Mangaluru: Naveen Chandra Kulal, Taluk Health Officer of Mangaluru and Dakshina Kannada District Surveillance Officer, on Wednesday informed Vartha Bharati that over 8000 people who arrived in the city over the last few days via Mangaluru International Airport and Sea Port were subjected to thermal screening in the wake of deadly outbreak of Coronavirus across the globe.

Naveen added that adequate arrangements at the airport and sea port were made immediately after the cases of Coronavirus infected individuals were reported in the neighboring state Kerala. He further added that the health department was hyper active and was monitoring the situation in the Taluk and District closely.

“Over 1200 people who have arrived in the city via sea port have been screened so far and over 7200 people went through the same thermal screening at the Mangaluru International Airport. People arriving in the city and leaving the city from these two points are being subjected to thermal screening” Naveen told Vartha Bharati.

He also informed that a couple of cruises are scheduled to arrive in the city in the coming weeks including one from Columbia and the health department would take all precautionary measures to check the passengers and crew members of the ship.

Naveen also called on people to take precautionary measures to avoid the infectious outbreak while also calling on social media users and media houses to refrain from baseless and unverified news, information about the spread of the diseases. He also added that social media reports suggested that over 8000 people in Mangaluru were “Tested” for coronavirus while in reality those were only routine thermal screening and not suspected cases.

Headmistress Farida Begum and Nazbunnisa, the mother of a girl studying in fifth grade in the same school, are those arrested in the case.

BIDAR:  The fate of seven persons who are facing sedition charges in relation to an anti-CAA drama staged at Shaheen Urdu Primary School here still hangs in balance. While two among them – the headmistress of the school and a girl student’s mother – are already arrested and remanded in judicial custody, five others on the school management board have filed for anticipatory bail.

Principal District and Sessions Court Judge Managuli Premavathi who heard the regular bail application of two arrested in the case reserved the orders for February 14. While the same court adjourned the case on advance bail of five others accused in the case to February 17.

Headmistress Farida Begum and Nazbunnisa, the mother of a girl studying in fifth grade in the same school, are those arrested in the case.

The student had taken part in the controversial play during the annual day held on January 21, only to stir a hornet’s nest. President of Shaheen Educational Institution Abudl Khader and management committee members Allauddin, Md Bilal Inamdar, Yusuf Raheem and Md Mehetab are the other accused in the case.
A panel of four advocates headed by B T Venkatesh of Bengaluru along with advocates Prasanna from Bengaluru and Keshav Shirimale and Narayan Ganesh from Bidar argued on behalf of all the accused persons. Public Prosecutor Balabheem Madansure argued on behalf of the prosecution.

The advocates appearing for the accused argued against treating the drama as a sedition case. The staging of a play comes under Freedom of Expression and the dialogues of the drama were common in any of the dramas. The public prosecutor who strongly opposed the granting of bail, stated that as the investigation is still under progress, releasing them on bail would adversely affect the investigation.

The accused may influence witnesses and tamper with evidences. The same team of advocates who argued for the anticipatory bail for the other accused referred to cases of Kedarnath vs State of Bihar and Balavant vs State of Punjab. Venkatesh placed that “the charges levelled under sedition against the management are false. Whatever the drama was played in the school by the students would come under Freedom of Expression.

Neither the prime minister has been insulted nor has an act of sedition been committed by the students of the institute. It is a politically motivated case, as the complainant in this case belongs to a political party.

As Public Prosecutor Bala Bheem Madansuri sought three days time to file objections for anticipatory bail. The judge adjourned the case to February 17.

Karnataka BJP spokesperson Madhusudhan said that he had no idea about the account being blocked and then unblocked by Twitter.

BENGALURU: Social media giant Twitter has blocked the Karnataka BJP’s account for tweeting on people with “liberal views”, the party said on Wednesday.

“It is unfortunate that our handle was locked out by Twitter for speaking the truth about liberals,” tweeted BJP.

BJP vowed that it will not step back in its efforts to bring out the truth in the public domain.

“A big thanks for your support and encouragement. Satyamev Jayate. Jai Hind,” the political party said to its supporters.

Throat swabs of three persons who got admitted at a district government hospital in Udupi with symptoms of fever on Friday was sent to Bangalore medical college.

UDUPI: In what comes as a big relief, the throat swabs of three suspected coronavirus patients in Udupi that was sent for tests have come back as negative. 

Throat swabs of three persons who got admitted at a district government hospital in Udupi with symptoms of fever on Friday was sent to Bangalore medical college and research institute for test to know whether the admitted persons who returned from China 15 days back had contracted coronavirus.

The 30-year-old man from Kaup taluk had been China on personal work and had returned to Udupi 15 days back. Upon showing the symptoms of fever, throat pain and cold, he was suggested to get admitted.

He was admitted in the isolation ward and was directed to remain under quarantine till the observation period ends and till the test report is obtained.

Another family from Mandarthi, a man and his wife, who had returned after a tour from China 15 days back were also kept under observation at the isolation ward in the district government hospital, Udupi.

Udupi DC G Jagadish has said that there are no coronavirus case reported in Udupi and people need not panic. Sources said that the three tested negatives for coronavirus in Udupi will be discharged from the hospital on Monday.

According to the Department of Health and Family Welfare, till Saturday, 37 passengers from corona-affected countries have been identified and are kept under surveillance.

BENGALURU: As on Sunday, 28 of the 82 test samples sent from Karnataka for Coronavirus have come back negative.

The outbreak which first erupted in Wuhan city of China, found its way to India, registering the country’s first such case in Kerala.

“Twenty-eight results of the 82 samples have arrived till now, and all have been tested negative. The remaining results are awaited. These include the 13 who were kept in the isolation ward of our hospital. Nine new patients came to us on Sunday with influenza-like symptoms and throat swab were taken,” said C Nagaraj, director of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD).

“With two more testing laboratories set to start soon in our hospital and Victoria Hospital, we will be able to get results within eight hours,” he added.

According to the Department of Health and Family Welfare, till Saturday, 37 passengers from corona-affected countries have been identified and are kept under surveillance; out of them, 33 are under home-isolation, four passengers have left the country and no one is admitted in isolation wards.

“Arogya Sahayavani has reserved two seats for call receiving and redressal. Those who have arrived from the Corona-affected countries should remain under strict home isolation for 28 days from the date of arrival, irrespective of having or not having symptoms,” the department said in a press release.

The department has advised citizens to wash their hands frequently with soap and cover their noses and mouths while sneezing or coughing.

“Common symptoms include coughing, fever and difficulty in breathing. Avoid close contact with anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms and maintain at least one metre from any individual. If you have recently travelled to China (within last 14 days) or had possible contact with a coronavirus-affected person, it is advised to stay in home isolation for 14 days after your return, sleep in a separate room, limit contact with people, wear a mask and report to the nearest medical facility,” said health department officials.

Karnataka Congress spokesperson Kavitha Reddy, along with two student activists, spotted Mahesh and started asking him questions.

MANGALURU: On  Friday morning, three social workers confronted Mahesh Vikram Hegde, founder of website Postcard News, at Mangaluru International Airport and urged him to sing ‘Vande Mataram’ to prove his ‘Indian-ness’.

A video of this incident has gone viral on social media. The incident reportedly occurred around 8:15am Friday. Karnataka Congress spokesperson and social worker Kavitha Reddy, along with two student activists, spotted Mahesh while he was waiting to board a flight to Bengaluru.

We were to board an IndiGo flight from Mangaluru. On spotting Mahesh, we approached him and started asking questions politely. It was just a normal conversation. He was smiling for a while, but then he called someone to rescue him from the situation, and fled within less than 10 minutes into the conversation.”

She added, “He abuses everyone through his website. He heckles and abuses women on TV shows. He once tweeted that those who cannot sing Vande Mataram are anti-nationals. So, we wanted to give it back to him politely.”

Student social activists Amulya Leona and Najma Nazeer, who were with Reddy, also confronted Hegde. In the video, they can be heard questioning Hegde, “At what time did Godse kill Gandhi? Do you remember?” “You have been torturing us on Facebook,” one of the women can be heard saying.

Najma Nazeer criticises Hegde, saying that his website spreads fake news. It may be recalled that Hegde has been arrested twice earlier for allegedly spreading fake news. She also told him that the country’s youngsters are losing their lives as they are falling for propaganda. This comes just days after comedian Kunal Kamra heckled editor-in-chief and co-founder of Republic TV Arnab Goswami aboard an IndiGo flight. When TNIE tried to contact Hegde for his comment, he remained unavailable.

My father had done everything to correct him, but he did not show any signs of reform, says younger My father had

MANGALORE: Akshath, the younger brother of Aditya Rao who allegedly planted a bomb at Mangaluru airport, said his family had disowned him (Aditya) a few years ago after he failed to “mend his ways”.

Akshath, who works with a nationalised bank in Mangaluru, said his family involving himself and his father cannot be held responsible for the wrongdoing of his brother. 

“My father had done everything to correct him, but did not show any signs of reform. So we totally disowned him. We are not in touch with him for the past two years in any way,” he said.

The family hails from Manipal. After the death of their mother a year ago, Akshath and his father Krishnamurthy, a retired bank employee, moved to Mangaluru.

According to Akshath, he was not in close contact with Aditya after they had joined different hostels during their high school years.

They used to meet only for family gatherings. Aditya has done his BE and MBA.

Akshath said even when their mother died a year ago, his brother who was then lodged in a Chikkaballapur jail for allegedly making a threat call to Bengaluru airport did not turn up to perform the last rites. He said the family did not even try to bail him out from jail.

Bengaluru: Aditya Rao has a history of triggering panic among security agencies. Rao had been earlier arrested for making hoax bomb calls to airports and also for stealing laptops.

Sources said that Rao, who was denied a security officer’s job at the Bengaluru airport, had allegedly made hoax calls to the airport on two occasions in 2018.

In the first case, he had claimed that he had planted explosives at the airport. In the second, he had claimed that explosives were planted in a plane.

The same year, he had also made similar calls to the City railway station.

The police had traced the unknown caller and had arrested him. Rao had told the police that he had made the calls as the airport had refused to give him a job.

Police records also reveal that he was arrested for stealing laptops in a paying guest accommodation, where he was staying.

“It is surprising that the man tried to make it for real by planting a bomb. He might have wanted to plant a bomb earlier. But, this time he must have mustered enough courage to do it,” an officer said.

Mangaluru: Aditya Rao, the Udupi man who was the prime suspect in Mangaluru Airport Explosives Case and was believed to have kept the bag with explosive at the airport has reportedly surrendered to the police on Wednesday morning.

According to the reports, Aditya surrendered to the police at the office of DGP Nilamani Raju on Wednesday morning at 8.45 am. He has been taken to Halasuru Police Station in the city.

Primary school textbooks for the 2020-21 academic year will see no changes made to the chapters on Tipu Sultan, said Education Minister Suresh Kumar.

BENGALURU: Primary school textbooks for the 2020-21 academic year will see no changes made to the chapters on Tipu Sutan, said Education Minister Suresh Kumar. However, a new committee would be constituted to look into “questionable angles” to Tipu’s history in textbooks from the academic year 2021-22. 

Since the textbook indents were already called for and printing had already begun, and keeping in mind the government’s promise to deliver textbooks before the first day of the academic year, the Tipu content will see no changes, the minister said.

Speaking to reporters on Monday at the SSLC Board office here, Suresh said there were documents provided by MLA Appachu Ranjan that need to be looked into, which record Tipu’s alleged atrocities and injustice in Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada and Melukote. The committee, which was formed by the Department of State Educational Research and Training (DSERT), said they needed at least one month to look into the documents.

Kumar said Ranjan’s request could not be dishonoured, and that he was duty-bound when the latter asked for revised content on the ruler. He, however, said that a new committee will be constituted to re-look into the Tipu Sultan issue.

Modi’s book in Kannada now
Exam Warrior, penned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been translated into Kannada by Sahitya Prakashana, a Hubli-based organisation. The department is contemplating ways to distribute the translated version among students across Karnataka, said Kumar. Students from the city as well as from across India, took part in an online interaction with the PM, wherein questions were raised pertaining to board examinations. Modi used the example of Chandrayaan-2 failing to land on the Moon to tell students to treat failure as a stepping stone to future success.

Bomb was destroyed by squad and residue sent to forensic lab; Security beefed up at M’luru and KIA

The bomb that was found at the Mangaluru airport on Monday morning did not reportedly have a timer device, sources told The New Indian Express.

“The bomb was destroyed by the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) in a pit in Kenjar. The bomb squad had put a water charge on the bomb and destroyed it in a controlled condition. Soon after the blast, white smoke billowed out of the explosion and people at the site said it smelt of gunpowder,” the officer said.

Gunpowder is used in the preparation of firecrackers and comprises of potassium nitrate, sulphur and powdered carbon.

“Post blast investigation will reveal the actual composition of the bomb and how it was meant to explode. Prima facie it looks like a composition of crude explosives, which could have led to a low-intensity blast,” he said.

The BDDS, Mangaluru is analysing the bomb residue, which will be sent to Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Bengaluru for forensic analysis.

“The intention of the perpetrators was to create damage to the airport building because it has a glass facade, which would ultimately lead to panic among the passengers and others, who were present there. It was not a hoax bomb,” the officer added.