Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner N Shashikumar

Hubballi (Karnataka): Two suspected robbers were shot at on Sunday when they tried to escape from police as they were taken for a spot inspection, Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner N Shashikumar said.

The incident happened when they were taken to a spot, in the outskirts of Hubbali, where they allegedly waylaid a car and looted money couple of weeks ago. Police took them there to make them describe the alleged crime.

The two alleged robbers Bharath and Farooq from Mangaluru were shot in their leg when they assaulted three police officers including two women police officers, Shashikumar told PTI.

He said the police officers shot them in self defence. According to him, the gang had waylaid a car on November 8 and decamped with Rs 7 lakh. Investigation led to the arrest of Bharath and Farooq and subsequently some amount was recovered from them, he added.

The Police Commissioner said the injured are being treated at Hubballi KIMS Hospital. Farooq, he said, has more than 17 cases registered against him in various police stations. There were cases registered against him in other states as well.

Bharat too has many criminal cases against him in various police stations in the state, Shashikumar said.

Bengaluru : Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday instructed the Food Department officials not to cancel the ration cards of poor families.

The order follows controversy over reports that over 22.6 lakh Below the Poverty Line (BPL) cardholders were deemed ineligible.

The chief minister ordered that if the ration cards of any family other than government employees and income tax payers are cancelled, they should be returned immediately, the Chief Minister’s Office said in a statement.

“The chief minister has warned that action will be taken against the Food Department officials if the ration cards of poor families are cancelled without any reason,” it added.

Official sources said the Karnataka government has identified 22.63 lakh ineligible BPL card holders in the state as it decided to revise the list.

They said the state did a survey of BPL cardholders in August this year, which revealed that there are 22,62,482 ineligible BPL cardholders. Now the government is contemplating cancelling them.

Fear loomed large over withdrawal of many benefits given to lakhs of families including 10 kg food grains to each member of the family every month under the Anna Bhagya scheme.

There were apprehensions that the women head of the BPL families availing Rs 2,000 a month under the Congress guarantee Gruha Lakshmi scheme may be withdrawn.

Earlier in the day, Karnataka Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister K H Muniyappa told reporters in Kolar that all the southern states do not have BPL cardholders more than 50 per cent.

“In Karnataka, which is second most tax revenue generating state after Maharashtra, there cannot be 75 to 80 per cent BPL card holders. So we have to cancel them,” Muniyappa said.

He, however, clarified that the government was not cancelling the cards but only converting them from BPL to Above Poverty Line (APL) cards.

According to the minister, those in government jobs, paying income taxes or those whose annual income is above Rs 1.2 lakh are ineligible for BPL cards.

This move gave the opposition BJP a new weapon to target the ruling Congress in the state.

The party led by the Opposition leader in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka, former Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan and K Gopalaiah, took out a march in the city visiting houses of the BPL families. Later, they staged a demonstration against the government move.

A BPL card holder told reporters in Bengaluru that she got to know that her ration card has been cancelled after she went to a government run ration shop.

She was worried that her newborn daughter would not get the Karnataka government’s welfare programme for girl child and get her educated.

Reports poured in from various parts of the state where people from the economically weaker section expressed their shock and dismay over the government’s move.

Bengaluru: A Special court for People’s Representatives in Bengaluru has found Karwar Congress MLA Sathish Sail guilty in the Belekeri port case on Thursday.

After a lengthy hearing, the judge of the special court ordered all the convicts to be immediately arrested. The court found Mahesh Biliya, Mallikarjun Shipping company and MLA Sail guilty in the case. The sentence on punishment has been reserved to Friday (October 25).

The case pertains to the illegal export of 11,312 metric tons of seized iron ore from Belekeri port in Karwar in 2010. The ore had been allegedly mined by the Obalapuram Mining Company in Ballary which was owned by Gali Janardhana Reddy and G Karunakara Reddy, who were Ministers in the BJP-led state government under the then CM B S Yediyurappa.

Kasaragod: A man died after being bitten by a snake in Miyapadavu, Manjeshwar. The deceased has been identified as Ashok (43) from Pallathadka, Miyapadavu.

On the night of September 18, Ashok was bitten by a snake while he was in the sit-out area of his house. He was immediately rushed to a hospital in Mangaluru for treatment.

Despite medical care, he succumbed to his injuries on Thursday morning. Manjeshwar police have registered a case of unnatural death.

Kalaburagi: To cater to the increased passenger demand during the Diwali festival, South Western Railway (SWR) has announced a special express train service between Bengaluru and Kalaburagi. This one-time special service will begin on October 31, 2024, from Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal (SMVT) in Bengaluru.

According to a press release issued by SWR, the SMVT Bengaluru-Kalaburagi Special Express (Train No. 06217) will depart from Bengaluru at 9:15 PM on October 31 and is expected to reach Kalaburagi city at 7:40 AM on November 1. The train will pass through several key stations, including Yelahanka, Dharmavaram, Anantapur, Guntakal, Adoni, Mantralayam Road, Raichur, Krishna, Yadgir, and Shahabad.For the return journey, the Kalaburagi-SMVT Bengaluru Special Express (Train No. 06218) will leave Kalaburagi at 9:35 AM on November 1 and is scheduled to arrive in Bengaluru at 8:00 PM the same day. The train will stop at the same stations on its route back to Bengaluru.

Passengers seeking further details can visit the official railway inquiry website www.enquiry.indianrail.gov.in or use the NTES app. Additionally, inquiries can be made by calling the toll-free number 139, the release added.

Mallesh | Nagendra

Chamarajanagar: In a tragic incident, two men lost their lives due to electrocution near Ayyanpur village in Chandakavadi hobli on Wednesday. The victims, identified as Nagendra and Mallesh, were killed instantly when a live overhead electric wire snapped and came into contact with them.

The men were reportedly riding a bike towards a farm on the outskirts of Ayyanpur when the mishap occurred. Ramasamudra Police have registered a case and visited the scene to conduct an investigation.

Officials from CHESCOM (Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation) also visited the site to assess the situation.

Chamarajanagar: A hostel kitchen assistant was found dead by suicide in the library of a hostel located in Begur village, Gundlupete taluk.

The deceased has been identified as Pramod (27) from Sagade village, Chamarajanagar taluk. The exact reason for the suicide remains unclear.

Begur police arrived at the scene and transferred the body to a government hospital for a post-mortem examination.

Mangaluru: Gayathri, a beneficiary of ‘Gruhalakshmi’, stated that she saved the money received in ten installments of the scheme to pay the school fee of her son. Guarantee schemes had helped single parents like her to educate their children, she said while urging the government to continue the program. She was in conversation with Guarantee Schemes Implementation Committee state vice-president Dr Pushpa Amaranath, along with other beneficiaries, at DK Zilla Panchayat’s Nethravati Auditorium in Mangalore on Wednesday.

Ashwini, another beneficiary from Shanthigiri near Moodbidre, said that she used to get only 50 rupees from her husband when she needed a hundred to shop for basic needs of her house. “As we get 2000 rupees directly in our hands now, we need not ask anybody for minor expenses. We use ‘Gruhalakshmi’ money if we need to get the children something or to buy other items like soaps and toothpaste”, she added.

“My family of five has availed the benefit of all Guarantee schemes except ‘Yuvanidhi’. Our money reaches the coffers of the state again as tax when we buy anything from the outside with this amount. The four guarantees provide our family 4300 rupees in a month which amounts to 51000 rupees annually. Hats off to Siddaramaiah for such a scheme. The real lazy are those who call the guarantee schemes as ‘bitti bhagya’ and claim that it makes people lazy. Only those who have seen hunger and poverty in their lives will know the value of these schemes”, Bharathi Bolar, a beneficiary from Mangaluru, stated.

Athika from Harekala explained how Anna Bhagya, Gruha Jyothi and Gruha Lakshmi had helped her family of ten which included her three children and grandchildren. As she was a widower, this had helped her to take care of her family in the absence of her husband, she said. “We can never forget this help of Siddaramaiah. He must become the Prime Minister”, she added.

Lalitha, another beneficiary from Moodbidre, said that she was a daily wager and had to take loans to get one of her daughters married. “My son is physically challenged. Another daughter has only been employed recently. Son’s medicines cost 2000 rupees per month. I am using Gruhalakshmi money for that now”, she stated.

Explaining how Anna Bhagya and Gruhalakshmi benefited her, Laveena of Ullal said that she got daily wages as a manual labourer. “There is no work in the rainy season. It was difficult for us to even pay the electricity bill then. But now free electricity and other benefits are available”, she added.

An unmarried woman named Leela from Muliki said that she stayed with her brothers. She was using the Gruhalakshmi amount for medicines, she said. “Now I don’t have to seek anybody’s help. These schemes must continue to benefit poor like us”, she stated.

Responding to the rumors about the termination of the schemes, Dr Pushpa Amaranath said that this was the work of people who were jealous of the good work. She said that CM Siddaramaiah had assured that the schemes, which were a ray of hope for many, wouldn’t be stopped. “This program has been popular in the country as ‘5-I program’. Others are also copying this and even the name of the scheme was stolen. Those who opposed the schemes earlier are implementing it now”, she added.

District nodal officer for the implementation of the guarantee schemes and Zilla Panchayat CEO Dr Anand and District Implementation Committee President Bharat Mundodi were present.

Bengaluru: Karnataka on Sunday marked the ‘International Day of Democracy’ by forming a ‘historic’ 2,500-km-long human chain as a symbol of equality, unity, fraternity, and participative governance.

The massive human chain, which according to the Karnataka government will be the “world’s longest”, is being formed across the state from Bidar to Chamarajanagar, covering all 31 districts.

The state government has taken the lead in organising the large-scale event to mark the day in association with civil society.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah joined the human chain at the main event held in front of Vidhana Soudha, the seat of state legislature and secretariat here, along with senior Ministers and officials.

The CM led by reading the preamble of the Constitution, following which people from various walks of life, including transgenders and differently-abled people held hands to form the human chain.

Similar events were held in all districts of the state in which Ministers, public representatives and senior officials took part.

A world record verifying team from London will arrive for the innovative and massive event, officials said.

The human chain will be approximately 2,500 km long, and is said to be the “longest in the history of the world”.

A total of 25 lakh people are expected to participate, with an average of more than 1,000 people for each kilometre, the government has said.

During the event, 10 lakh saplings are expected to be planted in the state by the participants, it added.

According to officials, the participants of the human chain will be given certificates.

Last year, the government organised a mega event of reading the Constitution’s preamble as part of the ‘International Day of Democracy’ celebrations.

Since 2007, September 15th has been declared as the International Day of Democracy, which is celebrated globally. Proclaimed by the United Nations (UN), the day serves as a platform to promote and uphold the principles of democracy worldwide.

Mandya: On Wednesday night, Nagamangala witnessed a wave of violence as looters targeted over 25 shops, vandalising properties and setting stolen motorcycles ablaze. The unrest followed clashes between two groups the previous day.

CCTV footage revealed the extent of the destruction, showing men breaking into a bike showroom, damaging vehicles before setting them on fire. Miscreants also dismantled surveillance cameras before looting several shops, including a textile store and a scrap materials shop, both of which were reduced to ashes.

The fire department received its first alert at 9:15 PM, with units from Nagamangala, KR Pet, Mandya, and Channarayapatna joining forces to extinguish the blaze. Around 50 firefighters battled the flames until early Thursday morning.

Nagamangala police have registered 10 FIRs, including charges of arson and theft. In response, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal announced a bandh in the town on Friday.