Video: Leopard takes a walk in medical college quarters in Karnataka

The incident occurred at the Chamarajanagar Institute of Medical Sciences and was caught on CCTV.

TNM Staff

A leopard entered the Chamarajanagar Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS) doctors’ quarters in Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka on Wednesday. CCTV footage showed the leopard entering the doctors’ quarters on campus around 9:30 pm. In the video, the leopard is seen running through a corridor, turning back and looking into a room before exiting the corridor again.  Dr GM Sanjeev, Dean and Director of CIMS, told TNM that the doctors’ quarters is close to the college campus in Yadapura village. He denied that the leopard was near the hospital, stating that the main hospital building is 8 km away in Chamarajanagara town. “The doctors’ quarters is located next to forest land and it is common to sight leopards in the area. This time the leopard entered the doctors quarters briefly for a minute. It was caught on the CCTV. There was no issue caused by this,” Dr Sanjeev said. According to Dr Sanjeev, leopard sightings in the quarters are not uncommon. Incidents of sightings have been reported a few times in the past as well. CIMS is affiliated with the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) and admits 150 medical students every year. It maintains a 300-bed district hospital at B Rachaiah Double Road in Chamarajanagara town. The institute was started by the Karnataka government and it was registered in the year 2013.  In 2019, a video of a leopard trying to sink its teeth into a porcupine near Chamarajanagar had gone viral. The incident happened at the Chamarajanagar-Satymangalamroad, which comes under the Biligiriranga Hills Tiger Reserve (BRT). A few travellers going down the road late at night captured the video, which showed the leopard trying to bite the porcupine, and the porcupine spreading its quills and deflecting the leopard’s attacks. 

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Bengaluru metro: Yelanchelli-Anjanapura route likely to open from Jan 15

Transport

The extension will connect the far end of the southeastern part of the city to the northern tip.

Soumya Chatterjee

he long-awaited Namma Metro line between Yelachenalli and Anjanapura in Bengaluru will be inaugurated by Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa at Konanakunte cross station on January 14, said Ajay Seth, Managing Director, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL). Along with Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh will take part in the ceremony scheduled at 4.30 pm, through video conferencing. Metro train services on the 6.29 km line between Yelanchelli and Anjanapura are likely to commence from January 15, a day after its inauguration. The metro rail extension is the first project under Phase 2 of the Namma Metro Project in Bengaluru, which was commissioned after multiple delays. The Commissioner of Railway Safety had given clearance for the Yelanchelli- Anjanapura project two months ago while laying down several conditions. At present, the metro has two lines —- the Purple Line between Baiyyappanahalli and Mysore Road which runs for 18.08 km and the Green Line between Nagasandra and Yelachenahalli which spans 24.22 km. The 6.29 km metro line between Yelanchelli and Anjanapura is an elevated extension of the existing Green Line of Namma Metro. The stretch constitutes five metro stations —- Konanakunte Cross, Doddakallasandra, Vajrahalli, Thalaghattapura and Anjanapura. This connects the far end of the southeastern part of the city to the northern tip. Meanwhile, the BMRCL plans to commence metro train operations between Mysore Road-Kengeri in the Purple Line and Nagasandra-Bangalore International Exhibition Centre in the Green Line. To a question about possible requirements of additional trains for the new Yellanchelli-Anjanapura metro stretch and upcoming extensions, Seth told the Deccan Herald, “The train sets will be deployed as needed...More trains will be needed only when we commence Whitefield line."

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My party will sink if I ally with BJP: HD Kumaraswamy to TNM

Interview

In an interview with TNM, the JD(S) leader said Nikhil and Prajwal Revanna will play a major role in rebuilding the party.

Naheed Ataulla

File Image | PTI

Former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy seems to have ended speculations about the JD(S) renewing its alliance with the BJP for now. With the JD(S) faring poorly in recent elections, Kumaraswamy plans to overhaul it from the grassroots level. In an interview with TNM before the party workers meet in Bengaluru on Thursday, the JD(S) leader said his focus is rebuilding the party on the foundation of cadre and youth support. Even though Kumaraswamy ruled out any change of guard at the state level, Congress MLC CM Ibrahim meeting JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda at his residence on Thursday has triggered speculations of his joining the party. Ibrahim is reportedly unhappy with the Congress for not giving him any post in the party. If he joins the JD(S), he is likely to be appointed the state unit president, a post which he headed in 1994. Here are some excerpts from the interview: Is the JD(S) leadership confused over taking a firm stand on whether to ally or merge with the BJP? There is no confusion over the issue as the question of an alliance or a merger with the BJP does not arise at all. The confusion was created by the media. Looking at the way in which the BJP is conducting itself and taking a stand on issues, if the JD(S) decides to ally or merge, my party will sink. The JD(S) support to the BJP is very clear – it will be issue based. It’s true that a section of the BJP leaders who are unhappy with Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa approached me with the merger proposal as they did not have any alternate leader to replace Yediyurappa. I turned down the proposal at the outset. Talks of a merger or alliance are only to tarnish the JD(S) image. If allying with the BJP will sink the JD(S), how do you justify your statement that the goodwill you’d earned during the JD(S)-BJP coalition government in 2006-2007 was lost by tying up with the Congress in 2018? Yes, my political image took a beating when the JD(S) agreed to form the government with the Congress in 2018. The Congress agreed to give unconditional support to my becoming the chief minister. But from the day the cabinet was constituted, they wanted everything done according to their demands. They insisted on getting particular portfolios, and when it came to transfer of bureaucrats, which is the prerogative of the CM, the Congress interfered in the department of personnel and administrative reforms. Statements by former CM Siddaramaiah that the JD(S) was the ‘B’ team of the BJP and asking his party workers to hold on till the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 dented my image. I agreed to join hands with the Congress only to respect the feelings of HD Deve Gowda. What are your plans to revive the party, with the workers’ morale down and talks about some JD(S) MLAs planning to join the Congress or BJP? I’m preparing for the Assembly elections in 2023 which the JD(S) will contest independently in all 224 constituencies. The groundwork for this will start after Sankranthi. Since 2008, many JD(S) legislators have left the party for many reasons, including not getting a ticket. In every election, the JD(S) has managed to retain its vote share of 19% to 20% and losing some 15 seats by a margin of 400 votes. I will be building a booth level cadre and also fine-tuning programmes for farmers. My loan waiver programme for farmers did not get publicity because of Siddaramaiah. Building a cadre-based party from the booth level, which the BJP had started, seems to be the new fad with the Congress and JD(S)? It’s not possible to function in politics without a cadre-based party. My priority will be to give more representation to youth and also tickets to them in the Assembly polls. The JD(S) office-bearers committee will be dissolved and restructured. I plan to go back to the system of having just four general secretaries in charge of the four revenue divisions in Karnataka. This was the system during the old Janata Party and Congress (O) days. Presently, the party has 25 general secretaries, some who are just visiting card carrying members and the president may not know them. With representation to youth being your priority, will Nikhil Kumaraswamy be getting a bigger role in the party? You had plans to engage political strategist Prashant Kishor to overhaul the party. Yes, Nikhil and Prajwal Revanna (former Minister HD Revanna’s son) will be taking on more responsibilities. They will be playing a major role in rebuilding the party. I only had some preliminary discussions with Kishor on the JD(S) concept to revive it. There is speculation that Deve Gowda may pass on the national leadership mantle to you? There is no such proposal. The parental body will continue and there will be no change of guard either at the national or the state level. These speculations cropped due to Deve Gowda’s health issues. Naheed Ataulla is a journalist who has covered Karnataka politics for over two decades, and is a former Political Editor of The Times of India. Views expressed are the author’s own.

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Karnataka annual bird fest Hakki Habba to continue amid bird flu alert

Wildlife

The forest department has increased vigilance to safely celebrate the three-day bird festival amid the emergence of bird flu

TNM Staff

Representational image

The emergence of bird flu in Kerala and the other states has prompted the Karnataka government to issue an alert in the state. A high alert was issued in four districts that border Kerala: Dakshina Kannada, Mysuru, Madikeri and Udupi. However, the state's annual bird watching fest, which began on Tuesday in Mysuru, is set to continue on schedule.  The annual birdwatching festival, popularly known as Hakki Habba, kicked off at the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve in Chamarajnagar near Mysuru. The three-day festival was started in 2015 by the Karnataka Forest Department, in a bid to create awareness about the environment and to attract more people to the cause of bird conservation. The festival also aids in finding birds that are largely seen only in the region and to make note of new species that fly in. Santhosh, the Indian Forest Officer in-charge said, “The government has issued special guidelines. We have been asked to report any unnatural deaths among the birds. The veterinary doctors present at the festival have been monitoring the bird’s health.” The guidelines issued by the government read, “Further, in view of the fact that a large number of migratory birds visit India during this season, movement of birds to wetlands is also possible and it is requested to keep a strict vigil on the wintering habitats of migratory birds, including wetlands, for any mortality or disease outbreak signs.” The guidelines also said that the infected birds need to be kept in containment zones. The officer further added that to keep the event safe, they have taken necessary measures and have ensured limited exposure of the birds since the reserve sees a large number of migratory birds in the season. Karnataka dealt with an episode of bird flu in Mysuru last year.

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Setback for BSY as Karnataka HC refuses to drop illegal denotification case

Controversy

The case is related to alleged criminal conspiracy and forgery of documents in 2012 during Yediyurappa's first term as Chief Minister.

PTI

In a blow for Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, the Karnataka High Court has restored a complaint alleging forgery over withdrawal of approval for a parcel of land and refused to quash an FIR filed against him in an 'illegal' land de-notification case of 2015. Justice John Michael Cunha on Wednesday partly allowed a petition by Alam Pasha and accordingly set aside the August 26, 2016 order of additional city civil and sessions judge related to three of the four accused, including Yediyurappa, dismissing the complaint. The case under Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act related to alleged criminal conspiracy and forgery of documents purported to have been issued by Pasha in 2012 when Yediyurappa was the chief minister in his first term. Besides Yediyurappa (the then chief minister), former minister for industries Murugesh Nirani, former principal secretary VP Baligar and former managing director of Karnataka Udyog Mitra Shivaswamy K are the other accused. They have been accused by the petitioner of committing forgery of documents purported to have been issued by her seeking to withdraw the approval granted for allotment of 26 acres of land at Devanahalli Industrial Area in Bengaluru Rural District. Initially, the lower court had in 2013 dismissed a complaint filed by her on ground that sanction to prosecute the accused had not been obtained. The petitioner filed a fresh complaint in 2014 after Yediyurappa demitted office, but it was also dismissed by the lower court on August 26, 2016 on the same ground, though giving liberty to approach the court after getting prior sanction from competent authority. The petitioner submitted that since the respondents were no longer in office, sanction for their prosecution was not necessary. Concurring with it, Justice Cunha ruled that the quashing of the earlier complaint for want of sanction would not act as a bar to maintain the latest complaint filed in 2014 after the respondents demitted office. The high Court upheld the lower court order in respect of Baligar, the third respondent, as the government did not grant sanction to prosecute him. The court ordered, "The impugned order is set aside. The complaint in PCR No 32/2014 is directed to be restored to file, insofar as respondent No 1, 2 and 4 are concerned and the same shall be proceeded with in accordance with law." Earlier, Justice Cunha, in his order on Tuesday, directed the Lokayukta police to go ahead with its probe against Yediyurappa and others including a former minister in the alleged illegal land de-notification case. The court also imposed Rs 25,000 cost on Yediyurappa. The case relates to the de-notification of 1.11 acre land at Gangenahalli, which is part of the Matadahalli layout in RT Nagar in the city in which former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy and others are also accused. Based on a complaint by social activist Jayakumar Hiremath, the Lokayukta police had registered a case under section 420 of the IPC (cheating) against the accused in 2015. Earlier on December 23, the court had rejected Yediyurappa's plea to quash criminal proceedings in another land denotification case.

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Karnataka to bring in ‘Love Jihad Act’ soon: Minister

Love Jihad

The statement came as the Supreme Court decided to examine the legality of an ordinance passed by the Uttar Pradesh cabinet on the issue.

IANS

Representational image

Karnataka Minority Welfare and Textiles Minister Shrimant Balasaheb Patil on Wednesday said that very shortly the 'Love Jihad Act' will be enacted in the state. The Love Jihad Act is the name given by the BJP to a law to prevent 'forcible conversions' through marriage. This term was first coined by right wing activists in Mangaluru in 2000 and is considered a bogey propagated by right-wing groups, claiming that men from the Muslim community are marrying women from other religious faiths, particularly Hindu women, and forcing them to convert to Islam. The statement came as the Supreme Court decided to examine the legality of an ordinance passed by the Uttar Pradesh cabinet on the issue. It may be recalled that Uttar Pradesh had enacted an ordinance against forcible or fraudulent religious conversions, which provides for imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 50,000 under different categories. Patil on Wednesday told reporters that there is no confusion within the ruling BJP in the state over bringing the Love Jihad Act. "This is a very huge subject involving many aspects. Therefore, various departments are trying to elicit opinions through consultation with experts. At present, the legal department is deliberating about this with experts," he explained. He also added that the government is also contemplating to introduce scholastic syllabus in Madrasas. "We want to bring reforms in Madrasas. There is a need for those who come out of these schools to directly take admission in ITI courses," he said. One of the vocal proponents of the Love Jihad Act is Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister KS Eshwarappa, who has been saying that Love Jihad is an international conspiracy, and there is a racket that traps young girls on the pretext of love. "People should be aware of those exploiting young girls and converting them to their religion. We should systematically remove this racket from our society. Conventions like today will create awareness about this," he had said while demanding the BJP to come out with a stringent law.  It is important to note that no term called ‘love jihad’ is defined in current Indian laws. During a Parliamentary session in the Lok Sabha in February 2020, Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy had said that no case of ‘love jihad’ has been reported by any of the central agencies. “Article 25 of the Constitution provides the freedom to profess, practice and propagate religion subject to public order, morality and health. Various courts have upheld this view, including the Kerala High Court,” he said in his reply at the session. Two months ago, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had formally announced that the government would take strong measures to put an end to religious conversion in the name of love and marriage. Since Yediyurappa's formal announcement, credence to enact laws has only grown in proportion. BJP state unit president Nalin Kumar Kateel has been regularly tweeting and demanding that a stringent law against 'Love Jihad' is needed in Karnataka.

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Karnataka's Class 10 exams to be held in June, PU-II exams in May

Education

Education Minister S Suresh Kumar on Wednesday said that the syllabus and a detailed schedule will be announced later.

IANS

Karnataka will hold Class 10 or the  Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) Board Examination (Class 10) in the first week of June while the board examination of Class 12 (Pre-University or PU-II) will be held in the second week of May for the 2020-21 academic year. This was announced by Karnataka Education Minister S Suresh Kumar on Wednesday through his official Twitter handle.He added that all the details regarding the exam, and the syllabus will be sent to schools by the government. This decision comes after Karnataka decided to reopen its schools and PU colleges after a prolonged closedown of over nine months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools for students studying in Class 10 and 12. Classes for Class 6 to 9 reopened on January 1 will continue following Vidyagama scheme. Since the schools reopened, attendance continues to grow among Class 10, 12 and Vidyagama students. Of the 4,24,250 students enrolled in 5,492 PU colleges in the state, as many as 2,42,886 (57.25 %) were present and out of 9,29,130 enrolled in Class 10 in 16,850 high schools of the state board, as many as 4,77,051, (51.34 %) were present on Tuesday. Vidyagama saw an attendance of 6,30,557 students which was more than the four lakh odd students that were present on Monday. But on a flip side, over 50 teachers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus across seven districts so far and in some districts like Chitradurga, the district administration had close down schools, where six teachers tested positive. In Chikkamagaluru, four students, who went to schools in Mudigere, Kadur and Chikkamagaluru town tested positive as well. Following this, several schools were shut for sanitisation and the district administrations will decide whether they will reopen or not in the next three days.

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