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New Delhi: National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday conducted searches at 13 locations in Shivamogga district in Karnataka in the killing of Harsha, an active member of Bajrang Dal, due to his involvement in “Gau Raksha” (cow protection) related activities. The searches were conducted at the residential premises of four suspects and 10 arrested accused in the case, said the NIA. Also Read Malegaon blast case: NIA court rejects plea seeking cancellation of accused’s bail The NIA claimed to have seized various digital devices including mobile phones, SIM cards, memory cards, hard disks and other incriminating materials and documents during the searches conducted at the premises of the accused and suspects. The case relates to the murder of one Harsha alias Hindu Harsha and a First Information Report was initially registered on February 21 this year by Doddapete police station of Shivamogga district and re-registered by the NIA on March 23. Get the latest updates in Hyd

Bengaluru: After being rapped by the High Court, Karnataka’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday summoned Bengaluru Urban District Commissioner J. Manjunath for interrogation in connection with the bribe case. The High Court had hauled up the ACB and called it a “centre of corruption” and “collection centre”. In a setback to the ruling BJP, the bench headed by Justice H.P. Sandesh had further stated that ACB is presently headed by a tainted ADGP. The development is seen as a setback to the ruling BJP government in Karnataka. Former CM H.D. Kumaraswamy slammed ruling BJP on Thursday saying that it is a shameful that the ACB wing is headed by a tainted officer. Also Read Karnataka HC upholds dismissal of CISF constables accused of raping colleague’s wife Noting that the government is intentionally posting such tainted officers to this post, the court said it knows what all has been done in the case of former Chief Secretary Jadhav case. The investigation officer is useless

Bengaluru: Terming the brutal killing of a tailor in Rajasthan’s Udaipur as an act of terror, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday alleged there was a big international conspiracy behind the incident, and wanted the case to be investigated thoroughly. All those behind the incident including international organisations should be brought to justice and the guilty must be hanged, he demanded. “The Udaipur incident is a heinous and inhuman act. It is an act of terror. There is a big international conspiracy behind it and it needs to be investigated and those responsible should be hanged,” Bommai said. Also Read Pakistan rejects reports linking Udaipur murder Speaking to reporters here, he urged the Rajasthan government to thoroughly probe the matter and find out all those including international organisations behind the murder, and take measures to ensure stringent punishment for them. Two men, identified as Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad, with a cleaver had h

Bengaluru: Kannada actress Pranitha Subhash has condemned the killing of Kanhaiya Lal in Rajasthan’s Udaipur for pledging support to expelled BJP leader Nupur Sharma over her controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammad. Taking to Twitter on Thursday, the actress said: “I wish I had not seen the Udaipur video. Absolute terror. The screams in the background will echo in our minds and haunt us for a long time to come. Or will it?” Pranitha wrote. She has also shared her picture holding a placard which read “Hindu lives matter” and captioned it “is anyone listening?” Also Read Pakistan rejects reports linking Udaipur murder The actress who has acted in Telugu, Tamil filmed recently welcomed a baby. The netizens are appreciating her courage for condemning the brutal incident and raising the concerns. An active social media user, Pranitha has earlier also condemned religious fundamentalism and persecution of Hindus. More than 1.20 lakh people have reacted to her post. Meanwhile, fo

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has upheld the order of compulsory retirement of a civil judge, who was caught red-handed while signing order sheets of the previous day during a surprise visit of the Principal District Judge. The bench headed by Justice P.S. Dinesh Kumar observed that maintaining a high degree of probity and integrity was a hallmark of judges while giving the order on Wednesday. “To record proceedings in the order sheet, which have not taken place is anathema to sacrosanct court proceedings and such conduct cannot be countenanced in the case of a judicial officer, judge. Litigants approach the courts with utmost trust. If this is permitted, there will be no sanctity for the proceedings,” Justice Dinesh Kumar observed. Also Read BJP suffers embarrassment in Karnataka as minister rakes up separate state demand The bench dismissed the petition filed in this regard by Shivanand Laxman Anchi. The inquiry report alleged that the accused civil judge neither cros

New Delhi: The Special Cell of Delhi Police on Thursday flew Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair to Bengaluru to recover his laptop which he used for uploading various contents on social media sites. According to police, he has allegedly formatted his electronic devices and is refusing to hand them over to police despite being repeatedly asked. “Zubair was deliberately using religion to outrage a religious group. He was doing this to gain popularity,” the police has alleged. The Special Cell has said that he was evasive and not cooperating with the officials. After recovering the laptop, the police will try to access the hard disk memory to check the edited materials allegedly posted by him. The laptop will be sent for the forensic examinations at CFSL, Rohini. “My laptop and my phone storage are my personal things. They want my laptop only to harass me, only because I have been challenging what certain people have been saying, and some of those people are in power,” Zubair had s

Bengaluru: Condemning the beheading of a young tailor for supporting BJP leader Nupur Sharma, Karnataka BJP on Wednesday said that the country should emulate Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath model to tackle religious fundamentalism. While interacting with media, State BJP chief Nalin Kumar Kateel stated there is a need for the Yogi Adityanath model in the contemporary world. “There is a need for implementation of decisions taken by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Also Read Against Islam: Jamiat condemns Udaipur tailor’s killing “The terrorist activity has started again in the country. The merciless killing of Hindu tailor is a matter of shame. The killing of Bajrang Dal activist Harsha in Karnataka had also taken place on the same lines. The killers of Harsha in Shivamogga district of the state had slit the throat of Harsha and sent a video of to his sister,” Kateel said. There is foreign hand behind the Rajasthan incident. Such an incident had happe

Bengaluru:  In a shocking incident, two sisters were stripped and assaulted in their residence in the outskirts of Bengaluru for not being able to repay their education loan. The police for two days refused to lodge the complaint and it was only after the assault videos went viral that the complaint was finally registered. The shocking incident took place in the Doddabommasandra area in Anekal taluk, and the complaint was lodged against Ramakrishna Reddy, Sunil Kumar and Indramma. According to the complaint filed, one of the victims had taken a loan of Rs 1 lakh loan at an exorbitant 30 per cent interest for the education of her children from one Ramakrishna Reddy, a resident of the Neriga village near Doddabommasandra. Also Read Domino’s Pizza female employee assaulted by a group of women in Indore However, she was asked to repay the entire loan amount at once. The villagers had brokered a peace deal that once they sell their land, the victim would repay the loan amount. De

Bengaluru: In a major embarrasment to the BJP government in Karnataka, the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Umesh Katti’s recent statements demanding a separate state for north Karnataka has reignited the debate over regional divide in the southern state. To the chagrin of BJP leaders, who are handling social unrest in the state, textbook revision row, pressure from party insiders to expand the Cabinet, such repeated statements by Katti over separate statehood for north Karnataka has put the party in a fix. Also Read Karnataka textbook row: BJP bows down to criticism, orders rectification Karnataka Rakshana Vedike State General Secretary, B. Sannerappa, told IANS that such divisive comments are being made by a cabinet minister in the Karnataka government. North Karnataka is a BJP bastion and stronghold of the Lingayat community which is considered a core vote bank of the saffron party. On the other hand, there is also a demand for a separate Tulunadu compri

Bengaluru: Demanding a change of loan policy and delinking CIBIL score for extending the agricultural loan, thousands of farmers staged a protest against the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in Bengaluru on Tuesday. Members of the Federation of State Farmers Associations and Karnataka Sugarcane Cultivators Association arrived from all across the state to protest in front of the RBI. However, the agitators were stopped by the police and a protest was staged near the building of the Department of Public Instruction. The farmers insisted that the RBI officers should speak to them and resolve the issue. The police department had made tight security arrangements in the premises of the RBI. Also Read Bengaluru to host nine G20 summit meetings: Bommai Kurubur Shanthakumar, President of the Karnataka Sugarcane Cultivators Association stated that he had written a letter to the Bengaluru RBI Chief 20 days ago but got no no reply. “When agricultural loans are granted, CIBIL score should not

Bengaluru:  Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said the G20 Summit 2023 is set to be held in India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, adding it is proof of his success in showcasing India’s strength as a global power to the world. The Chief Minister in his address after releasing the book ‘Modi@20, Dreams Meet Delivery’, said India is set to host the G20 Summit 2023. The heads of 20 leading countries of the world would participate in it. “Bengaluru would host 9 meets related to G20. India is gaining in strength in defence, economy, education and other sectors. The summit would be held in India under Modi’s leadership,” he stated. “Only a mass leader could find a permanent place in people’s hearts. It is not easy to evoke the confidence and fulfil the aspirations of 130 crore people of diverse languages, cultures, castes and religions,” the Chief Minister said. Also Read Karnataka textbook row: BJP bows down to criticism, orders rectification

Bengaluru: The BJP government in Karnataka has bowed down to criticism from various quarters regarding the revision of textbooks by the committee headed by the Kananda Development Authority President, Rohit Chakratirtha. The education department has ordered the rectification of textbooks as per the demands of progressive thinkers and opposition parties. Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda had written to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to drop the revised syllabus. The religious seers of three prominent castes of the state — Lingayat, Vokkaliga and Kuruba — have objected to the revised education syllabus highlighting the ill-treatment meted out to social reformers Basavanna and Kanakadasa. Also Read ‘Cong doesn’t want Hindu gods’, BJP hits back on textbook revision row Vokkaliga seers have objected to belittling of Rashtrakavi (National poet) Kuvempu, who is hailed with pride by the community, and the architect of Bengaluru, Nadaprabhu Kempegowda. Progressive thinkers and

Bengaluru: Karnataka Director General and Inspector General of Police Praveen Sood directed the traffic police in Bengaluru on Monday not to stop vehicle riders and drivers unless there is a traffic offence. The move has been appreciated by the vehicle riders who complained of harassment by traffic police on the pretext of document verification. Srivatsava Vajapeyam, a resident of Bengaluru, had written to Praveen Sood that when he was ACP traffic, he had banned stopping vehicles for checking documents. “You could be stopped only for an offence. “Now with Praveen Sood as DGP, stopping vehicles is a daily phenomenon,” Srivatsava had written on June 26. Also Read India hockey team set to fine-tune skills for CWG at month-long camp Replying to this, Praveen Sood stated on Monday that “Yes I stand by it and reiterate again. No vehicle shall be stopped only for checking documents unless it has committed a traffic violation visible to the naked eye. Only exception is drunken drivin

New Delhi: India hockey stalwarts such as goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, Krishan Pathak, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar and Amit Rohidas are among 31 players included in the Commonwealth Games camp, which began on Monday and will conclude on July 23 when the team leaves for Birmingham for the quadrennial showpiece. After their impressive outing in Europe where the men’s team lived up to the billing against Belgium and the Netherlands in thrilling FIH Pro League double-headers, the team will have a nearly four-week long national camp at the Sports Authority of India centre in Bengaluru, where they will do the final fine-tuning for the mega event. India, which is being led by Manpreet Singh, is scheduled to begin their campaign on July 31 against Ghana. Grouped in Pool B, India will also take on hosts England, Canada and Wales in the round-robin league matches. Talking about the camp, chief coach Graham Reid said, “The players got a brief six-day break to go spend time with

Bengaluru : With Karnataka due for Assembly elections next year, the political scene at ground zero is beginning to heat up. While development is usually part of the discourse in electoral politics, in Karnataka the focus has lately been on the growing religious divide. From Hijab to halal and text book revisions, the state has witnessed a series of flashpoints over the last few months. The moves are being seen as a calculated strategy by the BJP to retain power here. But for party supporters, Hindutva is synonymous with nationalism. M.P. Renukacharya, BJP MLA from Honnali in Davanagere district says that “those who oppose BJP including litterateurs should understand that they are living in a Hindu country. This is not Pakistan. Hindus in Pakistan and Bangaldesh are not given so much of freedom. Here everyone is respected.” For the ruling BJP, the stakes are particularly high. For starters, Karnataka is the only state down south where BJP has a strong presence. Secondly, as a major

New Delhi: The ED on Saturday said it has arrested Sushil P Mantri, director of Bengaluru-based real estate group Mantri Developers Pvt. Ltd., in a money laundering probe linked to alleged duping of numerous homebuyers. Mantri was produced before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Bengaluru that sent him to the Enforcement Directorate custody for 10 days, it said in a statement. The agency said it filed a money laundering case against the group and its promoters in March after studying a Bengaluru police FIR registered against them in 2020. “Many homebuyers have filed complaint with the police as well as with the ED alleging that accused entities/persons are involved in money laundering and have induced the prospective buyers with rosily painted schemes, showing misleading brochures, falsification of delivery time lines and window dressing and collected more than Rs 1,000 crore as advance money from thousands of buyers.” Also Read Karnataka: No burial

Bengaluru: Amid high voltage political drama playing out in Maharashtra, politicians in Karnataka attached to the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress are engaged in war of words. Dr G. Parameshwara, former Deputy Chief Minister and prominent Dalit politician from Congress on Saturday slammed BJP for capturing power through arm twisting. That is what is being done in Maharashtra. “The system must be reformed. The issue of candidates winning elections from one party and joining another should be discussed at higher levels and a law should be brought in to prevent such activities,” he stated. Also Read Start work in July for development of Anjanadri hills, Bommai to officials Replying to it, Minister for Large and Medium Industry, Murugesh Nirani said, there is a rebellion by a political party in Maharashtra and many have become hostile to the ruling establishment. He expressed confidence that the BJP will form the government in the state. “I have confidence that rebel MLAs

Bengaluru : Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday instructed officials to complete the land acquisition process and start the work next month for comprehensive development of Anjanadri Hills at Kishkinda in Koppal district. The instructions were issued at a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister to review the implementation of Anjanadri Hills Comprehensive Development project. About 60 acres of land is required for the project, of which about 58 acres is private land. The Chief Minister asked the Deputy Commissioner of Koppal district to acquire the land through direct negotiation with the farmers or through the KIADB land acquisition process. In the first phase of the project, connecting roads to Anjanadri should be developed. Alternative roads too should be identified and developed, he said. Also Read Karnataka: BDA site for environmentalist Saalumarada Thimmakka He instructed the officials to prepare the detailed project report and develop parking and other

Bengaluru:  Nature lovers are appreciating the Karnataka government’s move to allot Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) site for Saalumarada Thimmakka, a notable environmentalist from the state. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who granted a BDA site for Saaluamrada Thimmakka, formally handed over the sale deed on Saturday. The Chief Minister presented the BDA site allotment and sale deed documents to Thimmakka, who called on the Chief Minister at his Race Course Road residence with her foster son. Thimmakka has been granted a 50X80 feet site in Sector J, 7th Block in Nadaprabhu Kempegowda layout. Saalumarada Thimmakka, also known as Aala Marada Thimmakka, is renowned for her work in planting and tending to 385 banyan trees along a 45 km stretch of highway between Hulikal and Kudur towns in Karnataka. She is called Saalumarada (row of trees) because of her accomplishment. The environmentalist has also planted about 8,000 other trees. As she does not have children, she loved tre

Bengaluru:  The Revenue Department under the Karnataka government has given orders to officers to find land for burial grounds in 1,428 villages in the state to escape the wrath of the High Court. The High Court has warned that contempt proceedings will be initiated against the Principle Secretary of the Department for failing to provide land. Bengaluru resident Mohammad Iqbal had filed a petition in this regard with the High Court. The division bench headed by Justice B. Veerappa has issued a stern warning on the issue. According to Revenue Department statistics, there are 29,076 villages in the state. Among them the burial ground land has been allotted in 27,648 villages and 299 towns. The land has to be given in 1,428 villages and a town in Shivamogga district. Also Read Karnataka HC reserves judgement on mosque dispute in Mangaluru The Department claims that government land is not available and the private owners are not coming forward to sell their land. In every villag

Bengaluru:  Bengaluru Civic bodies, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) have come under scanner as the issue of substandard work during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit is being discussed at the national level. N.R. Ramesh, BJP President for Bengaluru South, told IANS on Saturday that he has sought information about the road works taken up during PM Modi’s visit through RTI with authorities. “Once I get the information, I will lodge a complaint against the responsible authorities, officers and other parties involved. We are against corruption,” he said. Sources explained that the contractors had allegedly thrown all guidelines to the air while constructing roads ahead of the PM’s visit. It is alleged that instead of emulsion, kerosene was used which brings down the costs greatly and bitumen which has to be laid at the 110 to 140 degree temperature, has been laid at below 90 degree temperature. The responsible engineer who should ha

Bengaluru : The High Court of Karnataka on Friday reserved its judgement on the maintainability of a suit pending before a court in Mangaluru, seeking survey of a mosque. The suit is before the III Additional Civil Court in Mangaluru and is regarding the Assayed Abdullahi Madani mosque in Malali, Thenka Ulipady village, near Mangaluru. Architecture resembling a temple was allegedly found during renovation of the mosque. T A Dhananjaya and B A Manoj Kumar filed the suit seeking a survey of the mosque to verify if part of it is a temple. The local court in Mangaluru was hearing arguments whether such a suit was maintainable. Meanwhile, the same persons approached the High Court requesting that the lower court should not decide on the maintainability of the suit, but appoint a commissioner to conduct the survey. A single-judge bench of the High Court of Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum had earlier directed the lower court not to pass orders on maintainability of the suit till the HC

Bengaluru: The police in Bengaluru have arrested two African nationals who ran a racket of cybercrime and cheated people across the country on the pretext of jobs and loans. Investigation revealed that the accused used tribal people of Tripura to obtain SIM cards to commit cyber crimes. Monikumar Kaipeng from Agartala, who colluded with the accused African nationals in committing fraud, has also been arrested. The Cyber, Economic and Narcotics (CEN) Crime police station of North East division carried out the operation and nabbed the fraudsters. The arrested African nationals have been identified as Fasoyin Avaloho and Adbe Ange Alfred Adoni, both residents of Yelahanka locality in Bengaluru. According to the police, Monikumar used tribal people to create accounts by paying them a paltry sum. He along with the African nationals withdrew money from these accounts deposited by the gullible people, said the police. Also Read Karnataka Health dept on alert as Covid cases cross 800

Bengaluru: A group of 75 people including eminent personalities have written an open letter to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai , expressing concern about “recent developments” that threaten to destroy peace and diversity in Karnataka. They requested Bommai to take proactive steps to ensure that a clear message is sent to those instigating or indulging in violence and creating fear and that such unlawful behaviour will not be tolerated and will be punished. The group, calling themselves ‘concerned citizens’, pressed for restoring the State to a ‘Sarva janangada shantiya thota’ (a garden of peace for diverse communities), as mentioned in ‘Naada Geethe’ (state anthem) penned by Kuvempu. They said the “current spate of divisive actions aimed at alienating particular communities and denying them their fundamental rights” will not only hamper development but also hurt our state’s reputation, hinder progress and innovation, erode the confidence of entrepreneurs and investors, heighten in

Bengaluru: With the Karnataka government announcing the list of 243 wards, the stage is set for the upcoming Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike ( BBMP ) elections. Preparations for the prestigious battle have already begun in the ruling BJP, the opposition Congress and regional party JD(S) camps. AAP is also upbeat about the civic polls. While the ruling BJP considers the polls as a battle of prestige, the Congress has already undertaken a massive people’s movement on the Mekedatu project. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is hopeful of making its presence felt. The elections for BBMP must be held on October 1 as per the order of the Supreme Court. According to sources, though the party high commands of BJP and Congress are very serious about winning it, the local Bengaluru politicians from both national parties want the elections only after the Assembly polls. Also Read Bengaluru: BBMP draws flak as roads wither after Rs 23 cr repair work ahead of PM’s visit Reportedly, both BJP and C