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Bengaluru: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president BK Hariprasad stepped up his attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) amid the ongoing political debate over Vande Mataram on Thursday, August 20, challenging the Hindutva leaders to sing the national anthem at shakhas instead of the organisation’s traditional prayer. Welcoming the Congress Working Committee’s decision on singing two stanzas of Vande Mataram, Hariprasad said the Congress would stick to the resolution and continue singing only the specified two stanzas. “If the BJP has the courage, let its leaders sing the national anthem at RSS shakhas. Let them sing the national anthem there instead of the Sangh prayer,” he said. Hariprasad alleged that the BJP was deliberately using Vande Mataram as a political weapon and attempting to create controversy around an issue concerning national pride. ‘Put us in jail or even hang us, but we will sing only the...

Bengaluru: A video allegedly showing a woman police officer interacting with a jailed inmate through a WhatsApp video call has triggered controversy after it surfaced on social media. The officer has now approached the Cubbon Park police, alleging that the video was recorded and circulated by two history-sheeters. According to the complaint filed on Thursday, August 20, the officer had known one of the accused, identified as Dharma, for several years. She alleged that during a video call with him, he recorded the conversation without her consent. The recording was subsequently shared with another history-sheeter, Saikumar, who allegedly circulated it on social media. The officer has sought action against Dharma, Saikumar and others allegedly involved in circulating the video. She has stated that the circulation of the video has damaged her reputation and caused considerable embarrassment. The complainant reportedly works as an officer responsible for security at a metro s...

Chitradurga : Police have arrested two persons in connection with the alleged rape and murder of a newlywed woman whose body was found in a deserted well near Mahadevapura in Chitradurga district on Wednesday, August 19. The deceased, identified as Sumalatha, had gone missing from her house in Chikka Ullarthi village of Challakere taluk on August 13. She had married Gajendra in a love marriage. According to police, the couple had been staying on a farm to avoid the attention of their families. Police said Gajendra’s friend Borayya allegedly followed the couple to the farm. When Sumalatha was changing clothes, Borayya allegedly sexually assaulted her and strangled her to death. He then allegedly called his brother Karayya and, with his assistance, disposed of the body by throwing it into a deserted well near Mahadevapura. After Sumalatha’s family identified the body, they initially suspected Gajendra’s involvement and lodged a complaint against him. Acting on the complain...

Bidar: Three people were arrested for allegedly hunting a deer near Chondi village in Bidar taluk, days after a controversial encounter involving suspected poachers in Chamarajanagar district. According to forest officers the incident occurred in the areas surrounding Chondi village under the jurisdiction of Janwada forest range. Local residents reportedly noticed the suspicious movement in the area and alerted the police about suspected hunting activity. Acting on the information, a forest team reached the spot and attempted to intercept the group. The suspects allegedly tried to flee after noticing the officials. However, officers managed to catch three of them, while two others escaped from the spot. The arrested persons have been identified as Soheb Mallik, a native of Chincholi in Kalaburagi district, and Hyderabad residents Abdul Sahid and Hameed. Police said another suspect, identified as Naseer from Hyderabad, and one other person managed to escape. Search oper...

Ramanagara : Karnataka’s Food Safety and Drugs Administration Department has busted a major illegal fake medicine manufacturing and repackaging operation at Hejjala near Bidadi in Ramanagara district on Tuesday, August 18, seizing counterfeit medicines and related materials worth more than Rs 5 crore. The operation was carried out under the direction of Food Safety Commissioner K. Srinivas and Additional Drugs Controller Dr Umesh. Officials raided a premises where counterfeit medicines were allegedly being manufactured and repackaged without the mandatory government licences and permissions. According to officials, the operators were allegedly using fake labels carrying the names of reputed multinational pharmaceutical companies and established brands before repackaging the medicines for distribution in the market. The activity was reportedly being carried out secretly at the premises. During the raid , officials recovered a large quantity of suspected counterfeit tabl...

Bengaluru: The Karnataka BJP on Tuesday, August 18, formed a five-member fact-finding committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the Hanur encounter in Chamarajanagar district, where three suspected poachers were killed in an exchange of fire with forest personnel. The committee will visit the spot, gather information from local residents and officials, examine the circumstances leading to the firing and submit a comprehensive report to the party within a week. The team comprises BJP state vice-president N. Mahesh, state secretary Lakshmi Ashwin Gowda, Minority Morcha state president Anil Thomas, former MLA C.S. Niranjan Kumar and party leader Hanur Venkatesh. Incident happened on August 15 The committee was constituted following questions raised by the BJP over the circumstances surrounding the deaths. The incident took place around 5 am on August 15 in the Holemuradatti forest area near Shagya in the Hanur Wildlife Range of the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary....

Bengaluru: As many as 46.88 lakh voters in Bengaluru have been identified under the absent, shifted, dead, duplicate and others (ASDDO) category as part of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka. The figure represents around 45 per cent of the city’s 1.03 crore voters enrolled before the SIR exercise. Across Karnataka, more than 1.07 crore electors have been placed in the ASDDO category, accounting for 19.47 per cent of the state’s 5.54 crore voters. The data assumes political significance in Bengaluru, where the 28 Assembly constituencies are divided between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. Fifteen constituencies are currently represented by BJP MLAs, while the Congress holds 12 seats. Yeshwanthpur MLA ST Somashekhar, who was expelled from the BJP, is presently unattached. 16 lakh voters to be deleted in Congress-held seats The 15 BJP-held constituencies together account for 27.69 lakh voters in ...

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday, August 17, granted bail to Kaki Srinivas Rao, an accused in the multi-crore Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation money diversion case, in which more than Rs 89 crore was allegedly siphoned off through forged documents and fictitious bank accounts. A bench comprising Justices Manoj Misra and Vijay Bishnoi allowed the special leave petition filed by advocate Anil Chandrashekhar Nishani, challenging the Karnataka High Court’s December 19, 2024 order rejecting Rao’s bail plea. Senior advocate Madhavi Divan appeared for the petitioner. According to the chargesheet, Rao, who was running a share-trading firm, was not accused of playing a central role in the alleged diversion of funds. The prosecution has alleged that he assisted in converting the allegedly diverted cash into gold and helped facilitate the creation of 18 fictitious bank accounts . The Supreme Court took into consideration Rao’s age, health con...

Bengaluru: Bengaluru RTO officials have intensified action against vehicles registered outside Karnataka and allegedly being used in the city without payment of the required road tax. In a major enforcement drive on Monday, August 17, officials seized more than 200 vehicles and recovered about Rs 3 crore in fines. The operation was carried out following strict directions from the Transport Department Commissioner. Ten separate teams were deployed to inspect vehicles at different locations across Bengaluru and identify those violating tax and registration norms. Vehicles bearing registrations from Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Nagaland, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, and Haryana were among those seized. The enforcement teams found several luxury vehicles, including Audi and Mercedes models, along with Tata Harrier and Mahindra Scorpio cars. Over 30 cars seized from one location More than 30 vehicles were reportedly seized from a single location under t...

Bengaluru : More than 800 kg of gelatin, allegedly being used illegally for blasting rocks at a construction site, has been seized by Bellandur police near Bhoganahalli in Bengaluru on Sunda̧y August 16̤ Construction work is being carried out by Adarsh company at the site, where large rocks were reportedly found during excavation. Local residents have alleged that gelatin was being used to blast the rocks without adequate safety measures. Residents also alleged that blasting was being carried out after midnight, raising concerns as a school is located close to the construction site. They claimed that the blasts had caused panic in the locality and questioned the safety of children studying at the nearby school. Based on a complaint, Bellandur police have registered an FIR and launched an investigation. The complaint alleges that earthwork contractor Satish Naik was approached by Arun Kumar, owner of Srinivasa Earth Movers, in December 2025 to undertake earthwork at va...

Bengaluru: A young man and a woman were killed after their motorcycle was hit by a truck near Lingasettipura Gate in Karnataka’s Chikkaballapur taluk on Sunday, August 16. The victims, who are reportedly from Uttar Pradesh, had visited the Esha Adiyogi centre near Chikkaballapur and were returning on their motorcycle when the accident occurred. According to preliminary information, the duo was passing through the Lingasettipura Gate area when a speeding truck allegedly rammed their motorcycle. The severe impact left both with fatal injuries, and they died on the spot. Police investigate The accident led to panic among motorists and residents in the area. On receiving information, personnel from the Chikkaballapur Rural Police Station rushed to the spot and initiated an investigation. The bodies were shifted for further procedures, while police began efforts to establish the identities of the deceased and contact their relatives. Police have registered a...

Chamarajanagar : Conflicting accounts have emerged over the firing incident in the Shagya range of the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in which three men were killed, with the families alleging that forest personnel shot them while they were asleep and the Forest Department maintaining that its staff opened fire in self-defence after being attacked by suspected poachers. An FIR has been registered at Hanur police station based on a complaint filed by Lourdamery, wife of deceased Antonyaswamy of Thomiyar Palya. She alleged that her husband and two others were shot dead by forest personnel while they were sleeping near a rocky area inside the forest. According to her complaint, two of their cattle had failed to return home after being sent into the forest for grazing on August 14. Antonyaswamy, his brother Sebastian David Kumar, brother-in-law John Rose Peter and relative Mahimadas went into the forest in the evening to search for the missing cattle. Lourdamery said Mahimadas ...

Bengaluru : The Students and Alumni of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) here have opposed CJI Surya Kant and Bar Council of India Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra attending the upcoming convocation of the varsity. In a statement dated August 15, the students and alumni condemned the now-withdrawn BCI order to halt the enrolment of students of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, and expressed their solidarity with the students at NALSAR, who they said have shown exemplary courage and moral conviction in speaking truth to power. “We are aware that the BCI has closed all proceedings against NALSAR. However, the fact that such unconstitutional and illegal “proceedings” can be initiated by a statutory body against students and faculty members of a public university in the first place does not alter the nature or the larger impact of such actions or dilute the responsibility of the Chairman and the BCI,” the statement signed by 165 graduating...

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday, August 15, hoisted the national flag at his residence in Sadashivanagar, marking his first Independence Day flag-hoisting ceremony as Chief Minister. After unfurling the Tricolour, Shivakumar paid his respects during the national anthem and Vande Mataram. He also extended his Independence Day greetings to the people of Karnataka and citizens across the country. Addressing the gathering, Shivakumar said the occasion was an opportunity to remember and honour those who had worked for the peace and progress of the country. “I extend my Independence Day greetings to the people of Karnataka and citizens of India. I pay my respects to everyone who worked for the peace of the country,” he said. Describing himself as a servant of the people, Shivakumar said he had hoisted the national flag in that capacity and pledged to work towards maintaining peace, harmony and peaceful coexistence. “As a servant of the peop...

Davanagere: Jagalur police have arrested two interstate thieves allegedly belonging to a notorious Irani gang in connection with the theft of a gold Mangaluru chain worth around Rs 4 lakh from a shop owner. The arrested have been identified as Syed Abbas Ali, 45, and Hussain Basha, 38, both natives of Andhra Pradesh . Police said the duo was allegedly involved in the theft of the gold chain belonging to Geethamma, a resident of Kamandalagondi village, in November 2025. According to the complaint, the two accused arrived at Geethamma’s shop on a motorcycle and pretended to be customers seeking to purchase gutka. While she was attending to them, one of the accused allegedly snatched her mangaluru chain from behind before the duo fled the spot on their motorcycle. Following her complaint, Jagalur police registered a case and formed a special team to trace the suspects. After an investigation, police succeeded in arresting the two accused and recovered a 42-gram gold c...

Chikkamagaluru : A four-year-one-month-old boy from Tarikere taluk has surprised devotees with his remarkable memory and recitation skills by reciting all 40 verses of the Hanuman Chalisa in just 2 minutes and 53 seconds. His achievement has earned him a place in the India Book of Records. Ishan Krishna, son of Madhusudan and Supriya of Gadigalli village in Tarikere taluk, has attracted attention for his ability to memorise and recite the complete Hanuman Chalisa fluently at such a young age. Born on February 9, 2022, Ishan has achieved the feat through regular practice, concentration and encouragement from his parents. His ability to remember and recite all 40 verses without interruption has drawn appreciation from people familiar with his achievement. According to the information provided, Ishan’s name has also been included in the records of World Records India, India Book of Records, Kalam’s World Records and Karnataka Book of Records for his talent and spiritual k...

Hyderabad: The Telangana government will press the Centre to widen the Hyderabad-Vijayawada (NH-65) and Hyderabad-Bengaluru (NH-44) national highways to eight lanes each, scaling up an earlier demand for six-lane expansion amid rising traffic on both corridors. According to an ABN report, State Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy is expected to travel to Delhi in the third week of August to meet Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari. He is likely to present a report on current and projected traffic volumes to justify the wider carriageways. The push comes months after Komatireddy urged the National Highways Authority of India to take NH-65 to eight lanes and had proposed a double-decker elevated corridor between LB Nagar and Hayathnagar to ease congestion on the stretch. Gadkari had earlier told the minister that a decision on widening NH-65 would be taken up at an NHAI Finance Committee meeting. During the Delhi visit, the minister i...

Karnataka: A 23-year-old Muslim migrant worker was arrested in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi district for his alleged “anti-national” activities on social media, police said on Thursday, August 13. Mohammad Sameer from Sitapur’s Sadarpur village, Uttar Pradesh, is a daily wage labourer in Kalaburagi. He was detained following a police raid conducted the previous day following information through its technical social media monitoring, information-sharing and information-portal mechanisms. Kalaburagi Police Commissioner Sharanappa SD told PTI that the man was found to be following multiple Instagram accounts allegedly engaged in anti-national and radical activities. A case was registered at University Police Station under Sections 113(3) (terrorist act) and 197 (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Addressing a press conference, the Commissioner said Mohammed Sameer was taken into custody and...

Bengaluru: The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has proposed a new parking policy aimed at ending free roadside parking and bringing a structured, paid parking system across the city. A draft notification issued on Wednesday, August 12, proposes classifying roads into three categories and fixing parking charges accordingly. Under the proposed system, motorists will have access to three parking options — on-street parking, off-street parking and monthly parking passes. The charges will vary depending on the category of road and type of vehicle. Roads will be classified as A, B and C categories. On-street parking on A-category roads will cost Rs 40 per hour for two-wheelers and Rs 80 for light motor vehicles. On B-category roads, the charges will be Rs 30 and Rs 60, respectively. For C-category roads, two-wheelers will be charged Rs 20, while light vehicles will pay between Rs 40 and Rs 60. Off-street parking will be cheaper On A-category roads, two-wheelers ...

Bengaluru : A surprise raid by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) at Parappana Agrahara Central Prison has led to the recovery of a mobile phone, charger and pen drive from former MP Prajwal Revanna, who is serving a life sentence in a rape case. According to the information available, prison officials found a blue Redmi 5G mobile phone , a charger, a blue pocket notebook and a black SanDisk pen drive in Revanna’s cell. The seized electronic devices were subsequently examined as part of the investigation. The material provided states that pornographic videos and clippings of obscene photographs of women were found on the mobile phone and pen drive. However, details about the origin of the material and how the electronic devices reached Revanna remain under investigation. The recovery has raised questions about how a mobile phone and storage device entered the prison despite security checks. Revanna has reportedly not disclosed who provided the devices or how they came i...