Medical procedure masks don’t always provide robust protection alone because air can leak around their edges.
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Wednesday, February 10, 2021
K'taka reservation demands: Govt will do what is possible within ambit of law, says CM
While the Panchamasali sect is asking for Category 2A status, the Kurubas are agitating for Scheduled Tribe tag.
Amid demands from various communities in the state for better reservation, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Wednesday said that his government would do whatever was possible within the ambit of the law and the Constitution. "We will put in honest efforts to do whatever is possible within the ambit of the Constitution and law. What has been done in other states in the country, I can do it here," he told reporters here in response to a question. The Chief Minister said the matter was being discussed and after consulting legal experts, the Advocate General and other important people, government would try to do whatever was possible. There have been demands to revise the reservation for the Panchamasali Lingayat, Kuruba and Valmiki communities. While the Panchamasali sect are asking for Category 2A status, the Kurubas are agitating for the Scheduled Tribe tag. The Valmiki community too has been demanding that the reservation for ST be hiked from 3 per cent to 7.5 per cent. Pontiffs of these politically influential communities are leading the agitation, pushing the Yediyurappa-led government to a difficult spot. Kudalasangama Panchamasali Mutt pontiff Basava Jaya Mrutyunjaya Swami, who is spearheading the Category 2A stir, is leading a padayatra to Bengaluru to press for their demand. Yediyurappa recently ordered the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes to prepare a report on including the Panchamasali sub-sect under Category 2A. The Kurubas too had recently organised a padayatra, led by Kaginele Kanakaguru Peeta seer Niranjanandapuri Swami, from Kaginele to Bengaluru and had organised a mammoth rally on Sunday near here, demanding the ST tag. They are currently OBCs in Karnataka. Meanwhile, Maharshi Valmiki Gurupeetha Seer Prasannananda Swami has warned that he would go on an indefinite fast if the hike in reservation was not announced within a month.
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‘Are we not human?’: Bengaluru sex workers face increased violence from police
The violence has made a bad situation worse for sex workers already struggling for livelihood during the pandemic.
Representative Image
Revathi*, a 39-year-old sex worker from Bengaluru, shows the faint bruise on her hand recalling how she was chased by the police and beaten up when she was having a cup of tea with her friends in a hotel in the city’s Majestic area. Like Revathi, other sex workers in the city too say they have been facing increased violence at the hands of the police, which intensified after November. They are chased, beaten, verbally abused and publicly humiliated, allege sex workers associated with Sadhana Mahila Sangha, an NGO that works for the welfare and rights of sex workers. While violence against sex workers by the police is not new, the community isn’t sure what has brought on the increased spate of violence now. However, compounded with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, sex workers say that the increased hostility from police has affected their livelihood. It has become all the more difficult for them to go out on the streets to look for work for fear of being humiliated and sexually assaulted. TNM had earlier reported that the community has been facing issues pertaining to access to healthcare, absence of safe spaces and lack of support from the government during the pandemic. “The police hit us, humiliate us and tell us that we are equal to garbage because we are sex workers. They ask us to find other jobs, but who will give us jobs? The government is not providing us with alternatives. Why don’t they provide solutions before incriminating us,” asks Nafisa*, a sex worker based in Majestic. Violence faced by sex workers “I’ve been doing sex work for 10 years now, we keep facing multiple issues. We’re told that we’re not worthy of respect and mercilessly beaten up. Are we not humans? We’re not committing any sin, we don’t do anything illegal,” says Revathi. She says financial constraints made her resort to sex work after she moved from Davangere to Bengaluru with her husband and children. A member from Sadhana Mahila Sangha tells TNM, “Many of the street-based sex workers come from impoverished backgrounds and are not educated. They have no other means of livelihood and hence turn to sex work. If violence is constantly inflicted on them by those who are meant to safeguard them, what will they do?” Anjali*, a 28-year-old sex worker, says that she ran away from home after she was married off at the age of 13. “The man was always interested in sex which did not feel right, so I fled from Rajasthan and went to Mumbai. I knew nothing then and resorted to sex work and that’s what I’ve been doing since then. I never faced any brutality until three years ago when I moved here,” she says. She adds that she continued doing sex work because she never got assistance from anyone and had to look after her seven sisters ever since her parents passed away when she was merely 17. Apart from being subjected to brute force, the women allege that they have been sexually harassed; their sarees pulled, and bags snatched. Further, they say that when they are arrested, nine out of 10 the police team constitutes all male officers. “Fines from Rs 200-500 are also collected from the women to let them free,” adds the Sadhana Mahila Sangha member. “I was once arrested at 6 pm and let go at midnight,” says Anjali, while Revathi recalls how she was detained at 4 pm and beaten up until 11.30 in the night before she was freed. Impact on health, well-being The women say that the humiliation and abuse from the police leaves them not only severely bruised, but impacts their health and well-being too. “I ended up with bruises all over my body after I was beaten with lathis. I have depression and issues with body weight… unlike others, I can’t run or hide quickly. The incident shook me, I’m still recovering from it,” says Nafisa*. She was stopped by the police when she was heading to see her doctor in Majestic and detained on suspicions. Other sex workers add that they are facing difficulties in getting customers due to the alleged abuse from the police. Many women have also ended up with fractured legs or hands, resulting in a complete halt of work in these difficult times. “Although we get some business it is not enough to survive with the mounting expenses and increased price of essentials. During the lockdown, we had no work and even now, due to the persisting abuse meted out to us, we have very less business. It’s getting increasingly difficult to run our households,” says Rani*, another sex worker based in the city. Next steps In a bid to get respite from the humiliation and violence, the sex workers approached a group of lawyers who assisted them in seeking justice. However, owing to the lack of video evidence, the sex workers instead had to face accusatory remarks from the institutions of justice. “We wrote letter after letter to all the higher-level officers but in vain. The violence subsides for a few days but the situation then returns to what it was before. Will we be denied justice just because we don’t have video evidence?” asks Nafisa, who underwent a medical check-up and obtained a report after she was beaten up by the police. Advocate Poorna, who has been working closely with the women, says that they flagged the issue with the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), which took cognisance of three cases and the verdicts were in the favour of sex workers. “The Inspector-General of Police and Director General of Police were asked to submit a report to the SHRC, which they have. In spite of all these efforts, the violence has not stopped,” she adds. Poorna says they have now submitted a memorandum to higher officials in the police department. The memorandum mentions all the legal rights conferred to sex workers and the provisions that safeguard them along with testimonies from 25 women who faced harassment. Poorna adds, “The officials have assured us that they will take steps to increase harmony between the sex workers’ community and the police. We also have a meeting coming up with the officials to discuss all the issues and ways to resolve them.” *Name changed
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Bengaluru cops arrest 2 men for allegedly peddling hash oil, ganja worth Rs 12 lakh
The two men, who are natives of Kerala, sourced the ganja and hashish oil from Andhra Pradesh, said the police.
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) arrested two drug peddlers in Bengaluru and seized 1.3 litres of hashish oil and two kilograms of ganja worth Rs 12 lakh. The accused, identified as Anagesh and Mohammed Farris, both natives of Kerala, were peddling the contrabands in the city. A case has been registered against the two accused in Mahadevapura Police Station of Bengaluru. “On February 8, we received information that two people have been supplying hashish oil and ganja in Doddanekundi locality in Bengaluru. Acting on the information, we conducted a raid at the men’s residence the same day and found the contrabands packed into little packages meant for sale across the city. We seized everything and took the two into custody,” CCB officer Ashok, who headed the raid, told TNM. He further added that the two peddlers were allegedly sourcing the hashish oil and ganja from Andhra Pradesh. “After we conducted the raid and the preliminary interrogation, we handed over the case to Mahadevapura police, who are now conducting further investigation. It has not been determined yet if the two have more accomplices,” said Ashok. A first information report (FIR) has been registered against the two accused in Mahadevapura Police station under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985; they have been produced in the court. The Mahadevapura officer investigating the case said that the two men are in judicial custody and that the investigation is underway. The Bengaluru Police have been cracking down on drug peddlers in the city. Anti-narcotics wing of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) on February 1 had unearthed another drug racket in Bengaluru’s Ramamurthy Nagar involving foreign nationals. They reportedly recovered MDMA crystals valued at Rs 75 lakh from the four accused. In another case on January 28, the Bengaluru police had seized hashish oil and marijuana, valued around Rs 35 lakh, from a man who was pursuing Chartered Accountant's course.
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Watch: Short docu on bonded labour in Karnataka shows it’s not a relic of the past
The 10-minute documentary has been made by the Karnataka Rural Development Panchayat Raj Department along with International Justice Mission.
Screenshot
February 9, 2021 marked 45 years since the Indian Parliament enacted The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act. However, the inhuman system of exploitation is not yet a relic of the past in India. A short documentary made by the Karnataka Rural Development Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Department in partnership with International Justice Mission (IJM), an NGO that works against bonded labour and other forms of violent oppression, released on Tuesday, shows the ordeal of people who were once trapped in bondage. The documentary sheds light on the brutal conditions in which these people work – long working hours, no pay, physical and mental abuse, and severe constraints on freedom of movement, access to basic necessities such as food, water and medicine. Featuring interviews of people who were once bonded labourers, the documentary has them recount ordeals of slavery and exploitation which trapped them from a few years to decades. It also highlights how caste intersects with bonded labour, as many of those rescued are from Scheduled Caste communities, and find themselves trapped in debt that spurs bondage that is passed down from one generation to another. Their situation also renders them entirely at the mercy of the owner, compelled to do more than the work they signed up for. Annapoorna, who was formerly a Bitti Chakra labourer for eight years, says, “We have to do whatever they ask us to do. If they ask us to clean the floor, we have to clean. If they ask us to wash clothes, we need to wash. If they ask us to clean the pots, we have to.” She adds, “Nobody would do this dirty work except people belonging to the scheduled caste.” Bitti Chakri implies ‘free work’ without remuneration, and is passed through generations based on traditional caste obligations. Another couple – Rajappa and Munilakshmyamma – recount that they had just borrowed Rs 500 for which they were kept in bondage for 24 years at a rock quarry. Further, many things could be products of bonded labour that we do not know of. Calling bonded labour an organised crime, M Prathima, the head of Strategic Management at IJM, says, “We may be inadvertently supporting products made by bonded labourers. For example, it may be the bricks used in our buildings, products we use in everyday lives such as silk sarees, garments, or our shoes, bags, and even the incense sticks we offer to god, or maybe even our favourite snack, panipuri. Bonded labour is all around us and yet hidden in plain sight.” It is often linked to human trafficking, unsafe migration and criminal networks. Watch the documentary here. Releasing the documentary, the RDPR Department and the Department of Social Welfare jointly organised a rehabilitation camp on February 9, 2021 for released bonded labourers and manual scavengers in 24 districts of Karnataka. Survivors were made aware of the various state schemes they are eligible for, and given the option to register for them. Further, Minister of RDPR KS Eshwarappa met and interacted with released bonded labourers on February 5, 2021 to understand their issues during bondage and after their release.
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Karnataka pvt school associations to stage protest against 30% fee cut
The private school associations in Karnataka have asked that the fee cut be withdrawn or be limited to 15 per cent.
Representative Image/PTI
Six private school associations across Karnataka have planned to protest against the state government’s decision asking schools to take a 30 per cent cut in the tuition fee and to halt other additional payments, like development fees. Stakeholders of the six associations, comprising school managements, teachers and non-teaching staff, met on Tuesday and demanded that the decision be repealed by February 23, failing which they will launch a protest in Bengaluru. The associations’ decision comes two days after they met Medical Education and Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar and submitted a memorandum asking that the fees concession be limited to 15 per cent. Apart from asking the government to repeal the fee cut, associations have also asked for grants from the government for the non-teaching staff to ease their financial hardships and fill the lacuna created by the lack of funds with the schools, owing to the non-payment of dues and the subsequent fee cut. Shashi Kumar, the general secretary of Associated Managements of English Medium schools in Karnataka (KAMS), said during the meeting that the government needs to withdraw the order of the blanket fee cut. He added the fee concession should be announced after taking into consideration the financial status of the parents and the school accordingly. "Obtaining No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from governmental departments like Public Works Department, pertaining to the safety regulations of the infrastructure, is proving cost extensive. With the blanket fee cut, school managements are struggling to resolve the financial crunch. We demand that government issue us a renewal of these certificates as early as possible," he said. He alleged that schools are not immune from the corrupt practices being carried out by the Block Education Officer (BEO) and Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI)-level officials in the Education Department. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he alleged the malpractices have become “atrocious” and has asked the government to safeguard the schools. The six associations have also demanded accreditation of infrastructural developments to be made under the safety norms of the Child Safety Act and Department of Women and Child Welfare. Citing the disruption in students’ learning as the reason, the school associations also demanded that like in other states, physical classes for Classes 1 to 5 should resume in Karnataka as well.
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BMTC and KSRTC workers to hold protest on Wednesday
Employees of the transport corporations alleged that they are being overworked and are not being paid full salaries.
A section of workers employed in various road transport corporations in Karnataka, including the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), are set to protest on Wednesday over a range of issues, including the delay in the payment of their salaries. However, the employees and transport corporations said that bus services will not be affected during the protests. Uday Kumar GS from the Employees Association of Road Transport Corporations told The Hindu that 300 to 400 employees, who are off-duty, will participate in the protests and that the workers had planned it to ensure that they bring their concerns to the notice of authorities without hindering the bus services. The employees alleged that they are being overworked and are not being paid full salaries, making it difficult for many to make ends meet. The employees demanded timely payment of their salaries and a reduction of work hours for women. The demands will be sent to Transport Minister Laxman Savadi in the form of a memorandum. Laxman Savadi is also the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka. Savadi issued a media statement on Monday, appealing to the employees to understand the financial realities of the state government. "Today (Tuesday) we had a meeting to discuss the needs of bus transport workers and some unions say they want to present their demands again. We have compassion for their pleas but there will be no change in bus schedule tomorrow. Let there be no confusion about this," the statement said. It added that some demands of the workers were fulfilled and said that half of the salaries for December 2020 and January 2021 were released. "The delay is due to COVID-19's impact on transport corporations. I appeal to the workers to understand the financial realities of the government," Savadi added. BMTC officials maintained that the protest was being called by a section seeking to highlight internal labour problems, and demanding timely payment of salaries and reduction of work hours for women, among others. “They will submit a memorandum, which we will look into, but services will not be affected,” an official said. In December last year, bus services across Karnataka were crippled after thousands of drivers and conductors of state-run road transport corporations decided to go on a strike demanding that they be made government employees with all benefits. The stand-off between road corporation workers and the state government caused much inconvenience to people.
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