Bengaluru: A delegation led by Kerala MP M K Raghavan met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday and requested him to resume search operations to trace the Kozhikode driver and two others who went missing following a massive landslide in Shirur last month.

The incident, which occurred on National Highway 66 on July 16, claimed the lives of eight people.

Raghavan, a Lok Sabha MP from Kozhikode along with Kerala MLA AKM Ashraf and Karwar MLA Satish Krishna Sail met Siddaramaiah in his office today and also submitted a letter to him requesting for permission to bring a dredger for search operations in Gangawali River.

In the letter, the Kerala MP stated,”…recent landslide happened in Shirur has resulted in the missing of three individuals: Arun (from Kerala), Jagannathan and Lokesh. As a representative of Kozhikode, I am profoundly grateful to your government and district administration including police, who has worked day and night with rescue and relief operations effectively coordinating with various state and central agencies to find the missing persons.

“Despite our hard work, we are unable to locate the missing persons. However, we believe that there is still a possibility of finding them with the aid of a dredger. Therefore we respectfully seek your permission to deploy a dredger in Gangawali river to search for the missing individuals,” the letter further stated.

The delegation requested the chief minister to give necessary instructions to the district administration of Karwar to resume the rescue operations immediately using a dredger.

According to officials, the search operations were halted on July 28 due to adverse weather conditions, high river current and other factors. Later, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote a letter to Siddaramaiah requesting him to resume operations to trace the lorry driver from Kozhikode following which the operations were resumed on August 14 but again the search operations were halted due to various factors.

Bengaluru: The state government has recently appointed several individuals as syndicate members to various universities across Karnataka. The official notification was issued on Wednesday, April 28, confirming the appointments.

Bangalore University (Jnanabharati Campus):

– Dr. Jayashree Hegde
– M.A. Mahadev Naik
– Dr. K. Sharifa
– D.B. Gangaraju
– Dandikere Nagaraj
– Ramesh Babu

Bangalore City University:

– Ayesha Farzana
– H. Krishnaram
– Dr. Francis Almeida
– V. Shivakumar
– K.P. Patil
– Dr. Beerappa H.

Bangalore North University (Kolar):

– Sahana S.R.
– Jaideep
– Arbaz Pasha
– M. Gopal Gowda
– K. Basavaraj

Kuvempu University, Shivamogga:

– Prof. Sakamma
– Prof. Shivakumar M.
– Musaveer Language
– Laxmikanta Chimanur
– K.P. Shripal
– H. Aravind

Gulbarga University, Kalaburagi:

– Dr. Sridevi S. Kattimani
– Peer Zada Faheemuddin
– Mallanna S. Madiwala
– Uday Kant
– Siddappa

Raichur University

– Dr. Meenakshi Khandi Math
– D.R. Chinna
– Zeeshan Akhil Siddiqui
– Shivanna
– Channabasava
– K. Statue

Vijayanagar Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Bellary:

– Dr. Jayalakshmi Naik
– Dr. Y. Orthoba Leader
– B. Peer Basha
– Shivakumar K.
– Dr. Amaresh Nugadoni
– Ch. H. Raghunath

Kannada University, Hampi:

– Dr. B. Yousuma
– Somasekhara Colored House
– Dr. M.S. Muthiah
– N.A.M. Ismail
– Dr. Banjagere Jayaprakash
– Dr. K. Phaniraj
– Dr. Nataraj Huliyar
– B.R. Patil

Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa

Bengaluru : A court here on Wednesday extended till September nine the judicial custody of Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa along with his friend Pavithra Gowda and others, who are accused in the Renukaswamy murder case.

All the 17 accused, including Darshan and Pavithra, were produced before the magistrate court through video conferencing from Bengaluru and Tumakuru prisons, where they are lodged, as their judicial custody ended today.

The extension of judicial custody follows a remand application filed by the Police.

The 24th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate on Tuesday granted permission to shift Darshan, who is currently in judicial custody at Parappana Agrahara Central jail here, to a jail in Ballari. after a photograph of him hanging out with three others, including a rowdy-sheeter, on the lawns of the jail had gone viral on Sunday, sparking an uproar.

The court has also permitted shifting of other co-accused in the murder case to various prisons in the state.

In the picture, the actor is seen in a relaxed mood, sitting on a chair and holding a cigarette and a coffee mug. Also, a purported video of Darshan speaking to a person over a video call from the prison too had surfaced on social media.

Other accused — Pawan, Raghavendra and Nandish — will be shifted to Mysuru Jail, Jagadish and Lakshmana to Shivamogga Jail, Dhanraj to Dharwad Jail, Vinay to Vijayapura Jail, Nagaraj to Kalaburagi/Gulbarga Jail, and Pradosh to Belagavi Jail, official sources said.

Three accused -‘ Pavithra Gowda, Anukumar, and Deepak — will continue to remain at Parappana Agrahara Central Jail here. Four accused — Ravi, Karthik, Nikhil and Keshavamurthy — were earlier shifted to Tumakuru prison.

Nine prison officials, including the Chief Superintendent of the Parappana Agrahara jail, were suspended on Monday over their “lapses” after a preliminary probe into “special treatment” to Darshan.

Also, three FIRs were registered, including against Darshan, under sections of the Prisons Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

According to police sources, 33-year-old Renukaswamy, a fan of the actor, had sent obscene messages to Gowda, which enraged Darshan, allegedly leading to his murder. His body was found near a stormwater drain next to an apartment in Sumanahalli here on June nine.

Raghavendra, one of the accused who is part of Darshan’s fan club in Chitradurga, had brought Renukaswamy to a shed in R R Nagar here, on the pretext that the actor wanted to meet him. It was in this shed that he was allegedly tortured and murdered.

According to the post-mortem report, Renukaswamy, a native of Chitradurga, died due to shock and haemorrhage as a result of multiple blunt injuries.

Police sources said Pavithra, who is accused number one, was the “major cause” for Renukaswamy’s murder, claiming that it has been proved from the probe that she instigated other accused, conspired with them, and took part in the crime.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Friday suggested a slew of measures to be adopted to ensure the safety and security of doctors working in hospitals across the state.

A meeting chaired by Minister for Medical Education Sharanprakash Patil discussed safety measures for doctors, nurses and hospital staff. Members of the doctors’ association were asked to draft a document so that the Department of Medical Education can prepare a standard advisory. After the recent rape and murder of a woman doctor in Kolkata, which has shocked the entire nation, the safety profile for the working doctors has once again been reviewed, the Director of Medical Education Dr Shobha Rathod said.

“On the instructions of our minister, we have held a meeting with all the directors of the government institutes and the super specialty hospitals to identify the gaps in the safety profile for our working doctors.

According to DME, there are 71 medical colleges including 22 government medical colleges under the Department of Medical Education. Apart from them, there are nursing and paramedical institutes in the state. During the meet, the department also reviewed the safety lapses. Following the Nirbhaya advisory, the department has been insisting that there are no dark corridors anywhere and all the places should be well lit, Rathod said adding that CCTV cameras should be installed in most of the areas.

“The security personnel are the ones who can walk anywhere with the consent in all the areas of the institute, so whether we have a good background check of all these people whom we take under security and housekeeping, that was one issue.”

All the institutes have the Prevention of Sexual Harassment committees, which can also suggest a precautionary measure so that if there is any such incident then an alert can be sounded. Rathod said the POSH committees have been regularly conducting meeting to make sure that there are no incidents of harassment of women. The department is also using Artificial Intelligence for the safety of each doctor. Self-defence training of the doctors and counseling of medical professionals regarding their stress levels were also discussed, she explained.

“We are also encouraging pink boxes so that in case of unbiased complaints, the administration can look into it,” Dr Rathod said.

“Introducing of ‘code white’ system. – If there is something called a code white, which we have already seen, it being worked out in our Indian Institute of nephro-urology, that will make all of them alert, how quickly we can be alerted if there is an untoward incident which is happening,” she added.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Government on Thursday launched a comprehensive cyber security policy 2024 to combat rising levels of cybercrimes and promote awareness, skill building, public-private partnerships and technology integration to protect the State’s digital infrastructure.

The policy focuses on several key areas such as awareness and education, skill building, promotion of industry and startups, partnerships and collaborations for capacity building, officials said.

The total financial outflow for implementation of the policy for five years is about Rs 103.87 crore, which would be met from the budgetary allocation of the Department of Information Technology and Biotechnology and Science & Technology. Out of this, Rs 23.74 crore would go towards providing incentives and concessions, they said.

According to an official statement, key highlights of the incentives under the policy are:

Under the internship programme, a stipend of Rs 10,000- Rs15,000 per month will be provided, for a maximum of three months, to Karnataka-based undergraduate and postgraduate interns. The target is to facilitate 600 undergraduate interns and 120 post-graduate interns during the policy period.

For R&D projects in the domain of cybersecurity, driven by Karnataka-based start-ups and in collaboration with Karnataka-based academic institutes, matching grants of up to a maximum of 50 per cent of the total project R&D cost, or up to Rs 50 lakh will be given.

The cost up to a maximum of Rs one lakh towards engagement of Karnataka-based, CERT-In empanelled service providers by start-ups registered with Karnataka Start-up Cell for cyber security audit will be reimbursed.

“The Government of Karnataka, recognising the rising importance of cyber security, has meticulously crafted this policy to establish a resilient and secure cyberspace for our citizens and enterprises,” Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and Information Technology and Biotechnology, Priyank Kharge, said at the lunch event.

He emphasised that the policy, aligned with national and international efforts, highlights Karnataka’s proactive stance in addressing cyber threats.

According to him, the policy has two parts. The first part focuses on building a strong cyber security ecosystem across all segments of the society, including public, academia, industry, start-ups and the government. The second part of the policy focuses on strengthening the cyber security posture of the State’s IT assets.

Whilst the first part will be in public domain, the second will be internal to the state’s IT teams and departments for their IT implementations.

This policy has been collaboratively drafted by the Department of Electronics, IT, BT and S&T, the department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (e-Governance), and the Home Department, in consultation with relevant stakeholders from both the government and private sectors.

The policy was also reviewed by the Indian Institute of Science, which is the anchor institute for the state’s K-tech Centre of Excellence for Cyber Security (CySecK).

He also launched a skilling programme by CISCO as the Karnataka Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the network giant to train 40,000 individuals in cybersecurity skills and awareness.

“This partnership with CISCO is a testament to our commitment to fostering a secure digital environment. By training 40,000 individuals, with a special emphasis on empowering women, we are not only addressing the skills gap but also promoting inclusivity in the tech sector,” Kharge said.

“Since, we are the fourth largest tech cluster in the world and the biggest tech cluster in the country, we have the highest number of cyber frauds also. That is the collateral damage of progress, So the highest number of online financial frauds in the country happen in Karnataka. Close to around 372 crore a year that is only reported (such frauds)…the first highest is of course Bengaluru and the second highest is Mandya,” he said.

“The Government of Karnataka is extremely serious about it (addressing these issues) and I think probably we are also the first state to come up with a fact-check unit for misinformation, disinformation, fake news, deepfakes… so we tried this on for 90 days during the election period

And you will be quite surprised that a few of our partners who were enrolled detected close to around seven-and-a-half lakh threats. Out of which, serious threats were close to around 500….,” he added.

According to him, the policy aims to build a dynamic, secure, and resilient cyberspace for all G2G, G2B, and G2C services of the Government of Karnataka.

“Beyond establishing a secure cyber ecosystem, the policy aims to create an assurance framework, strengthen the regulatory framework, quickly respond to security threats, protect critical information, reduce supply chain risks, and develop human resources,” Kharge added.

The Minister said that the state government has also tied up with Meta to create awareness about cyber security.

“We have also tied up with Meta. We will be going to schools and colleges. We will be training one lakh teachers on how to be safe online and we will be teaching 10 lakh children on how to be safe online. We are also talking to WhatsApp and other social media organisations as well on how we can use their data, their analytics for a safer environment for our youngsters,” Kharge said.

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday reserved its order on a plea filed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) seeking cancellation of bail granted to Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Revanna, who is accused of abducting a woman.

According to police, the woman was allegedly kidnapped to prevent her from testifying against the MLA’s son and former MP Prajwal Revanna, who has been charged with raping her.

Justice M Nagaprasanna, who heard the SIT’s plea, noted the severity of the allegations against Prajwal Revanna, stating that the facts of the case were particularly “gory” and that bail should not have been granted by the Special MP/MLA court.

Senior Advocate Ravivarma Kumar, representing the SIT, presented the case details, arguing that the nature of the charges warranted the cancellation of bail. He maintained that the trial court’s decision to grant bail was incorrect and needed to be revoked.

Senior Advocate C V Nagesh, representing H D Revanna, contended that the prosecution was not only seeking the cancellation of bail but also challenging the order that granted bail. He argued that the kidnapping charge was unsustainable as the victim was not a minor, and the abduction charge “lacked the necessary elements of deceit.”

“She was a maidservant in the house. She was called. There was no deceit, no threat…no detention,” he said.

Nagesh also claimed that there was no indication that the domestic help, who was the victim, was abducted at the behest of H D Revanna or his wife Bhavani Revanna.

After hearing both sides, the court reserved its order.

A Bengaluru court on Thursday extended the judicial custody of arrested Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, his friend Pavithra Gowda and 15 associates in the Renukaswamy murder case till August 14.  

The 24th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court, presided over by Judge Vishwanath C Gowder, issued the order after all the accused persons appeared for the hearing via video conference from Parappana Agrahara and Tumkur jails. 

According to the police, 33-year-old Renukaswamy, a fan of the actor, had sent obscene messages to Gowda, which enraged Darshan and prompted him to plan and execute his murder.  

Renukaswamy’s body was found near a stormwater drain next to an apartment in Sumanahalli here on June 9. One of the accused, Raghavendra, who is part of Darshan’s fan club in Chitradurga, brought the fellow admirer of Darshan to a shed in R R Nagar in Bengaluru on the pretext that the actor wanted to meet him. It was in this shed that Renukaswamy was allegedly tortured and murdered. 

According to the post-mortem report, Renukaswamy, a native of Chitradurga, died due to shock and haemorrhage as a result of multiple blunt injuries. Police sources said Pavithra Gowda, who is accused number one, was the major cause for Renukaswamy’s murder. They said that it has been proved from the probe that she instigated the other accused, conspired with them, and also took part in the crime. 

Mysuru: Former BJP MP from Mysuru-Kodagu, Pratap Simha, is facing severe criticism on social media for his controversial post on his personal ‘X’ account (formerly Twitter) in support of self-declared cow vigilante Puneeth Kerehalli. Kerehalli was recently arrested for spreading false news that dog meat was being transported to Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station in Bengaluru.

In his post on Tuesday, July 30, Simha claimed that Kerehalli was forced by the police to strip and was insulted while in custody. He announced his intention to visit the prison on Wednesday and ordered ACP Chandan to be present during his visit.

Social media users quickly responded, questioning the propriety of Simha’s threat to a police officer. Many users asserted that the people of Karnataka would not be intimidated by such threats and emphasized the duty of Kannadigas to protect diligent officers.

The controversy stems from an incident on Friday at Bengaluru’s prime railway station, also known as ‘Majestic’, where Kerehalli and his supporters caused a commotion. They claimed that 150 cartons carrying three tonnes of meat from Jaipur contained dog meat. However, on Saturday, the Karnataka Food Safety and Standards department refuted Kerehalli’s allegations, confirming that the meat samples had been tested and found to be that of sheep.

The incident has sparked significant debate about the actions of cow vigilantes and the role of public figures in supporting or condemning such actions.

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has instructed all District Collectors in Karnataka to take necessary precautions to handle potential floods and landslides caused by the ongoing heavy rains.

During a recent directive, CM Siddaramaiah emphasized the importance of closely monitoring the water levels in reservoirs and implementing measures for effective flood control.

Reports of landslides in coastal and hilly areas have prompted the Chief Minister to urge District Collectors to remain vigilant. Additionally, district in-charge ministers have been asked to oversee flood management efforts.

Authorities have been advised to manage the flood situation in a balanced manner, ensuring timely rescue and relief operations. This includes opening care centers and providing necessary facilities to flood victims as needed.

To enhance the coordination of relief efforts, CM Siddaramaiah has suggested setting up control rooms in all districts, operating 24 hours a day. Officials at these central locations are expected to stay alert and be readily available to respond to emergencies.