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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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

New Delhi: Karnataka Congress MLA K C Veerendra ‘Puppy’ was arrested on Saturday under the anti-money laundering law from Sikkim in an alleged illegal online and offline betting case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said. The federal probe agency also said it seized Rs 12 crore in cash (including about Rs crore in foreign currency), gold jewellery worth Rs 6 crore, silver about 10 kgs, along with four vehicles following raids carried out on Friday in multiple states. The agency did not specify what was seized from where. Also Read KSRTC to run 1,500 special buses for festival rush on Aug 26, 27, 31 It said the 50-year-old MLA from Chitradurga was produced before a designated magistrate in Sikkim’s capital Gangtok on Friday and a transit remand was obtained for producing him before the jurisdictional court in Bengaluru. The Bengaluru zone of the ED is investigating the case. The legislator had gone to Gangtok along with his associates on a business visit to lease a casino, t...

Bangalore: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) on Friday announced that it will operate 1,500 special buses from Bengaluru to various destinations across the state to meet the festive rush during Gowri and Ganesha festivities on August 26 and 27. In addition to the regular schedules, special services will also be operated on August 31, a Sunday, KSRTC said in a press release. From Kempegowda Bus Station in Bengaluru, buses will ply to Dharmasthala, Kukke Subramanya, Shivamogga, Hassan, Mangaluru, Kundapura, Sringeri, Horanadu, Davangere, Hubballi, Dharwad, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Gokarna, Sirsi, Karwar, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Ballari, Koppal, Yadgir, Bidar, Tirupati, Vijayawada and Hyderabad. Also Read Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah recalls 20 stampedes happened in BJP-ruled states Special buses from Mysuru Road Bus Station will be operated exclusively towards Mysuru, Hunsur, Periyapatna, Virajpet, Kushalnagar and Madikeri, it added. Premier special services will be ...

Bengaluru : The Enforcement Directorate on Friday conducted multiple searches at the premises linked to Karnataka Congress MLA K C Veerendra Pappy and some others as part of an online gaming and betting-linked money laundering case, official sources said. Pappy is a legislator from the Chitradurga assembly seat. Also Read Rose Valley case: ED attaches fresh assets worth over Rs 260 crore The action is being undertaken under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Premises linked to the MLA and some others are being covered in a case linked to online betting and gaming, the sources said. 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 Cabinet has decided to provide internal reservation among Scheduled Castes by categorising 101 castes among them into three categories, official sources said. In a special meeting on Tuesday, the cabinet discussed the recommendations of the Justice H N Nagmohan Das Commission report, aimed at providing internal reservation among Scheduled Castes (SCs). The commission had submitted its 1,766-page report to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on August 4, and it was placed before the cabinet on August 7. The internal reservation is aimed at slicing up the 17 per cent reservation matrix given to 101 scheduled castes. Also Read Karnataka Assembly passes Bill for welfare of gig workers According to sources, the cabinet decided to accept the Justice Nagamohan Das Commission’s report, but made some alterations. Of the 17 per cent reservation that SCs have in the state, as per the internal reservation formula evolved by the cabinet, the SC (Right) and SC (Left) will ...

Bengaluru: Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed a Bill that aims to protect the rights of platform-based gig workers, and to place obligations on aggregators in relation to the workers’ social security, occupational health, and safety. Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2025, proposes a welfare fee of 1 to 5 percent of the payout to the worker during each transaction, for different categories of aggregators or platforms. Also Read CM Siddaramaiah inaugurates Hebbal flyover in Bengaluru The Bill provides for transparency in automated monitoring and decision-making systems to provide dispute resolution mechanisms; establish a gig workers welfare board; create a welfare fund for platform-based gig workers; and require platform-based gig workers to be registered with the Board. Also, provide registration of aggregators or platforms; and provide income security and reasonable working conditions to the platform-based gig workers. Ear...

Bengaluru: To facilitate smooth traffic movement from K.R. Puram towards Mekhri Circle in Bengaluru, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday inaugurated the flyover loop constructed by the BDA at Hebbal Junction in Bengaluru by cutting the ribbon. Siddaramaiah also flagged off Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s vintage bike ride as part of the event. The foundation stone for the 700-meter-long loop road was laid in 2023. Built at a cost of Rs 80 crore, the flyover is expected to reduce traffic congestion by 30 per cent. Recently, Shivakumar had also conducted a trial run on the flyover. Speaking to the media after the inauguration of the newly built flyover at Hebbal Junction. Also Read Bengaluru: 5 killed in fire accident at plastic articles manufacturing unit Shivakumar said: “Our government has taken steps to ease the city’s traffic congestion. A new 1.5 km tunnel road will be constructed from Esteem Mall to Baptist Hospital. I have already discussed the pros and cons of...

Bengaluru: Five people, including a family of four, were charred to death after a fire broke out at a plastic articles manufacturing unit in Nagarthapet here, police said. Police have identified the victims as Madan Singh (38) and Sangeetha (33) and their two children Mithesh (7) and Vihaan (5) and neighbour Suresh Kumar (26). Madan Singh was a native of Rajasthan and had been renting the building for nearly 10 years. He ran a small manufacturing unit that made plastic kitchen items as well as mats and steel kitchen utensils. He was residing on the top floor of the building. Also Read Bengaluru boy dies in cylinder blast ; CM announces Rs 5 lakh compensation Speaking to reporters later in the day, Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru , Seemanth Kumar Singh said most likely an electric short circuit could have triggered the fire. The fire started on the ground floor and then spread to the second and third floors. The room on the third floor, where the bodies of the woman and the t...

Bengaluru: Over 5,000 students have already registered for the Karnataka government’s ambitious Study Abroad initiative through the Karnataka Vocational Training and Skill Development Corporation (KVTSDC), under the Department of Skill Development. Encouraging more participation, the department announced that students can still enrol by attending the day-long Study Abroad Expo at Hotel Lalit Ashok on August 17. Over 60 international universities, presenting attractive academic opportunities for Karnataka students, have already camped at the venue, the official statement in this regard said. Also Read Karnataka BJP launches Dharmasthala Chalo rally in show of support for temple To ease financial concerns, several public and private banks have set up stalls offering education loans at competitive interest rates. Public undertaking Karnataka Bank has assured the government of the most student-friendly financial packages, the statement said. “Studying abroad is no longer a privile...

Karnataka’s main opposition party, Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ), has organised a massive rally of over 300 vehicles to the temple town of Dharmasthala, at the center of major controversy after a former sanitation worker turned whistleblower alleged he was forced to bury several bodies between 1995 and 2014 during his service there. The previous day, BJP Yelahanka MLA S R Vishwanath accused some YouTubers of conducting a “smear campaign” against the temple administration and its dharmadhikari and Rajya Sabha MP Veerendra Heggade. Vishwanath said the rally will reach Dharmasthala by 3 pm. Each vehicle will carry saffron flags, stickers with messages such as “ Save Dharmasthala ” and “ Dharmasthala Chalo .” Ambulances and mechanics will accompany the convoy, he said. Also Read SIT uses ground penetrating radar tech in Dharmasthala ‘mass burial’ probe Meanwhile, Karnataka deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar expressed confidence that the alleged conspiracy to tarnish Dharmas...

Bengaluru: A 10-year-old Muslim child died in a suspected cylinder blast here on Friday, police said. At least nine people were injured in the incident. The victim was identified as Mubarak. The incident happened at Chinnayanpalya of Wilson Garden, Central Bengaluru, a tightly packed, predominantly residential neighbourhood where houses abut each other. Atleast 13 houses have been damaged. Speaking to reporters, City Police Commissioner, Seemanth Kumar Singh said the house in which the blast occurred, was being rented by a three-member family. “The man works as a labourer and had left for work early in the morning as usual. The mother and the child at home were injured. But the boy who died was in a neighbouring house,” said Kumar. “We immediately informed the Bomb Disposal Squad, Anti-Terrorism Squad, State Disaster Response Force, Fire Brigade as well as the local police,” Singh added. “We are clearing the houses that are damaged, investigation is on.” It was too early to say...

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said treating stray dogs as a nuisance to be ‘removed’ is not governance, it is “cruelty”. His remarks came after the Supreme Court directed Delhi-NCR authorities to permanently relocate all strays from streets to shelters “at the earliest”. The top court noted that there was an “extremely grim” situation due to stray dog bites resulting in rabies, particularly among children. Treating stray dogs as a nuisance to be ‘removed’ is not governance – it is cruelty. Humane societies find solutions that protect people and animals. Sterilisation, vaccination, and community care work. Fear-driven measures only create more suffering, not safety. https://t.co/hhkzcT18WE — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) August 12, 2025 “Treating stray dogs as a nuisance to be ‘removed’ is not governance – it is cruelty. Humane societies find solutions that protect people and animals,” Siddaramaiah posted on ‘X’ on Tuesday. “Sterilisation, vaccin...

Bengaluru: Two college students here were attacked by stray dogs on Tuesday and have been hospitalised, said a city civic body official. The incident occurred inside the Jnanabharathi campus, near Kengeri. The students were identified as Sujanya G J from Haveri and Rega Nikshitha from Telangana, both pursuing Integrated MSc in Economics at Dr B R Ambedkar School of Economics, situated inside the Jnanabharathi campus. Also Read SC orders removal of stray dogs from Delhi-NCR streets Suralkar Vikas Kishor, Special Commissioner, Health and Sanitation Department, BBMP confirmed that the students were admitted in a nearby private hospital with dog bite injuries. “They are fine now. But I am not very sure of the exact details of the case. We are awaiting a detailed veterinary report,” said Kishor. He said it was suspected that a pack of dogs attacked the students. Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on W...

Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the much-awaited “Yellow Line” of Bangalore Metro Rail, which is expected to ease traffic congestion in several heavily congested corridors connecting the city’s IT hub. The Prime Minister also took a metro ride from RV Road (Ragigudda) to Electronic City metro station and interacted with students during the journey. The over 19-km route from RV Road to Bommasandra of Bangalore Metro Phase-2 project worth around Rs 7,160 crore has 16 stations, officials said. Also Read PM Modi to visit Bengaluru to launch yellow line metro, Vande Bharat Express With the opening of the yellow line, the operational metro rail network in Bengaluru will increase to over 96 km, serving a large population in the region. According to officials, the new facility is expected to ease traffic congestion in several heavily congested corridors like Hosur Road, Silk Board Junction, and Electronics City Junction. Noting that “3 train sets” have a...

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said on Sunday that the state’s contribution to Bengaluru’s Namma Metro was 80 per cent while that of the Centre was only 20 per cent. Speaking to reporters at his Sadashivanagar residence, he said, “I will appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide at least Rs 1 lakh crore for Bengaluru. The Centre was supposed to bear 50 per cent of the land acquisition cost for the Metro project but it hasn’t given. However, we completed the project in the interest of the city. Though Bengaluru is the second highest tax contributor, it gets very little in return.” Dy CM draws parallels with Ahmedabad “Ahmedabad is given 20 per cent of the tax devolution while Bengaluru gets only 10 per cent. Bengaluru needs to be treated on par with other large cities in the country, like Delhi. We are not doing politics over this, we are only appealing,” Shivakumar added. BJP hasn’t brought even Rs 10 as funds for Karnataka, he chided. Also ...