MANGALURU: The Mangaluru City Police on Monday arrested three persons in connection with the brutal murder of Abdul Jaleel (43), owner of a fancy shop in Surathkal. The accused are Shailesh (21) from Naithangadi in Krishnapura; Savin Kanchan alias Munna (24) from Hejamady, and Pavan alias Pacchu (23) from Katipalla. They were handed over to 10-day police custody.

Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar told reporters that Shailesh and Savin were the assailants, while Pavan helped them escape on his bike after the crime. Search is on for a few more persons involved in the crime.

So far, the police have questioned over 12 people, including a few women. The commissioner said the motive behind the murder is still not clear and only a detailed investigation will bring out the truth. Police are also investigating if there was personal enmity. Police sources said the victim was in an affair with a woman from a different faith for many years and the assailants were opposed to it. The accused, along with some locals, had also warned Jaleel to stay away from the woman.

A few weeks ago, there was a heated exchange between Jaleel and one of the accused over the same issue. On the day of the incident, Shailesh and Jaleel had an altercation following which the former called his friends and they together hatched a plan to eliminate Jaleel.

Shailesh and Savin stabbed Jaleel in front of his fancy shop at Katipalla fourth block in Surathkal after which Pavan took them to Surathkal on his bike. From there, they went to Kaup and spent the night at a lodge and were planning to escape to Mumbai when the police nabbed them. Shailesh and Savin are rowdy sheeters and were involved in the murder of another rowdy sheeter Pinky Nawaz in 2021.

BIKE RIDING BANNED
Prohibitory orders have been clamped in Surathkal, Panambur, Bajpe and Kavoor police station limits till 6 am on December 27. The movement of two-wheelers has been banned during this time. However, men above 60 years of age, women and children below 18 years are exempted . Also those moving on National Highways and during emergency situations have been exempted. Liquor shops will be shut till 10 am on December 29.

BENGALURU: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who held a marathon meeting with BJP national president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah at New Delhi late on Monday evening, said he will decide on the demand of Panchamasalis for 2A reservation category and opposition for it from the backward classes, after holding an all-party meeting.

With this, Congress and JDS will have to have a say on the contentious issue.

“The discussion was around the tour programme in January of national leaders, including Nadda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah and Rajnath Singh. Also, the reservation issue that was raked up in the ensuing winter session was discussed. Nadda asked me to give social justice to the concerned, but keeping in view the party’s policy. I gave all the details and Nadda said he will speak directly with those demanding the quota,” Bommai said.

Following Nadda’s advice, Bommai said he will hold a meeting with BJP senior leaders and cabinet ministers in a couple of days and later an all-party meeting to take the final decision.

On Panchamasalis setting a deadline, he said there is no question of it, as the interim report of the state backward classes commission has reached the government and the announcement will be made after holding the all-party meeting as its many dimensions have to be discussed. “We should keep in mind the sensitivity of the issue as there might be aspirations from a community, but injustice should not be meted out to backward classes,” he said.

“Backward classes have over hundred castes and 200 sub-castes and it’s a complex issue that should be solved with a scientific approach and with experts’ reports,” he  said. On expanding his cabinet, Bommai said a detailed discussion was held and he gave information about the representation of different communities and regions in the cabinet. The decision will be taken soon, he added.

“They will let me know soon. We have moved two steps ahead as compared to my last visit,” he said.

Bommai said Shah will take part in a public rally in Mandya on December 30 and will meet party functionaries in Bengaluru on December 31. The repercussions of former minister Gali Janardhana Reddy launching his new political party was also discussed. Shah advised Bommai to maintain restraint on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border row, as the case is before the Supreme Court.

BENGALURU: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said precautionary measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 will be implemented in a phased manner without affecting the normal routine of common people and economic activities

Addressing the media at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi after the Cabinet meeting, Bommai said that the Cabinet discussed the prevailing pandemic situation and measures to be taken to contain its spread.

The meeting also decided to discuss with the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to create awareness among people, ramp up administration of precautionary dose, and do more tests, especially for people suffering from Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) and Influenza Like Illness (ILI), the mandatory wearing of masks inside and in public and implement other preventive steps in a phased manner, he said.

On issuing separate guidelines for New Year celebrations, Bommai said it will be like in the previous years, but with some additional measures in the wake of the rise in Covid cases in a few countries.

Bommai said the government wants the ongoing Belagavi session to be fruitful and issues pertaining to North Karnataka must be discussed in detail. The government is ready to discuss any issue taken up by the Opposition, he added.

MANGALURU: Five persons, including two women, were taken into custody by the Mangaluru city police in connection with the murder of Abdul Jaleel, 45, who was a store owner in Katipalla 4th Block, near Surathkal on Saturday night.

The police suspect Jaleel’s alleged closeness to a couple of women enraged some people who attacked and killed him. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai sought the cooperation of people in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in Katipalla by not heeding any rumours regarding Jaleel’s murder and said the police will conduct a fair investigation.

Jaleel was reportedly close to a woman, which led to a heated exchange between him and two other men on Saturday night. When the assailants attacked him, Jaleel tried to escape, but slipped and fell, and was stabbed to death.

There was a similar fight between Jaleel and some persons for being close to another woman, after which representatives of the two communities intervened, and the issue was resolved, the police said.

“We have taken two women and three men into custody,” a senior police officer said. Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar on Sunday refused to dwell on the motive behind the murder and said the police have to collect evidence to establish the motive.

Meanwhile, there was a commotion near Jaleel’s house in Katipalla when a group of family members refused to take his body to the funeral. They demanded that Deputy Commissioner MR Ravikumar visit their house and promise a speedy investigation.

Kumar held a discussion with the gathering, and assured them of a speedy investigation, after which the ambulance was allowed to travel to the masjid in Panjimogaru, where the last rites were performed.At the Mangaluru International Airport, Bommai called the murder unfortunate and urged people to maintain peace.

BELAGAVI: An interesting debate was held, particularly among the Bengaluru MLAs in the Assembly, over disposing of old government vehicles parked in front of offices in the state. Calling attention of the House on the issue on Friday, MLA B Harshavardhan said parking of unused vehicles in front of offices and the roadside creates space constraints, especially in cities.

He urged the government to declare them as scrap and generate income for the state exchequer by selling them. Several members echoed the same sentiment and some of them said the vehicles stocked in the police stations create congestion and affect smooth vehicular movement.

They urged the government to identify 5-10 acres of land on the city outskirts to dispose of such vehicles. Even, Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri said such vehicles should be sold, before being turned into scrap.

In reply, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhu Swamy said the government was framing a scrapping policy in line with the Central policy. However, for sale of unused government vehicles, there was a set procedure and as far as vehicles in front of police stations, it is for the court to decide.

BENGALURU: The battle for politically important Mandya is going to be intense in the 2023 Assembly elections. This is one of the few districts where the fight is usually between JDS and Congress.

Yet on Friday, senior JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy chose to target BJP, which received a negligible number of votes in all the seven constituencies in the 2018 elections.

Saying that BJP is doing politics in the name of religion, he alleged that the ruling party does not want development. It only uses people by making them emotional, but voters will not fall prey to BJP’s antics. BJP’s politics of religion will be its undoing, he added.

On Panchamasalis seeking 2A reservation, he said a comprehensive study should be conducted on their educational, economical and cultural status and their everyday earnings before deciding on the quota category. Kumaraswamy’s attack on BJP comes in the backdrop of BJP MLC CP Yogeshwara criticising JDS recently. Yogeshwara is likely to contest against the former CM again in the coming polls.

KR Pet in Mandya district is another constituency where JDS will face a serious challenge from BJP. This time, JDS is going all out to consolidate its position in the sugarcane belt and good turnouts at its Pancharatna Yatra have only made the party confident.

BENGALURU:  Winnability, seniority in the party, the capacity to mobilise resources required for elections, and popularity in the constituency will be major criteria for shortlisting Congress candidates for the 2023 Assembly polls

The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has started the process of shortlisting candidates from among ticket aspirants, who have submitted applications.KPCC president DK Shivakumar has constituted committees that will visit all the districts to shortlist 1-3 candidates and send the list to the state party unit.Committee members have been informed to only consider candidates who enjoy the confidence of the local population and give priority to youngsters and women, who have a chance of winning the elections.

Shivakumar said the committee members should look at all the applications in their respective districts, assess their strengths and weaknesses, and finalise unanimous candidates after holding consultations with all leaders. In case of any differences among the aspirants, the committee members have been told to take the assistance of KPCC and AICC leaders to resolve the issue.

He also directed the committee members not to hold meetings at residences of leaders and not to allow any recordings. They have also been directed against issuing any statements to the media about the discussions during the meetings. The candidates involved in any anti-social activities or communal acts will not be considered. The committee members have been directed to start holding meetings immediately and send the shortlisted names to KPCC before January 1, 2023.

Meanwhile, former Union minister Margaret Alva will be in-charge of the committee that will look into the applications and shortlist the candidates in Bengaluru City Central, former CM M Veerappa Moily will head the committee in Kolar, and former Union minister KH Muniyappa in Tumakuru.

BENGALURU: A 42-year-old woman approached police after she was thrown out of her flat near Richards Park on Monday by some men, following which she had to spend the night on the road.

The victim, identified as Sara, alias Sonam Mishra, in her complaint with Pulakeshinagar police, stated that Abdul Rehman and his associates trespassed her flat by breaking open the locks. The accused took away all her gold ornaments and are staying illegally in her flat, she said.

“There has been a dispute over the flat between the complainant and suspects for the past one year. The complainant has alleged that she had invested in the flat and the suspects have no say in it. There is no clarity on the ownership of the flat. Since it is a civil dispute, both parties have to approach court.

However, the woman has accused the suspects of criminal trespass,” said an officer who is part of the investigation.

On Tuesday, the woman approached the city police commissioner’s office, accusing the local police of not taking her complaint. Further, investigations are on.

BENGALURU: The revamp of the perennially jampacked Hebbal flyover by Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), which was stopped completely in April 2019, is finally set to restart. The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) on Wednesday gave the BDA the green signal after it agreed to go back to its original plan of carrying out numerous infra works only on the first level of the flyover. It has given up its plans to build at the second level.

A top BDA official said two lanes will be built in the direction from the airport towards the city only on the first level apart from an underpass. “People entering the city from the airport, who face massive congestion at the Hebbal flyover presently as well as those coming from Yelahanka, Doddaballapur, Jakkur, Doddaballapur, Gauribidanur, Sahakar Nagar, Coffee Board Layout and surrounding areas will benefit from this.”

BMRCL had made the BDA stop work in 2019 apprehensive of the new structures posing issues for its two separate Metro lines which would pass above and beyond the flyover. The State’s High Powered Committee held two meetings this year (April 28 and September 12) with all  agencies to break the deadlock over the issue.

TNIE has a copy of the order issued by BMRCL which states that the Phase-3 Metro on Outer Ring Road West up to Kempapura across Hebbal flyover and Phase-3A Metro from Sarjapur to Hebbal go beyond Hebbal flyover. “All the structures, including widening of the existing flyover and loops and ramps for different directions, should be provided only at Level-1, below or at the end of the existing flyover. The proposed underpass should be planned taking into consideration the alignment and piers of Phase-3 Metro,” it stressed.

PJB Constructions Pvt Ltd was awarded the contract for Rs 80 crore and BDA had already released Rs 25 crore to it. “The foundation work for the project was completed before work was ordered to be stopped,” explained another BDA source. “There will be some cost escalation due to the three-year gap and we will be paying that to the contractor. But work can start shortly,” he added.

RAICHUR/BENGALURU : Karnataka’s first case of Zika virus has been reported from a village in Raichur district’s Manvi taluk. The case of the patient, a five-year-old girl, was processed on December 5 and reported as ‘positive’ on December 8, but a subsequent test recorded her as Zika-negative, by when she was cured and discharged from hospital. 

However, what has baffled the health authorities is that neither the little girl nor her five-member family had any travel history, and they lived in an isolated place in Kolichya village coming under the limits of Neermanvi Primary Health Centre of Manvi taluk (Raichur district). Interestingly, blood and serum samples of all five members of the girl’s family which were also sent for testing, were found to be negative for Zika virus.

Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Monday confirmed to the media in Bengaluru that the girl was tested positive for Zika virus. He said Zika virus cases have been earlier reported from Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra a few months ago, but this girl is the first case in Karnataka.

“The case came to light when the girl’s serum collected for Dengue and Chikungunya was sent to the Virology lab in Pune for testing. We usually send 10% of such samples for testing. Of the three specimen samples we sent, the five-year-old girl’s has come positive. The case was processed on December 5 and reported on December 8,” Dr Sudhakar said, adding that the state government was monitoring the situation with caution.  

He said that there was no cause for panic and that the health department will soon be issuing detailed guidelines to tackle Zika virus. Raichur District Health Officer Dr Surendra Babu said two teams of experts from Bengaluru and Kolkata have reached the village to conduct some more tests on the girl, who has recovered. Dr Babu said the girl was suffering from fever and was admitted to Sindhanur Taluk Hospital. 

Raichur girl treated at VIMS

She was referred to Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) as the doctors at Sindhanur Taluk Hospital of Raichur district suspected it to be Dengue fever. 

The VIMS doctors treated the girl, and as a precautionary measure, sent her blood and serum samples to National Institute of Virology, Pune. As the girl was cured, she was discharged from the hospital. Two tests just days apart showed the first to be positive, while the second came negative. Zika is spread through the bites of infected Aedes species mosquitoes, A aegypti and A albopictus.