Rape accused Nithyananda announces 'visa' for 1 lakh people for his 'country' Kailasa

Controversy

The police in Karnataka and Gujarat are on the lookout for Nithyananda, who absconded earlier this year.

TNM Staff

While authorities in India are on the lookout for rape-accused Nithyananda, who is absconding and hiding somewhere in South America, the self-styled godman, who claimed to have founded a country Kailasa, is now planning to have at least 1 lakh people settle in this alleged country. However, this may also be a hoax as no one really knows where ‘Kailasa’ really is.  "I am planning for at least 100,000 people to settle in Kailasa," Nithyananda announced on Friday on the occasion of International Migrants Day. “Migration due to globalisation advances communication, transportation should be encouraged. But migration due to man made calamity needs to be addressed," he said He has also set up a Reserve Bank in Kailasa. Nithyananda has now started issuing visas for visitors. The visas are being issued for a visit to Kailasa, a Hindu sovereign nation, that was set up by the absconding godman. Nithyananda also announced that a flight will ferry visitors from Australia to the country he founded, 'Kailasa'. Nithyananda has said that visitors will be allowed to stay in 'Kailasa' for "not more than three days". He said that the visitors will be allowed to visit "Param Shiva" during their stay in the 'island nation'. Nithyananda also inaugurated the ‘emblem and official seal’ of Kailasa in August this year, which he says will be worn by members who are part of the ‘government of Kailasa.’ He says in the video that it is similar to the Papal Ring of the Vatican Church. In February this year, a trial court in Karnataka had issued a fresh non-bailable warrant against the self-styled godman in the 2010 rape case. Nithyananda is believed to have fled the country in 2018 and a blue corner notice has also been issued against him. Earlier this year, documents had shown that the rape-accused godman was believed to be running his business from a bank account in the Pacific island country called the Republic of Vanuatu. TNM had accessed an email sent by a confidante of Nithyananda to a person who sought details regarding payment for a puja asking disciples to deposit money in a bank account based out of Vanuatu. With inputs from IANS

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Mangaluru businessman's grandson abducted, kidnappers demand Rs 10 cr in bitcoin

Crime

The boy was rescued by two teams of police officials from Mangaluru and Kolar on Saturday.

TNM Staff

The Dakshina Kannada Police on Saturday rescued an 8-year-old boy, the grandson of a Mangaluru businessman, who was abducted on Friday. The abductors had demanded a ransom of bitcoins worth Rs 10 crore. A search had been launched for the boy on Friday by the Dakshina Kannada police.  A team of Mangaluru police along with another team of Kolar police, arrested four kidnappers — Manjunath, Gangadhar, Komal and Mahesh — on Saturday. The boy was kept at a house in Koorna Hosahalli in Kolar’s Malur taluk. The Belthangady Police have registered an FIR for kidnapping and criminal conspiracy. According to Daijiworld, Manjunath owned the house in Koorna Hosahalli. Mahesh, a water tank driver from Bengaluru’s Electronic City along with Gangadhar and Komal allegedly planned the abduction. The abductors reportedly reached Kolar with the boy on Friday night.  Abhinav, the grandson of businessman AK Shivan, was picked up by persons in a white Tata Indica, Indian Express had reported.  At 6.30 pm on Friday, Abhinav was playing outside his house with his grandfather Shivan watching him from inside. The police complaint states that four persons in a white Tata Indica picked up Abhinav within a minute and sped away even as AK Shivan was able to see the make and model of the abductors’ car but was unable to rescue him on time.  A few hours after Abhinav was abducted, his mother received a call from the abductors who demanded Rs 10 crore in bitcoin. The number from which the call was made was within Karnataka.  The teams that searched for Abhinav specialised in different investigation techniques, including in device tracking.  The investigators had earlier said that they believe the abductors knew about Abhinav’s father buying bitcoin recently.  

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BBMP’s double standards: No money for JB Nagar Rd repair but whitetopping 100 ft Rd

Civic Issues

The JB Nagar Main road has been in a state of mess for over six months and the road has become a nightmare for motorists.

Sanjana Deshpande

The roads in Jeevan Bima Nagar have been in a dilapidated condition for over six months now. The Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) dug up the road in March and have not amended it since then. While the lack of funds is cited as the reason for inaction, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is spending Rs 28 crore for whitetopping the 100ft road. When asked about the condition of the road, Mina Prabhu, a resident, said, “The roads in the locality were dug even before the pandemic-induced lockdown began and have been in a broken state since. The officials worked over some patches and have left the work incomplete.” She further added that the roads within the locality have been in a similar condition and have become a menace for the residents and is a nightmare for motorists. The concerned residents have no inkling as to when the roads will be restored. The BBMP official while speaking to TNM cited the lack of financial resources as the cause for the pending work. “The Karnataka High Court has directed that any agency that will dig up the road will have to pay road cutting costs and restore it. Once these regulations fall in place, we won’t face similar issues,” they added. Concurrently, the BBMP is spending Rs 28 crore public funds for one project: whitetopping Indiranagar’s 100-feet road which is currently in a reasonable condition. The decision of BBMP was not welcomed by the residents and members of a civic group I Change Indiranagar. They met the BBMP officials and submitted their requests pertaining to holding a public consultation. They dubbed the project as a “waste of public funds” and added that the funds could have been directed in the creation of pedestrian-friendly footpaths for the stretch and reparation of the roads instead.   

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FDA authorizes Moderna vaccine for emergency use

On Thursday, an independent FDA advisory panel endorsed use of the shot for people over 18.

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Pharmacies’ starring role in vaccine push could create unequal access

Public health experts say a broader mix of vaccination sites is needed to reach as many people as possible.

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Fauci, NIH yet to get Covid vaccine despite role developing it

Top infectious disease doctor waits on shot despite being "ready to go."

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Short film 'Poonam' wins awards at the 7th Art Independent International Film Festival

The short film Poonam bagged awards at the 7th Art Independent International Film Festival in the short film category. The film intended to create awareness on elder loneliness and their need for companionship

TNM Staff

Instagram/Poonam_Film

The team of short-film Poonam is overcome with joy as their film bags award for the ‘Best Short Film’ at the 7th Art Independent International Film Festival. The protagonists essayed by Meeta Vashishta and Rajit Kapur were conferred with the awards for ‘Best Actress’ and ‘Best Actor’ in the short film category respectively. Directed by Sanjay Sanwal, this is a social short film in English. Poonam revolves around two characters- Kapur’s Suraj and Vashisht’s Poonam who drifted apart while fulfilling their social responsibilities and find each other at crossroads when they have been abandoned and left alone. Meeta Vashishta and Rajit Kapur are known for doing justice to their characters. It was after inspecting data and research on elderly care that Poonam was conceptualized. The film looks beyond the ambit of physiological needs, living conditions and economic considerations. The film aims to inculcate understanding and awareness on the elderly plight—loneliness that is just like any other disease. Spike in loneliness among the elderly is attributed to the changing family dynamics. Imbibing the value that psychological health is equally important, the short film was scripted around the idea of tackling loneliness through elderly companionship that can bear an effect on the holistic health of the elderly. “Elderly Care and the loneliness that comes with its negligence is a cause that needs to be addressed by society, organizations and authorities with sensitivity and a sense of responsibility. It is high time much care is taken in streamlining simple facilities and revisiting policies for the ageing population. We decided to use the medium of film to tell the story of Poonam and Suraj to evoke a wave of introspection," said Shilpi Das Chohan, Founder, Shilpi's Voice & Visuals who produced the film. The film was shot in the city of Nainital, the hometown of the director. The picturesque view of the lake district of India was like the cherry on the cake.    

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