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Mysuru Dasara secular festival: Karnataka CM defends invite to Banu Mushtaq

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Mysuru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday, August 31, defended the decision to invite International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate this year’s Mysuru Dasara, describing the event as a “secular” and “cultural” festival for all communities. “Dasara is a cultural festival, it is ‘Nada Habba’ (state festival). There is nothing that it should be inaugurated only by people belonging to a certain religion. Nada Habba means a festival for everyone — Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Jains. This is the festival for everyone,” he told reporters here. “The high-power committee on Dasara had authorised me, and I decided that International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq should inaugurate it. Earlier too, poet K S Nissar Ahmed from the Muslim community was invited to inaugurate Dasara,” he added. Also Read Mysuru’s erstwhile royalty says Chamundi Hills belong to Hindus Calling those opposing the decision “bigots who don’t know history,” Siddaramaiah po...
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‘Don’t think there is need for NIA probe’: Karnataka CM on Dharmasthala case

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Mysuru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday, August 31, said there is no need for NIA probe into allegations of multiple rapes, murders and burials in Dharmasthala over past two decades, and that the SIT has been given complete freedom to investigate and submit a report. Speaking to reporters here, chief minister also said that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate and get rid of the suspicion on Dharmasthala. He was responding to a question on opposition JD(S) and BJP taking out separate rallies in Dharmasthala on Sunday and Monday, respectively, alleging conspiracy and smear campaign against the Hindu religious place and criticising the way the state government handles the issue. Also Read Dharmasthala case: Complainant questioned thrice, seeks to withdraw case “They (opposition) are doing politics in everything. Let them go (to Dharmasthala) if they want. Dharmasthala’s Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade has welcomed the SIT probe. T...
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Dharmasthala case: Complainant questioned thrice, seeks to withdraw case

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Mangaluru: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Dharmasthala case questioned one of the complainants, Sujata Bhat, for the third consecutive day on Friday, August 30. According to sources, Sujata Bhat, who had previously alleged that her daughter Ananya disappeared from the Dharmasthala temple premises in 2003, reportedly expressed her desire to withdraw the complaint during interrogation. Investigators noted that she appeared to be under significant pressure and was struggling with the sustained interrogation. SIT officials found her statements on Friday to be contradictory to her earlier claims, suggesting she was lying and obstructing the legal process. Also Read Dharmasthala case: SIT arrests whistleblower over ‘fake evidence’ While Sujata had earlier claimed that the disappearance of her daughter was part of a larger conspiracy, she disclosed the names of certain individuals allegedly involved in it, on Friday. However, the SIT officials did not confirm the d...
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Yaduveer Wadiyar okays Banu Mushtaq’s invite as long as ‘she respects Devi’

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Mysore-Kodagu MP and descendant of the Yadu kings of the Wadiyar dynasty and custodian of the Mysuru Palace’s traditions, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar said there is no opposition to International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq inaugurating Mysuru Dasara, as long as she shows respect for Goddess Sri Chamundeshwari. “There is no issue or disagreement with inviting Banu Mushtaq for the Dasara festivities. However, Dasara is a religious tradition. As long as the inauguration is done without harming this tradition and religious sentiment, we have no problem. If Banu Mushtaq says that she respects Mother Chamundi, our problem is solved,” Wadiyar said. Smt. Bhanu Mushtaq is a distinguished writer in her own right and, as the first Kannada author to win the Booker Prize, she has brought great pride to the Kannada literary fraternity. However, it has come to our notice that she has made certain past remarks regarding Tayi… https://t.co/sOpoAS9vav — Yaduveer Wadiyar (@yaduve...
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Karnataka deputy CM Shivakumar sings RSS song, apologises later

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Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar raised many eyebrows after reciting a couple of lines from the RSS prayer song on the floor of the House recently. The incident apparently occurred on August 21 last week, while discussing the tragic Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede incident on June 4 that left 11 dead. A video showing him sing a few lines of the song ‘ Namaste Sada Vatsale Matrubhoome ,’ has gone viral on social media platforms, stunning those present. VIDEO | Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar ( @DKShivakumar ) recited the RSS’ Sangha Prarthana, ‘Namaste Sada Vatsale Matribhume’, while addressing the Assembly yesterday. (Source: Third party) (Full VIDEO available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7 ) pic.twitter.com/2CNsemZaq4 — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 22, 2025 On Tuesday, August 25, the deputy chief minister offered to apologise over the incident, but claimed he meant to target the BJP by singing the prayer song in the Assembly. “Last week...
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FIRs after Islamophobic posts target Banu Mushtaq’s Dasara invite

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Two FIRs have been registered in response to the Islamophobic and offensive social media posts triggered after the Congress-led Karnataka government’s inaugural invite to Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq for the upcoming Mysuru Dasara went viral. The first FIR was lodged on August 23 against Jagadish Udupa after he uploaded a Facebook post allegedly criticising the government’s decision to invite Banu, a Muslim, to a Hindu religious festival. His post reportedly stated the government had “insulted the great Hindu religion just to please one community.” The second FIR was registered at the Karkala rural police after another Facebook post purportedly questioning why someone who “does not accept Sanatana Hindu culture should be inaugurating it.” The post also criticised the Congress, labelling it ‘anti-Hindu.’  The FIRs were registered under Section 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with the spreading of content that can incite enmity between communities. K...
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ISRO completes first air-drop test for Gaganyaan parachute system

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Bengaluru: ISRO on Sunday successfully carried out the first Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-01) to validate the parachute-based deceleration system for the upcoming Gaganyaan mission. ISRO successfully accomplishes first Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-01) for end to end demonstration of parachute based deceleration system for Gaganyaan missions. This test is a joint effort of ISRO, Indian Air Force, DRDO,Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard pic.twitter.com/FGaAa1Ql6o — ISRO (@isro) August 24, 2025 An ISRO official told PTI that the end-to-end demonstration was conducted near Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The exercise was jointly executed by ISRO, the Indian Air Force, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard. Also Read India to launch more than 100 satellites over next 15 years: Jitendra Singh The Gaganyaan project aims to demonstrate India’s capability to send humans into space and safely return them to Earth. Pla...
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