada cinema stars too hoisting the Karnataka flag, playing patriotic Kannada songs and singing the Kannada anthem — Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate Proposal for official status The demand for a state flag is not new in Karnataka. While the bicoloured one has been used since the 1960s, in 1998, the then Kannada Development Authority (KDA) first proposed giving it an official status. But that did not proceed any further. Ironically, it was the BJP government under Yediyurappa in 2009 that removed restrictions on hoisting the flag on government buildings. Three years later, another BJP CM of the state, Sadananda Gowda, made it compulsory for state government offices and educational institutions to hoist the Karnataka flag on November 1. In 2017, then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah constituted a panel of nine experts to ‘study the legality and judicial implications of the formal adoption of a flag for the state’. The panel was chaired by GS Siddaramaya, Principal Secretary of the Department of Kannada and Culture and other members included scholars, historians and writers. The panel submitted a report on the basis of which a team of designers came up with another version of the state flag, with similarities to the national tri-coloured one, with the emblem of Karnataka too incorporated. The design was unveiled by Siddaramaiah on March 8, 2018. The state government sent a proposal to the Union government requesting for the approved design of the Karnataka flag to be included in the schedule of the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1950. The move was met with criticism, mostly in national media and from BJP and BJP-aligned political leaders. Since the proposal was sent just before the 2018 Assembly elections, it was dubbed a political gimmick to pander to parochial sentiments and detractors even called it a secessionist move. Where it stands today After the elections, consecutive governments, headed by HD Kumaraswamy and then BS Yediyurappa did not pursue the proposal with the Union government, which had kept it pending. In August 2019, the Yediyurappa government decided to drop the proposal formally. Kannada & Culture Minister CT Ravi was quoted as saying, “The flag committee has said there will be only one flag. The Constitution committee headed by Dr BR Ambedkar directed that we have only one flag — the tricolour. So, there’s only one constitutional flag across India. There may be cultural flags. Karnataka also has a cultural flag. But we are one nation, so we will only think about unity.” What does the Constitution say “There is no chance of the idea of India getting damaged by states having a separate flag. Even in countries like Australia and Germany, this (separate flags for states) is followed. Those who are opposing it in the name of nationalism are very weak in their understanding of India,” says Arun Javagal from Banavasi Balaga, a pro-Kannada organisation. While the former state of Jammu and Kashmir has been the only state in the country to have  a separate flag, the Indian Constitution has not categorically prohibited other states from having a separate state flag. It, however, stipulates that the national flag must always fly higher than the state flag. In countries like the United States and Germany, states are allowed to have their own flags. In India too, all states have their own insignia and several states, including Karnataka, have their own anthems. So a separate flag, many argue, is just an extension of the same logic to reinforce the state’s autonomy and federalism. 

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Piyush Goyal shares video of Bengaluru-Mysuru rail line passing ‘no water spill’ test

Railways

A railway official said the work over the 130 km stretch was undertaken over the past six months at a cost of Rs 40 crore.

TNM Staff

Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday tweeted a 31-second video showing the railway maintenance work carried out between Bengaluru and Mysuru. To show the quality of the maintenance work and how smooth the journey is on this line, he showed the video of the ‘no water spill’ test. In the video, a glass of water, which is filled to its brim, is seen kept on the table of a coach. Even as the train is travelling at a high speed, reportedly over 100 kilometres per hour, not a single drop of water spills out of the glass, per the video. “The results of intensive track maintenance carried out between Bengaluru and Mysuru in Karnataka are there for everyone to see. The journey has become so smooth that not even a single drop of water spilled out of the glass while the train was travelling at high speed.” The results of intensive track maintenance carried out between Bengaluru & Mysuru in Karanataka are there for everyone to see. The journey has become so smooth that not even a single drop of water  spilled out of the glass while the train was traveling at high speed. pic.twitter.com/r7aFp55gSA — Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) October 30, 2020 A Railway officer said the work on the over 130 km stretch was undertaken over the past six months at a cost of Rs 40 crore. Ballast insertion, tamping of tracks and strengthening of embankments were some of the works carried out, she said The same video was also tweeted by the South Western Railway. “Results of intensive track maintenance done between Bengaluru and Mysuru in last four months are visible. Quality of riding has improved which can be seen in the smooth journey,” read the quote tweet. The track improvement works come after the stretch between Bengaluru and Mysuru underwent electrification and doubling of lines a year ago. This electrification work paved the way for better train speeds and decreased the commute time between the two cities on the rail. The Railways had said that this resulted in reduced travel time for as many as 11 trains plying between the two cities. Other than benefitting commuters with a reduced travel time, the electrification has meant the railways will also save a lot of financial resources as otherwise used as fuel expenses since trains with 24 coaches need two engines in this route.

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Tried my best to provide water in Tumakuru: Deve Gowda at Sira bye-poll campaign

Politics

Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda blamed the national parties for the water woes in the district.

IANS

File image

Ahead of Sira bye-polls, JD(S) supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda on Saturday defended himself and his party over the failed Hemavati river diversion project to Tumakuru district of Karnataka. The Hemavathi reservoir is built in Hassan district, which is a bastion of the Gowda family. However, Tumakuru, which is the tail-end beneficiary of this project, never got its due. According to political observers, due to this reason, there has always been a great degree of apprehension among the Tumkuru electorate, who feel that Deve Gowda and his family was involved in thwarting this project, to benefit the Hassan electorate. Keeping this in mind just three days prior to the bye-polls in Sira (in Tumakuru), Deve Gowda attacked his former party colleague and Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah, asserting that there has always been a ploy against him and his party by some people who later joined the Congress to become the Chief Minister. "It is a known fact that Hemavati river water will not reach here. Despite best efforts, it won't reach. That is the reason the HD Kumaraswamy-led coalition government envisaged the Upper Bhadra project, which can quench the thirst of parched areas of Tumkuru. But none wants to remember this. Instead, they only want to highlight Hemavati," he alleged. The Upper Bhadra project is a lift irrigation project aimed to bring water from Tunga to Bhadra reservoir and subsequently transport it to Chitradurga and Tumakuru districts. Deve Goda further said that he and his family members were not the ones who were stopping water from coming to the people, but the national parties were the real culprits. "Our own friends who were with us before joining other parties in search of greener pastures are fanning such misleading campaigns. I leave it to you to decide, whom to believe and whom not to," he said while seeking votes in Sira in favour of Ammajamma, the wife of Sathyanarayana, who succumbed to prolonged illness two months ago. Meanwhile, former Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President G Parameshwara during his campaign rally asked the electorate to vote in favour of Congress candidate TB Jayachandra. "Do not forget, Jayachandra is the one who ensured that The tanks in Sira are filled to their brim whenever he was in power. Outsiders never used to give their daughters for marriage to the people of Sira for the fear of non-availability of water. Jayachandra has worked hard to ensure water for all of you, so vote for him," he said. The Sira constituency in Tumkuru is going to the polls on November 3, along with Rajarajeshwari Nagara in Bengaluru.

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Karnataka CM Yediyurappa promises cabinet berth for Munirathna on bye-poll victory

Politics

KPCC president DK Shivakumar alleged that BS Yediyurappa has violated the poll code by making such an announcement.

IANS

BJP/Twitter

Campaigning for Rajajeshwari Nagara candidate N Muniratna, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Saturday assured that the former will be made a minister if he wins bye-polls on November 3. Speaking to reporters ahead of his poll rally in RR Nagara constituency on Saturday, Yediyurappa said that there should not be any doubts about the BJP candidate becoming a minister in his cabinet. "He will be made minister soon after his victory in this bye-polls," he announced at the roadshow while addressing the media. He agreed that the exercise (cabinet expansion) had been put on hold for quite some time now due to various reasons but it will be completed soon. "I will go to New Delhi once the bye-poll results are announced and meet our party senior leaders to discuss this," he said, adding that he made such an assurance as he was 100% confident of Muniratna’s victory. Earlier, addressing a roadshow, Yediyurappa had appealed to voters to elect Munirathna by at least a 50,000 vote margin and allow him to be the minister in his cabinet. Lauding the steps taken by Munirathna to help people of his constituency during the COVID-19 induced lockdown, the CM said that Rs 900 crore worth work has already been sanctioned in the constituency. "If he wins, he will bring more development," he added. However, Yediyurappa's announcement has not gone down well with the Congress party, which has pitted a greenhorn, H Kusuma, against battle-hardened Muniratna. Taking strong objections, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar alleged that Yediyurappa had violated the poll code by making such an announcement. "I am not against the BJP making him (Muniratna) the Chief Minister, but announcing he would be made a minister by none other than CM amounts to the poll code violation," he said. The RR Nagar bye-poll has become a prestigious battle with all three political parties — BJP, Congress and JD(S) fighting it out fiercely. The election was warranted as Munirathna, a former Congress MLA, resigned from the Assembly last year and joined the BJP. The Congress has fielded H Kusuma, the wife of late IAS officer DK Ravi, while the JD(S) has fielded V Krishnamurthy. Both are political greenhorns. The bye-elections to RR Nagar in Bengaluru and Sira in Tumakuru district of Karnataka will be held on November 3. Counting of votes has been deferred to November 10.

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Counting of votes for 4 MLC seats in Karnataka deferred to November 10 due to bye-polls

Politics

The EC’s decision came following a request by the Congress party.

PTI

Representational image/PTI

On late Saturday evening, the Election Commission of India (EC) announced that the counting of votes for four legislative council seats in Karnataka has been postponed to November 10 in the wake of the Assembly bye-polls on November 3. The counting of votes was due to be held on November 2, according to the previous notification. The MLC elections had seen a decent voter turnout of 71.1% on Wednesday during the elections to four legislative council seats. The polling percentage in the North East Teachers (Kalaburagi) was 73.32%, Bangalore Teachers (Bangalore) was 66%, South East Graduate (Bangalore) was 75% and West Graduate (Belgaum) was 70.11%. As earlier reported, the election is crucial for the BJP as it lacks a majority in the upper house of the state legislature to pass crucial bills. According to the EC, the date of counting of votes were changed after the Congress party had approached them on Saturday, requesting to conduct the counting after November 3, when the bye-lections from Sira and Rajarajeshwarinagar Assembly constituencies in the state of Karnataka will take place. The Under Secretary of the EC, Prafull Awasthi, wrote to the Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar on Saturday to this effect. The EC said the counting of votes would now take place on November 10 instead of November 2 and the election process should be completed before November 13. In exercise of the powers vested under Article 324 of the Constitution, read with section 153 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the EC made the amendment in its previous notification about conducting the biennial elections. The Returning Officers for the biennial elections have said the counting of votes for the biennial elections can be conducted on November 10 along with the counting for byelections and thereby recommended the commission to conduct the counting of votes for the biennial elections on November 10, the EC said in its letter.

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