Woman's dismembered body found floating in Karnataka's Hemavathi river

Crime

The Mandya police have launched a murder probe and are trying to identify the woman.

TNM Staff

Representation photo

A horrific case of murder has come to light in Karnataka's Mandya district, where a woman's dismembered body was found floating on the banks of the Hemavati river on Wednesday afternoon. At around 2 pm on Wednesday, two men, who are residents of Mandya district's Bandihole village located in KR Pete taluk, found a dismembered arm floating on the banks of the Hemavati river.  The two men were taking their coracle out for fishing, when they saw this near the river bank.  One of them called the KR Pete Rural Police and informed them about the incident. The police, including Mandya Superintendent of Police Parashurama, rushed to the spot. They recovered the dismembered hand and with the help of the Fire and Emergency Services personnel, a search operation was launched to look for the body. The woman's head and internal organs were found on the opposite side of the river, close to the Cauvery Hydro Energy Limited's power plant. After a six-hour search operation, the body parts were found at various points close to the power plant.  Investigators say that the woman must be aged between 25 and 30 years and the body has been sent for an autopsy. The time of death is estimated to be somewhere around Monday this week.  "So far we have not been able to identify the woman. Since her body was in the water, it has become difficult to identify it. The crime investigators went door to door in Bandihole on Wednesday evening to ask whether a woman had gone missing," the KR Pete Rural Police said.  On Thursday, a team of policemen went to neighbouring villages to check for missing persons and have also reached out to police stations in the district to check whether a missing person complaint was filed within the last one week. "So far, we have not been able to identify the woman. Once that is done, we can know the motive or narrow down on possible suspects. It could also be that she is not from the district altogether. Further investigation is on," the police added. 

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The Biden adviser focused on the pandemic’s stark racial disparities

By tapping the Yale researcher, Biden makes clear his interest in addressing longstanding disparities that have exacerbated the pandemic.

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Don’t want to prosecute Tejasvi, DKS and others over mask violation: K’taka govt to HC

Courts

Karnataka govt has earlier told the HC that Surya has paid a fine of Rs 250 for violating mask rule.

TNM Staff

File image

The Karnataka government on Thursday told the High Court that it does not want to prosecute Bangalore South MP (Member of Parliament) Tejasvi Surya and other political leaders for not following the rule that one needs to wear a mask while stepping out in public. In an affidavit, the state government said it will not pursue action against violators of the mask and physical distancing rule under the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act as it is the uniform policy to not inflict harsh punishment. The state government said that fines of Rs 250 for urban areas and Rs 100 for rural areas is deemed as sufficient punishment. To this, a bench led by Chief Justice AS Oka observed that once a person furnishes the fine amount, they admit to committing the violation, and the state government;s failure to prosecute them has serious consequences. The state government has been urged to put its statement on record on the next date of hearing. State Government in its affidavit has informed Karnataka High Court that it does not intend to prosecute @Tejasvi_Surya and other political leaders under the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act for not wearing face masks while attending political rallies. — Mustafa Plumber (@plumbermushi) November 19, 2020 The state's submission comes as Chief Justice Oka and Justice Vishwajith Shetty are hearing a petition filed by advocate Ramesh Puthige raising allegations that directives for COVID-19 management laid down by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) were not followed or implemented in Karnataka. Earlier the state government has told the court that it has collected fines from Tejasvi Surya and other political leaders for violating mask and physical distancing protocols. This after the petitioner had produced photographs of Surya was seen without masks and participating in a rally held on September 30. On Thursday, the HC further observed that the state government’s refusal to not prosecute violators was intended only to protect politicians. Even opposition leaders like Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President DK Shivakumar were also found guilty of the same violations. Chief Justice Abhay Oka led bench takes objection to the stand taken by the state says "The intention is to protect a particular class (politicians)." — Mustafa Plumber (@plumbermushi) November 19, 2020

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Mysuru man faces social boycott for giving haircuts to SC, ST and OBC communities

Casteism

Mallikarjun Shetty alleges that he has been threatened and intimidated by members of the Nayak community in his village in Nanjangud.

Theja Ram

The last three months have been a nightmare for Mysuru district's Mallikarjun Shetty, a 47-year-old barber, as members of the dominant caste in his village of Hallara in Nanjangud taluk, have imposed a social boycott on him for cutting hair of people belonging to the SC, ST and OBC communities. In a heart wrenching plea, Mallikarjun Shetty alleged that members of the Nayak community in his village had imposed a social boycott on him and were demanding that he pay a fine of Rs 50,000 for cutting hair of people from the SCT, ST and OBC communities and not increasing the rates for them, as demanded by those from the dominant caste.  Speaking to TNM, Mallikarjun Shetty said that the issue began three months ago, when leaders from the Nayak community, Mahadeva Nayak, Shankara, Shivaraju and their followers went to his barber shop and asked him whether he cuts hair for people from the SCT, ST and OBC communities. When Mallikarjun said he does not resort to caste-based discrimination, the three men allegedly demanded that he listen to them or face loss in business. The men allegedly told Mallikarjun to charge Rs 300 for a haircut and Rs 200 for a shave for those from the lowered castes.  "I told them that I can't charge more than Rs 80 and Rs 60 for a haircut and shave, as I wanted to keep prices equal for all. I even went to the police and they came to the village and warned Mahadeva Nayak," Mallkarjun told TNM, while adding that things got worse for him after the police visited the village.  Mallikarjun said that Mahadeva Nayak and his henchmen allegedly began asking people in the village not to go to his shop as he had been placed under social boycott. He said that Mahadeva Nayak and his men allegedly took his 21-year-old son from his residence one afternoon two months ago. "They forced him to drink alcohol. When he was drunk, they stripped him naked and shot a video of it. They can be seen forcing him to speak bad things about the Nayak community," Mallikarjun alleged. When he decided to go to the police, Mahadeva Nayak allegedly threatened to share his son's video on social media. He alleges that he was made to pay a fine of Rs 5,000 to Mahadeva Nayak for not listening to their dictates.  "The boycott has still continued. I have refused to listen to them. Now they are demanding Rs 50,000 fine from me. I don't have that kind of money. I have been seeking help from the Nanjangud Tahsildar so many times but he doesn't care so I decided to speak to the press," Mallikarjun alleged. On Thursday, he submitted a written complaint to the Nanjangud Tahsildar  Mahesh Kumar, seeking intervention. In his complaint, he alleged that despite reaching out to the Nanjangud Rural Police many times, no action was taken against the men threatening him.  Speaking to TNM, the Nanjangud Rural Police said that after Mallikarjun sought their help regarding the social boycott, they warned Mahadeva Nayak. The police said that Mallikarjun did not want to file a case but sought relief from his current situation. "Later Mahadeva Nayak showed us the video of Mallikarjun's son. We counselled both of them and sent them back as Mallikarjun did not file a complaint," the police said.  Mallikarjun said that he was afraid to file a complaint as Mahadeva Nayak had threatened to share his son's video on social media. Tahsildar Mahesh Kumar said that he would visit the village later on Thursday and probe the matter. "If there is any evidence of any atrocity committed, I will ask the police to take suo motu cognizance and register an FIR," Mahesh Kumar said.   Watch the video:

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In pics: DKS’s daughter Aishwarya gets engaged with CCD founder Siddartha’s son Amartya

The marriage between DKS’s daughter Aishwarya and Siddartha’s son Amartya is likely to take place in late February next year.

TNM Staff

Aisshwarya, the daughter of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President DK Shivakumar got engaged to Amartya Hegde, eldest son of late Coffee Day founder VG Siddartha. The event held in Bengaluru was attended by family and close friends of both the families. The couple is slated to get married in late February next year. DK Shivakumar could be seen in a blue silk kurta with a panche (veshti), while his wife Usha wore an orange sari with pistachio green border. Amarthya Hegde and Aishwarya Shivakumar, the bride and groom to-be chose simple, baby pink-themed outfits. Amarthya wore a pink sherwani set with churidar, with a neckpiece. Aishwarya looked resplendent in a pink embellished glitter lehenga, and completed the look with a silver jewellery set. As reported earlier Amartya has been handling the Coffee Day business since his father's demise in July last year. Aisshwarya manages Global Academy of Technology, an engineering college founded by DK Shivakumar. It may be noted that Amartya is the grandson of BJP leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister SM Krishna and this alliance further strengthens the longstanding relationship between Shivakumar and SM Krishna. SM Krishna is considered to be Shivakumar's political father figure. SM Krishna and his wife Prema Krishna are seen in the pictures doing the rituals along with DKS and his wife Usha. Malavika Krishnan, Director of Coffee Day Enterprises and wife of Siddhartha was clad in an off white saree. The duo has business connections too and though SM Krishna left the Congress and joined the BJP in 2017, the two leaders are said to have remained close. The alliance was speculated to be agreed by both the families in June only and was discussed even before Siddharatha’s death.  It may be recalled that Siddartha died by suicide on July 31 in 2019 and traditionally, no auspicious events are held within a year of a family member passing away. That is why the  engagement was speculated to take place sometime after July 31. In a suicide note, he had said that he had “failed as an entrepreneur” and that he is “solely responsible for all mistakes". 

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War of words between Pratap Simha and Sumalatha: BJP tells Simha to restrain

Politics

The war of words began after Pratap Simha called Sumalatha Ambareesh "good for nothing".

TNM Staff

The war of words between Mysuru-Kodagu BJP MP Pratap Simha and independent MP from Mandya, Sumalatha, has escalated, leading to the BJP leadership intervening and cautioning the Mysuru MP. The war of words began on Sunday after Pratap Simha called Sumalatha a "good for nothing MP, who doesn't get work done". In a video that went viral on Sunday, Pratap Simha can be heard saying, "People of Mandya have voted for Sumalatha Ambareesh with the sole purpose of defeating Deve Gowda's family and his grandson. She has no capacity to get work done here and does not allow work to be done. If there is any work related to Mandya, please come to me and tell me. That woman is good for nothing," Pratap Simha had said.  Following this jab, Sumalatha Ambaressh refused to give a statement and on Monday, she told reporters that she did not deign to respond to Pratap Simha's statement as he failed to address her with the respect she rightly deserves. She countered the Mysuru-Kodagu MP's allegations and said that Pratap Simha was trying to mask his shortcomings by placing the blame on her door.  "You know how the ‘Pete Rowdys’ (city thugs) are, he (Pratap Simha) is behaving on those lines. I have listened to such condescending statements even during the election campaign. Even though KR Nagar falls under Mysuru Lok Sabha constituency, when I visit KR Nagar, people come to me with problems. They have no proper development there. They need proper roads, drains. I have spoken to Pratap Simha about it and when he did not bother, I was only trying to address the issue and help the people. I did not speak about it before because why should I publicise things that I have to do as my duty?" Sumalatha questioned.  Watch the video: Pratap Simha calls Mandya MP Sumalatha 'good for nothing' KR Nagar, which lies within Mandya district's geographical borders, comes under the Mysuru-Kodagu parliamentary segment. Sumalatha said that the people from KR Nagar come to her with their issues of lack of proper roads and sanitation facilities. She alleged that Pratap Simha has failed to perform his duties as an MP due to which the people went to her with their problems. Rebuffing Sumalatha's statement, Pratap Simha on Wednesday said that he wanted people from the economically weaker sections of the society to get opportunities to contest elections, whilst Sumalatha is an "actor who could not understand the nuances of social work". "She is an actor and she is ignorant about these issues.  I fail to understand her remarks about me. Maybe she was just acting out dialogues after going down memory lane because the media provoked her into a response. You don’t have to take her words seriously," Pratap Simha added.  He countered her allegation of "Pete Rowdy" and said that he would be inspired by her late husband and actor Ambareesh's role of the villain in the movie Nagarahavu.  Sumalatha pointed out that this was not the first time a male politician has passed a sexist comment against her. During the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, former Minister for Public Works and Deve Gowda's son HD Revanna had passed sexist comments against her. After public backlash, Revanna withdrew his statements against her. BJP sources said that Pratap Simha has been cautioned not to make derogatory statements against Sumalatha, stating that it could expose the party to speculation about an internal rift. Sources said that Pratap Simha is believed to have spoken against Sumalatha as her son Abhishek is looking to enter politics in the upcoming elections, which could put a dent in his popularity in the region. Sources said that a BJP national leader advised Pratap Simha to stop the war of words and remain cordial with his parliament colleague Sumalatha. 

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Bengaluru sees 933 new COVID-19 patients, active cases at 17,703

COVID-19

The city continues to have two containment zones, both in Mahadevapura.

TNM Staff

Bengaluru continued to report less than 1,000 COVID-19 cases, with the city reporting 933 new cases on Wednesday. This takes the tally of active cases in the city to 17,703. A total of 927 recoveries and 10 deaths were also reported on Wednesday. Cumulatively, the city has seen 3,59,539 COVID-19 cases, with 3,37,807 recoveries and 4,029 deaths. The city continues to have two containment zones, both in Mahadevapura. According to the bulletin by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, in the last 10 days, Mahadevapura reported the most cases at 17% of the new cases, Bengaluru South and Bengaluru East recorded 16% each, Bommanahalli and Bengaluru West 14%, Yelahanka 10%, RR Nagara 9%, and Dasarahalli 4%.  On Wednesday, Karnataka reported 1,791 new COVID-19 cases and 21 more deaths, taking the total number of infections to 8,65,931 and the toll to 11,578. The day also saw 1,947 patients getting discharged after recovery. As of November 18 evening, cumulatively 8,65,931 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 11,578 deaths and 8,29,188 discharges, the health department said in its bulletin. It said that out of 25,146 active cases, 24,510 patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while 636 are in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Ten out of the total of 21 deaths reported today were from Bengaluru Urban, followed by Dakshina Kannada, Dharwad and Hassan (two each), and Ballari, Kodagu, Mysuru, Tumakuru and Uttara Kannada (one each). Most of the deceased either had a history of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) or Influenza-like illness (ILI). Bengaluru Urban topped the districts where new cases were reported, accounting for 933, followed by Vijayapura 121, Mysuru 97, Tumakuru 86 and Hassan 71. The rest of the cases were scattered in other districts. Bengaluru Urban district also topped the list of positive cases, with a total of 3,59,539 infections, followed by Mysuru 49,697 and Ballari 37,956. Among discharges too Bengaluru Urban was on top with a total of 3,37,807 discharges, followed by Mysuru 47,985 and Ballari 37,092. A total of over 97,41,051 samples have been tested so far, out of which 97,042 were done on Wednesday alone and 28,703 among them were Rapid Antigen Tests. With PTI inputs

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