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Udupi: Karnataka hijab row is likely to continue as the students have decided to attend the classes wearing a veil despite the state government banning it on the college campus. The issue is more likely to be blown into a major controversy as February 1 (Tuesday) is celebrated as World Hijab Day. Sources said that students will come to the college but won’t shun hijab to attend classes. Police have been informed and no outsider will be allowed into the campus as the hijab row has put the academic career of 1,000 students at stake as they have to prepare for examinations which are going to be held in another two months. On Monday, MLA Raghupathy Bhat, after holding a meeting at the Government Girls Pre-University College in Udupi, said the students who are protesting for wearing hijab to classrooms are being told to come to the college campus only if they shun it. “Otherwise, we have clearly told them not to come to the college and spoil the academic environment,” he said. On the

Udupi:  The row over hijab in Karnataka took a new turn on Monday with BJP MLA Raghupathi Bhat saying that students who are protesting and seeking permission to wear hijab in classrooms have been told to come to the college campus only if they decide to shun the hijab. “Otherwise, we have clearly told them not to come to the college and spoil the academic environment,” he said. Meanwhile, the students have moved a petition to the High Court over this matter. Raghupathi Bhat, speaking to reporters after holding a meeting at the Government Girls Pre-University College in Udupi, stated: “A meeting has been conveyed with the parents, lecturers and School Development and Management Committee regarding the controversy. The students who wanted to wear hijab with uniform were also called… four of them along with their parents participated.” They were told, hijab cannot be allowed and they will have to wait until the submission of the committee report. They can come to the campus in hijab

Tumakuru :  A local court in Karnataka on Monday handed over a 20-year rigorous imprisonment sentence along with a fine of Rs 1 lakh to an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of police for raping a mentally challenged woman inside a moving car in Tumakuru district. Umeshaiah, an officer attached to the women’s police station in Tumakuru, had taken away the mentally challenged victim in a private vehicle on January 15, 2017, and raped her near Antarasanahalli Bridge inside the moving car. Judge H.S. Mallikarjuna Swami of Second Additional District and Sessions Court issued the conviction order against the accused cop and also gave him direction to give Rs 1 lakh as compensation to the victim lady. The case made headlines, causing severe embarrassment to the police department. The parents of the victim had lodged a complaint against the accused. Eshwar, the second accused in the case who drove the vehicle, has been cleared of the charges levelled against him. Public prosecutor Kavitha had

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Cyber, Economic and Narcotics Crime (CEN) Police have lodged a complaint from a BPO staffer regarding the uploading of his private video with his girlfriend on various porn sites in Bengaluru, police said on Monday. The complainant and his girlfriend had spent time in a hotel in Bengaluru some time ago. The miscreants managed to record their private moments and uploaded the video on various pornographic sites. The youth had found his own video after visiting a porn site and when he surfed further, he found his videos in other porn sites as well. However, the faces of the complainant and his girlfriend are blurred in the uploaded videos. The complainant had identified his birthmark on the chest and has lodged the complaint. However, the police said that the video had been shot from different angles and they suspect that it was not shot through secret cameras. However, as the investigation progresses, the truth will come out, police said. The CEN Crime poli

Bengaluru: Karnataka police on Sunday suspended a police official after he allegedly kicked and assaulted a differently-abled woman in public after the latter hurled stones injuring him while being on duty in Bengaluru. Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Narayan, posted with the Halasurugate police station in Bengaluru, is the suspended police official. According to police, the differently-abled woman identified as Manjula had all of a sudden hurled a stone at ASI Narayan while he was sitting inside a towed vehicle. The stone allegedly hit Narayan’s face and he started bleeding. Enraged by the act of the woman, the ASI kicked her repeatedly, abused and held her by the hair dragging her all over the road. Though, the people asked the policeman to let the woman go as she is reported to be mentally unfit, Narayan continued assaulting the woman. Later, he lodged a complaint with S.J. Park police station and the woman was taken into custody. Meanwhile, the people recorded a video of the in

Mysuru: The headmaster who kissed a girl student in Kote town of Mysuru in Karnataka has been sacked. Headmaster R.M. Anilkumar was caught red-handed while kissing a student in his chamber. The management committee of the private school convened an emergency meeting and decided to sack the headmaster from the service. The Education Department has lodged a case of sexual assault under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the headmaster, police said on Saturday. Block Education Officer Chandrakanth and Deputy Director of Public Instruction Ramachandra Urs, have also assured action against the accused teacher. The action came after a video of the headmaster holding the girl student and kissing her in his chamber went viral on social media. The incident has also shocked the state and created outrage. As the video went viral, villagers and students demanded action against the accused headmaster. The video was shot by the students through the window. Based

Tumakuru: A Karnataka local court has found the Assistant Police Sub-Inspector (ASI) guilty in a sensational case of rape against a mentally challenged woman in a moving car. The court will pronounce the quantum of punishment on Monday (Jan 31). Umeshaiah, the accused police officer, attached to Women’s Police station had taken away the mentally challenged woman in a private vehicle on Jan 15, 2017 and raped her near Antarasanahalli Bridge near Tumakuru in a moving car. The case had made headlines causing embarrassment to the police department. Since, the charges against him have been found to be true and have been proved, Second Additional District and Sessions Court Judge H.S. Mallikarjunaswamy has pronounced the accused guilty. The parents of the mentally challenged woman had lodged a complaint against the accused. Eshwar, the second accused in the case who drove the vehicle has been discharged of all charges. Public Prosecutor Kavitha had appeared for the victim. The victim h

Bengaluru : Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has instructed conducting impact assessment to ensure the success of state government-sponsored four food parks. Speaking at a meeting to review the functioning of food Karnataka Limited, the chief minister instructed officials to oversee issues related to land acquisition, equity and infrastructure for setting up food parks in Bagalkot, Hiriyuru, Maluru and Jewargi. A decision will be taken on providing a Rs 26 crore grant for Food Karnataka Limited to set up Food Parks after examining the proposal with the Finance department, Bommai said. Agriculture minister BC Patil, MP Shivakumar Udasi, MLC Y Narayanaswamy and senior officials were present. Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Saturday lifted most of the restrictions in the state following the high-level meeting with Covid experts. Revenue Minister R. Ashok announced that the government has decided to end the night curfew from January 31 onwards. He further stated that the 50 per cent cap on seating capacity in pubs, restaurants, bars, meeting halls has been withdrawn. Minister for Education B.C. Nagesh stated that schools in Bengaluru from Class 1 to 9 which had been closed in the backdrop of Covid third wave, will reopen from Monday. “All Covid appropriate behaviours and SOPs will have to be followed by schools. If any student tests positive, that particular classroom will be sealed and the school will function normally. All students of that particular class would be tested,” he explained. “Concerned DC will take a decision on closing the class or school depending on the cases for three days or five days. All public institutes of learning have been allowed to func

Kolar : The Education Department in Karnataka has suspended a teacher on charges of letting students perform namaz inside the school premises in Kolar district, sources said on Friday. S.M. Umadevi, in-charge head mistress of the Balechengappa Kannada Model Higher Primary School in Someshwarapalya, has been suspended by the Department of Public Instruction. “It is the duty of the teachers of government schools to inculcate a sense of national integration. Religious tolerance, practices and traditions must be there. However, by allowing students to perform namaz in one of the classrooms instils a divisive mindset,” the suspension order stated. The order added that the act of the teacher highlights dereliction of duty, and negligence on her part. This would have a negative impact on learning and will hinder the overall progress of the educational institution, it added. It further stated that this conduct of the teacher does not suit the dignity of a government worker, and is agains

Kozhikode: Police probing the case of missing girls from a government-run children’s home here said on Friday that all of them have been found from various locations in Kerala and Karnataka. Six girls had gone missing from the Children’s Home in Vellimadukunnu here on Wednesday evening. Police had traced one girl to a hotel in Madiwala area of Bengaluru on Thursday. Another girl was tracked from Mysuru while boarding a bus to Kozhikode late on Thursday night. Four others were traced to Edakkara near Nilambur in Malappuram district around Friday noon, police said. All of them have been taken into custody, the police said. Police sources said the four girls, said to have reached Palakkad by train from Karnataka on Friday morning, were intercepted by locals while they were proceeding to Nilambur by road. Sources in Chevayur police, which is investigating the case, said further details like the reason behind their escape from their shelter and outside support would be known after a

Bengaluru: Dr Soundarya (30), the granddaughter of former Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, had left her nine-month-old baby in the other room of the flat before committing suicide on Friday. Meanwhile, High Ground police have lodged a case of unnatural death following the complaint by her husband Dr Neeraj. The police are awaiting the statements from the family of Soundarya on ascertaining what made her take the extreme step. According to sources, Dr Soundarya conducted naming ceremony of her baby three months ago. Police sources say that there are very less chances of family dispute and reason for the suicide is yet to be ascertained. The maid and statements collected so far in the apartment said that couple lived happily. Dr Soundarya worked at the Bowring hospital as an Assistant Professor and she was a practicing doctor. Her husband Dr Neeraj, a Radiologist worked at the M.S. Ramaiah hospital. Neeraj is son of elder brother of Zilla Panchayat member Mariswamy. Dr Sa

Bengaluru: The 13th Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFF) will be held from March 3. A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the BIFF Organising Committee, chaired by Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. The film festival would be a 10-day event, Bommai said on Thursday. “BIFF has received the recognition of Federation of International Film Producers Association. Thus, the film festival would have a global stature. It is a matter of pride that BIFF is one of the 45 global level international film festivals,” Bommai said. “Kannada films had brought fame on numerous occasions in many countries. Best of the Kannada movies should be exhibited at the international film festival. BIFF should become a model for other film festivals,” Bommai added. Social messages should be delivered through the film festival, he said. The Chief Minister also released the BIFF logo on the occasion. Horticulture Minister Muniratna, Chairman of Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy Sun

Bengaluru: Former Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa’s granddaughter was found dead at her residential apartment here on Friday The victim, Soundarya, is the daughter of Padmavathi, Yediyurappa’s second daughter. The incident came to light at around 10.30 a.m. when the domestic helper came to wake her up for breakfast. When she didn’t open the door of her room, the helper informed others. The apartment staff arrived and the victim hanging from the ceiling of the balcony and informed the police. Soundarya and her husband Neeraj had lived in the apartment since two and a half years. The body has been shifted to the Bowring hospital for the post-mortem. An investigation into the matter is currently underway. Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

Bengaluru: An incident of Karnataka BJP MLA allegedly abusing and trying to assault beat constables on duty near legislatures’ house, ‘Shasakara Bhavana’, has come to light in Bengaluru. Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said on Friday that the matter has come to his notice and the police department has been asked to look into the matter. “I got to know that MLA M.P. Kumaraswamy was stopped by a constable while entering the Bhavana. I have asked the Police Commissioner to look into the issue. After getting information, the next action would be initiated. Presently, police officers have gone to meet the MLA to collect information,” he said. When asked about the MLA assaulting and abusing the policemen, Araga Jnanendra stated that everything would be looked into and action will be initiated,” he said. According to police sources, BJP MLA Kumaraswamy from Mudigere was in an inebriated state when he reached the legislatures’ house near Vidhana Soudha at 11 p.m. and allegedly abused and tr

Bengaluru: Karnataka Education Minister B.C. Nagesh on Thursday hinted at reopening of schools for the students of Class of 1-9 in Bengaluru. “Since Covid-19 cases in Bengaluru are coming down, I will seek an opinion in the cabinet on reopening of schools,” he said. The schools for 1 to 9 standard in Bengaluru were closed as a precautionary measure for two reasons. The Covid positivity was higher during the third wave in Bengaluru. The rate was higher than the state average, he said. “We didn’t know how the third wave was going to unfold and keeping child safety in mind precaution has been taken,” he said. “If 1 to 9 standard classes are open, the education department is ready to conduct classes. The Covid cases have been reported in single to four digits. However, the pattern of the increase in numbers has been fearful,” the Minister said. Nagesh said the Covid cases were reported in more numbers in the residential hostels. After the precautions now there also cases have been

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has ordered granting of Rs 17.66 lakh compensation to a man who lost his genitals in a road accident that rendered him permanently incapable of leading a normal married life. Petitioner Basavaraju had met with an accident 11 years ago in Ranibennur town of Haveri district and suffered permanent damage to his genitals. Considering his plea for compensation, a division bench headed by Justices S.G. Pandit and A.R. passed the judgement. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal had earlier fixed only Rs 50,000 compensation for the mishap and ordered the insurance company to pay Rs 3.73 lakh total compensation money inclusive of other claims to the victim. Considering the loss to the petitioner, the High Court increased the amount to Rs 10 lakh and in total has ordered the insurance company to pay Rs 17.68 lakh as compensation to him. Though the petitioner had asked for Rs 11.75 lakh total compensation, the bench had fixed more amount of compensation symp

Bengaluru: Despite the Karnataka government forming a high-level committee to decide on the “hijab” row and uniform code, the stalemate continued in the state with Muslim students refusing to attend classes without veil. Meanwhile, Education Minister B.C. Nagesh and local BJP MLA Raghupathy Bhat on Thursday termed it an “international conspiracy”. The Muslim students of the Government Girl’s College of Udupi in Karnataka have refused to shun “hijab” and attend classes in uniform until the report of the high-level committee formed in this regard is submitted. They have also flatly refused to attend classes online as suggested by local BJP MLA Raghupathy Bhat. The Government Order in this regard directed the students to maintain status quo with the normal uniform until the further order. The Education Minister questioned that why this kind of problems arise only few pockets of the country these problems arise? The forces against the nation are behind this, he opined. The debate on

Bengaluru:  Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s ambitious programme ‘Grama One’, aimed at providing the government services at doorstep, was launched in 3,026 Gram Panchayats on Wednesday. It would be extended all over the state by the end of March, the Chief Minister announced. Speaking after launching the programme virtually in 12 districts, he said that the ‘Grama One’ has been launched with an objective of taking the government services to the doors of the people without making them spend time and money. The programme intends to provide Adhar Card, Ration Card and other services related to departments like Agriculture, Horticulture, Revenue, Women and Child Welfare. It would also reduce the rush at Taluk offices and effect decentralisation of power, he said. The programme will provide “uninterrupted services” to the public with the aid of technology and modern equipment. The service has been launched in 3,026 Gram Panchayats of 12 districts. It will restore people’s fai

Bagalkote : Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah on Tuesday alleged that some Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular) leaders are in touch with the Congress to join it but he would not reveal their names now. “I said yesterday that some BJP and JDS leaders are in touch with me, but I won’t reveal the names now,” said Siddaramaiah. When asked whether Congress will accept those who left the Congress and joined BJP, the LoP said that they must join the party by accepting party leadership and they must join unconditionally. “To join Congress, they must have belief in our party. They must join us by accepting party leadership and they must join us unconditionally. If they accept all these conditions and join us, they are welcome,” he added. One year before the 2023 Karnataka Assembly Elections, there are several political developments in the state which are leading towards more MLAs joining and leaving parties. Get the latest updates i

Bengaluru : Registering a surge in numbers again, Karnataka on Wednesday reported 48,905 new cases of COVID-19 and 39 fatalities, taking the tally to 36,54,413, and death toll to 38,705. The state on Tuesday had reported a dip in daily cases at 41,400. There were 41,699 discharges, taking the total number of recoveries to 32,57,769, a bulletin said. Of the new cases, 22,427 were from Bengaluru Urban that saw 18,734 people being discharged and 8 virus-related deaths. The total number of active cases across the state is now at 3,57,909. While the positivity rate for the day stood at 22.51 per cent, the case fatality rate (CFR) was 0.07 per cent. Of the 39 deaths, 8 are from Bengaluru Urban, Dakshina Kannada and Hassan (4), Mysuru (3), Chikkaballapura, Kalaburagi, Mandya, Ramanagara and Uttara Kannada (2), followed by others. Apart from Bengaluru Urban, Mysuru recorded the second highest with 2,797 new cases followed by Tumakuru 2,645, Mandya 2,186, and Hassan 2,016. Bengaluru Ur

Hassan: At a time when the entire nation is celebrating the 73rd Republic Day, the stark realities of social imbalance continue to haunt the country. An incident of caste discrimination has been reported from Gangura village in Karnataka’s Hassan district, where the upper caste people have reportedly ordered the Dalits not to be part of a religious ceremony, and even took an undertaking from them in this regard. The villagers of Gangura, where the main temple coming under the Muzrai department is being renovated, have decided to perform a ritual called ‘Adde Utsava’. During this ritual, the deity from the Adibailu Bindigeyamma Ranganathaswamy temple is taken to 28 villages before culminating in a religious fair after 28 days. However, though the temple comes under government control, the upper caste elders of the village have held a panchayat and decided that Dalits should not participate in any of the religious affairs when the deity is brought to the village. They have issued

New Delhi: A man was nabbed at Bengaluru airport and heroin valued at Rs 5.3 crore recovered from his possession, a customs official said on Wednesday. On the basis of specific intelligence inputs, the officers of Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU), Bengaluru Airport and Air Cargo Commissionerate intercepted a Courier shipment from Dubai on January 22. “This shipment was declared as documents in a bag. But we found it suspicious. We examined the whole bag. Examination of the shipment revealed the concealment of a powdery substance in a folder,” the official said. As per the preliminary report from the trace detector, the said substance was detected as heroin, he added. 754 grams of the said concealed substance, valued at 5.3 crore INR in the international market, was seized under the provisions of the NDPS Act. Further, the importer of the said consignment was arrested with the help of the officers of Bengaluru City Customs (Preventive). He was then taken to a government hospital

Chitradurga: A man has lodged a complaint against his father-in-law and other relatives for allegedly forcing to him convert to Christianity in Hosadurga police station of Chitradurga district in Karnataka, police said on Tuesday. Marappa, a resident of Budga Jangam Colony in Aravind Nagar near Hospet, alleged that he is not being allowed to see his new born baby and his wife. He said he was being threatened, blackmailed and assaulted by the wife’s family members to get converted to Christianity. The complaint has been lodged against Vasanthkumar, his father-in-law, Ramachandrappa, his wife’s grandfather, relatives Sudhakar, Manjunath, Sankappa. The case has again sparked debate on the religious conversions in the region. Local BJP MLA Sudhakar has raised the issue in the Assembly session and later the ruling BJP brought in the Anti-conversion Bill. In his complaint, Marappa said on July 6, 2020 while getting married, he was forced to take a dip in the holy water and declared tha

Hassan: An Associate Professor attached to the Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences (HIMS) was on Tuesday suspended after a junior doctor accused him of sexual harassment in Karnataka’s Hassan district. The victim junior doctor has been under training after completion of the MBBS course. She has alleged in her complaint to HIMS that while going in a lift, the accused senior doctor had suddenly kissed her. Following the complaint, the accused doctor working in the Medicine department has been suspended. The incident occurred on January 12 when the victim junior doctor was on duty. She had given a written complaint in this regard and the dean referred the complaint to the Director of HIMS. Later, after an inquiry, the Medical Education Department ordered suspension. Naveen Raj Singh, Secretary of the Medical Education Department and HIMS Administrative Council Vice President, has ordered a probe monitored by Additional Deputy Commissioner Kavitha Jayaram. He has asked for the submis

Bengaluru: The Karnataka unit of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) has asked Muslim students and parents not to participate in “Surya Namaskar” on the occasion of the 75th Republic Day as the ritual is against Islam. Dr. Muhammad Saad Belgami, JIH President told IANS on Tuesday that, “Surya Namaskaar” is against Islam. We don’t prostrate before our prophet and we believe in oneness of the God. “Surya Namaskar” is not allowed for Muslim students,” he said. “We also strongly advice Muslim parents and children not to participate in this idolatrous practice. This should also be an occasion to make children understand the concept of oneness of God and its demands. We urge the management of schools and institutions to respect this diversity and freedom of choice,” he explained. The central government has issued instructions on the 75th Republic Day celebrations that special programmes to perform “Surya Namaskar” with musical instruments should be held across the country. The plan is to achieve

Bengaluru:  The Karnataka Police have nabbed a 34-year-old former call centre employee on charges of cheating engineering graduates and job aspirants in the pretext of getting them a placement in a top software company in Bengaluru, police said on Tuesday. The police have seized 40 fake appointment letters from the accused and are investigating the matter. The accused has been identified as Sanjeev Gangaram Gurkha, a resident of Chinchanwad, Pune in Maharashtra. The accused gave advertisements on social media and other platforms announcing recruitment to a top software company based in the Manyata Tech Park in Bengaluru. He has also opened eight bank accounts to receive money from gullible candidates, said the police. When job aspirants contacted him, he conducted online interviews. The accused after announcing that they have got through the interview, would ask them to deposit money towards laptop and other equipment. He would tell the victims that they will have to work from home

Bengaluru: The Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport) has recorded its highest-ever cargo tonnage, despite a turbulent pandemic environment. In Calender Year 2021 (CY 2021), the airport has also welcomed 16.07 million passengers, registering a growth of 18.9 per cent this year when compared to 13.51 million passengers in 2020. During the period, the BLR Airport has been able to recover 48.0 per cent of the pre-Covid level traffic of 33.65 million passengers handled in CY 2019. With the gradual easing of curbs by various state governments, domestic passenger traffic recorded a double-digit growth of 22.0 per cent, an upswing from 12.39 million in CY 2020 to 15.12 million in CY 2021. During the period, the BLR Airport processed an all-time high tonnage of 406,688 Metric Tonnes (MT) of cargo, recording a significant growth of 28.6 per cent versus 316,305 MT in 2020. Similarly, the international cargo recorded a 32.8 per cent growth, 265,873 MT processed, as compa