Archives for July 2023

BENGALURU: Former UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is expected to attend the all-opposition parties’ meeting scheduled in Bengaluru on July 17 and 18, said Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar here on Monday.

Interestingly, Congress is planning a massive silent protest on July 12 against Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as Lok Sabha member, terming it a ‘BJP conspiracy’. Political analysts wondered if Rahul’s removal would be included as an agenda in the opposition parties’ meeting.

Shivakumar said, “We unitedly condemn the conspiracy to try to harm him politically. Opposition parties should send out a message that they and the entire country is behind Rahul.’’

He said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, cabinet ministers, party national general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, MPs, MLAs, Congress workers and supporters will hold the day-long protest at Freedom Park from 10 am on Wednesday. “AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge has given the call for the protest at all major centres across the country. I appeal to all party workers in the state to take part in this protest,’’ he added.

“BJP is jealous and unable to bear the sight of love and affection showered on Rahul during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. He was disqualified virtually overnight. Let us not forget that the party won all the seats along the route that he took during the yatra in the state,’’ he said.

“As the first yatra was such a success, Rahul’s political advisors have told him to take another yatra from east to west. In the meantime, BJP has hatched this cruel conspiracy as they are unable to tolerate his success and popularity,” he said.

On scrapping Muslim reservations, he said, “We will discuss the matter at length. I will come back with the government’s response after getting complete information.”

On most states not interested in buying rice from the Food Corporation of India (FCI), he said, “We want to buy rice from FCI and we are not asking it for free.”

Asked about his visit to Indira Canteen on Sunday, he said, “I urge all MLAs to visit Indira Canteens at least once a week and see how they are functioning.’’ On the murder of Jain seer Acharya Kamakumar Nandi Maharaj, he said, “Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara will respond to this because the police are investigating the matter.”

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said water supply may be affected in parts of the city with the shutting down of treatment plants at Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla following rising levels of the Yamuna.

Thursday morning, inundating nearby streets and public and private infrastructure, and causing immense hardships to people living in close proximity to the river.

It is expected to rise further, according to the Central Water Commission, which has termed it an “extreme situation”.

“The water treatment plants at Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla are being shut due to the rising Yamuna water level. Due to this, there will be a problem with water supply in some areas. These plants will start functioning as soon as the Yamuna water recedes,” he tweeted in Hindi.

BHOPAL: A day after male cheetah Tejas died in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park (KNP), the post-mortem report revealed that the feline was “internally weak” and was unable to recover from a “traumatic shock” after a violent fight with a female cheetah, a forest official said on Wednesday.

Tejas, who was treated the KNP, was brought from South Africa in February this year and was about five-and-a-half years old.

The cheetah died in the park on Tuesday, the official said.

The cheetah weighed around 43 kilograms, which is less than the weight of normal male cheetahs and his internal body parts were not functioning properly.

The chances of his turning healthy in such a situation were quite less, the report said.

Possibly because of being internally weak, Tejas was unable to recover from the trauma after the violent clash with a female cheetah, it said.

“Prima facie, the cause of the death is traumatic shock,” the report said, adding the samples of Tejas’s internal body parts were sent to the Jabalpur-based School of Wildlife Forensic and Health for further examination.

The death of Tejas is yet another blow to the central government’s cheetah reintroduction programme launched with much fanfare in September last year.

BENGALURU: Police arrested three persons, including the main accused, Felix alias Joker Felix, at Kunigal in Tumakuru district on Wednesday in connection with the murder of the MD and CEO of a company providing internet services in the city on Tuesday.

While P Shabarish alias Felix alias Joker Felix (27) hails from Devarachikkanahalli on Bannerghatta Road, the other accused have been identified as V Vinay Reddy (23) of Roopena Agrahara and S Santosh alias Santhu (26) of Marenahalli.

Meanwhile, the investigation of the case has taken several twists and turns with the accused giving conflicting statements during their interrogation. Initially, it was suspected that business rivalry between the victims and Felix was the reason for the double-murder. The police are probing the involvement of the owner of another company providing broadband and ISP services on Bannerghatta Road where the two victims and Felix were working.

The latest twist to the case is the fight over a woman colleague between one of the victims and Felix. The woman working with the firm on Bannerghatta Road is said to be close to Felix. Subramanyam, one of the victims, who was working at the firm on Bannerghatta Road, was getting closer to the woman after divorcing his wife.

It is also alleged that he had fired Felix in order to keep him away from her. Meanwhile, the police picked up the owner of the firm on Bannerghatta Road on Wednesday for interrogation. After the double-murder, Felix made several calls to him. He was picked up from Kempegowda International Airport.

Cops probing biz rivalry angle

Subramanyam and Vinu Kumar, the victims, were earlier working with the firm on Bannerghatta Road. They later quit the firm and opened Aironics Media Private Limited at Amruthahalli. Police are investigating if there was any business rivalry between the owner of the firm on Bannerghatta Road and the two victims. During the investigation, it was learnt that Subramanyam used to force the former woman colleague to join his firm, which angered Felix.

“The police are investigating if the broadband firm’s owner has any role in the case. However, he has not been arrested. As of now, three persons have been arrested. We are probing all angles. The fight between one of the victims and the main accused over the woman is also being investigated. It is too early to come to any conclusion,” Raman Gupta, Additional Commissioner of Police (East), told The New Indian Express.

Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar recently shared a news report on Twitter, shedding light on the allegations made against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the President of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). The chargesheet filed by the Delhi Police states that Singh is “liable to be prosecuted and punished for offences of sexual harassment, molestation, and stalking.” Shivakumar expressed his satisfaction that the truth has been revealed for all to witness.

The chargesheet pertains to six wrestlers who have accused Singh of 15 incidents of sexual harassment, including inappropriate touching and stalking. Furthermore, 15 witnesses have corroborated the allegations. Shivakumar emphasized the significant sacrifices made by the wrestlers to have their voices heard, describing the backlash they faced as “unbelievably ridiculous.” The wrestlers endured mockery, vilification, and online trolling while bravely speaking out against the grave injustice they experienced.

These athletes also organized protests on multiple occasions. In May, prominent wrestlers such as Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat were even detained by the Delhi Police when they attempted to march towards the new Parliament building. Subsequently, FIRs were filed against them.

Shivakumar posed pertinent questions, raising concerns about whether the top sports administrator will finally be held accountable for his actions. Additionally, he questioned whether the ruling party in the country will take concrete actions that align with their “Beti Bachao” (Save the Daughter) campaign.

Taking to Twitter, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar stated, “The price paid by our wrestlers just to get their voice heard is unbelievably ridiculous. They were mocked, vilified, trolled for calling out the injustice done to them. Today, when the truth has come out for all to see, with the wrestlers vindicated, will the culprit finally be taken to task? Will the ruling regime finally walk the talk on ‘Beti Bachao’?”

Shimla : A helicopter from the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been requisitioned to airlift the tourists stranded at Chandertal in Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh while a rescue team from Kaza has reached Kunzum Top and is just eight kilometres away from the lake, Principal Secretary, Revenue, Onkar Chand Sharma said on Tuesday.

Around 300 people, mostly tourists, are stuck in camps at Chandertal, located at an altitude of 14,100 feet, following rain and snowfall in the region.

“Two of them were facing breathing issues due to the high altitude and they would be airlifted,” Sharma said.

All the stranded people would be evacuated to safe places by Tuesday night, he said, adding that about 100 people were rescued from different places in the hill state on Monday.

Two teams have been deputed for road restoration — one from the Losar side and the other from Kaza. The team comprises members of the administration, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), police and local villagers, the officials said.

Sharma informed that since the onset of monsoon on June 24, the state has suffered a loss of Rs 780 crore and the figure is expected to go up as excessive damage has been caused to roads, bridges and water supply schemes.

As many as 1,239 roads, including the Shimla-Kalka and Manali-Chandigarh national highways, are blocked due to heavy downpour over the last three days, according to the state emergency operation centre.

Bus service is suspended on 1,416 routes of the Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation (HRTC) while 679 buses are held en route, transport officials said on Tuesday.

The supply of essential items was hit in several areas of the hill state, including Shimla and Manali, as the Chandigarh-Manali and Shimla-Kalka national highways were closed following landslides, caving in of roads and flooding.

Several areas in Kullu and Mandi remained without electricity as 2,577 transformers were disrupted while the water supply was also affected in several areas, including state capital Shimla, as 1,418 water supply schemes have suffered damage.

Manali town and the adjoining areas remained cut off for almost a day as roads were blocked due to landslides. Mobile connectivity has also been disrupted.

The rains have stopped since Monday evening and the rescue operations and road restoration work have gained pace as the water level in the rivers has subsided, Kullu Deputy Commissioner Ashutosh Garg said. “We are hopeful that mobile networks would start working in Manali during the day,” he added.

Men and machinery have been deployed to restore road connectivity in Manali, Kasol and the Parvati valley and the Manali road would be cleared for light vehicles soon, Garg said, adding that relief camps have been set up in Kullu and Manali and those stranded are being taken care of.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu would visit Kullu, Lahaul and spiti and Mandi during the day, and conduct an aerial survey of the affected areas.

There were also reports of landslides in Shamti, in the suburbs of Solan, damaging two houses and an office.

The meteorological department has warned of the possibility of moderate to high flash floods in Shimla, Sirmaur and Kinnaur districts.

Heavy to very heavy rain lashed parts of Sirmaur, Shimla, Mandi and Kinnaur districts. Nahan received 250 mm rain, followed by Dhaulakuan (138.5 mm), Jubberhatti (90 mm), Kufri (67 mm), Narkanda (65 mm), Shimla (64 mm), Mashobra (60.5 mm), Kalpa (48 mm), Reckongpeo (42 mm), Mandi (46 mm) and Sundernagar (45 mm).