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Chikkaballapura: The Karnataka cabinet, in a meeting held atop the Nandi Hills here, on Wednesday approved development projects worth Rs 3,400 crores, of which Rs 2,050 crores were earmarked for districts falling under Bengaluru division alone, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said. A key decision taken at the meeting was to rename Bangalore City University as Dr Manmohan Singh Bengaluru City University, in honour of the former Prime Minister, as proposed in the Budget. The cabinet meeting was held atop the Nandi Hills here under Bengaluru division, as per the government’s decision to hold such meetings in all the four revenue divisions of the state. “We discussed and took decisions on 90 per cent of the subjects related to the Bengaluru division in this cabinet meeting. Projects or development works worth Rs 3,400 crores were approved, and out of this Rs 2,050 crores were for Bengaluru division alone,” Siddaramaiah told reporters after the meeting. Subjects related to education, heal...

Additional superintendent of police (ASP) Narayan Baramani of Dharwad district, who was publicly humiliated by Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah during a public event in Belagavi, took voluntary retirement. He refuses to withdraw his resignation. In his resignation letter addressed to the chief secretary, ASP Baramani wrote, “Having been publicly insulted and humiliated by the behaviour of the CM on a public platform for a mistake I did not commit, I have no other option but to voluntarily resign, and I request that you accept this.” A video of the incident, which occurred in April, was widely circulated on social media platforms, bringing embarrassment to the Karnataka government and strong criticism from opposition parties. ASP Baramani was in charge of managing security around the stage. However, during the Congress event, BJP women workers were seen protesting in close proximity to the stage, which angered CM Siddaramaiah. He summoned the officer and raised his hand as if t...

Bengaluru: A 30-year-old Infosys employee was arrested on Wednesday, July 2, for allegedly “filming” a female colleague inside the women’s washroom at the company’s Electronic City campus, police said. The accused, identified as Swapnil Nagesh Mali, a Senior Associate Consultant from Sangli, Maharashtra, was caught by HR personnel and handed over to the police. There was no immediate response from Infosys on the incident. Also Read Infosys co-founder, 17 others booked for caste discrimination against Dalit professor According to police, the incident occurred on June 30 when the woman noticed a suspicious reflection and movement from an adjacent cubicle while using the washroom. Moments later, she alleged that Mali was standing on a commode in the next cubicle, filming her with his mobile phone, in her complaint. Shocked, she rushed out screaming and alerted her colleagues. The accused, who tried to flee, was caught by HR staff. On checking his phone, HR personnel found a vid...

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Wednesday approached the High Court challenging the Central Administrative Tribunal’s (CAT) order reinstating Additional Commissioner of Police Vikash Kumar Vikash, who was suspended following the tragic Bengaluru stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium last month, which claimed 11 lives and injured 56 others. The Tribunal, on July 1, quashed Vikash’s suspension, terming the state’s action as “mechanical” and lacking substantial grounds. The Bengaluru bench of the tribunal, comprising BK Shrivastava and Santosh Mehra, held that the state failed to present convincing material to justify the suspension. “The order has not been based on convincing materials… the officers have been suspended without sufficient material or grounds,” the Tribunal said, directing the state to reinstate Vikash immediately. Also Read ‘Mechanical order’: Tribunal revokes IGP’s suspension on Bengaluru stamepde case In response, the state government filed a writ petition bef...

Chikkaballapura: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday, July 2, asserted that he will be in office for a full five-year term. “Yes, I will be. Why do you have the doubt?” the veteran leader said in response to a question by reporters about whether he will be the CM for five years. There has been speculation within political circles, especially within the ruling Congress, for some time now about the Chief Minister’s change later this year, citing a power-sharing agreement involving Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar. However, Shivakumar on Tuesday said there is no discussion on leadership change and stressed on strengthen the hands of CM Siddaramaiah and the party’s government in the state. Also Read Amid deaths due to heart attacks, Siddaramaiah cautions people against symptoms On claims by the BJP and JD(S) leaders that the CM will be replaced, he shot back, “Are they our high command?” “R Ashoka (Leader of Opposition in the Assembly) is a BJP...

Bengaluru: Simulations and risk assessment, venue safety audit, coordination with event organisers, deployment of a crowd management plan, and on-ground deployment and access control are among the measures mandated by the Karnataka government in its standard operating procedure for crowd management at events and mass gatherings. This SoP, dated June 26, intended as a guideline for police officers and event planners, was released to the media on Tuesday following the tragic stampede incident on June 4 in front of M Chinnaswamy stadium that claimed the lives of 11 people, drawing sharp criticism over the planning and crowd management. The SoP includes general principles, according to which, police responses must prioritise life safety, protection of rights, prevention of property damage, and de-escalation of potential conflicts. “Modern gatherings are often spontaneous and influenced by social media, necessitating adaptive strategies, adding that early planning, coordination with st...

Bengaluru: The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on Tuesday, July 1, observed that the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are “prima facie responsible” for the stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, which led to the death of 11 people. Nearly 2.5 lakh fans thronged the MG Road and Cubbon Road areas near the stadium after RCB announced a victory parade from the Vidhana Soudha and a fan engagement programme at the stadium to celebrate the team’s maiden IPL triumph. “…therefore, prima facie it appears that the RCB is responsible for the gathering of about three to five lakh people. The RCB did not take the appropriate permission or consent from the police,” the CAT noted. “Suddenly, they posted on social media platforms and as a result of the aforementioned information, the public gathered,” added the CAT in its observation. Also Read Bengaluru stampede: RCB moves Karnataka HC seeking to quash criminal case The RCB had posted on its social media handles about the para...

Hyderabad: The Chaderghat police on Tuesday, July 1, arrested a man who disguised himself as a woman by wearing a burqa and then stole Rs 6,50,000 from a motorcycle. The accused Mohd Wajid, 22, a resident of Riyasathnagar, on Monday morning committed the theft from the motorcycle of an onion trader, Shaik Quddus, who had come to a market in the area. “Wajid wore a burqa and came to the market looking for an opportunity to steal the cash. He wanted money to buy a car. He saw that Quddus had kept the cash in the motorcycle and went to the auction yard. Wajid committed the theft and escaped,” said DCP, Southeast, S Chaitanya Kumar. On receiving a complaint, the Chaderghat police booked a case and checked the closed-circuit cameras. After noticing a woman had stolen the money, the police checked the route taken by the offender. Police later found that Wajid disguised himself as a woman and committed the theft. He was arrested and remanded. Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City N...

The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on Tuesday, July 1, annulled the Karnataka government’s arbitrary suspension of Inspector General of Police (IGP) officer Vikash Kumar Vikash concerning the Bengaluru stampede that claimed 11 young lives. A bench comprising Justice BK Shrivastava and Santhosh Mehra stated that the order was passed in a “mechanical way” and there was no “convincing material for showing the default or negligence of the concerned police officers” at the time. “The police officers have been suspended without any sufficient material or grounds. Hence, the aforesaid order is liable to be quashed,” the tribunal said. “We also feel our duty to draw attention of the state government towards the settled principle of law that where a citizen aggrieved by an action of government department has approached the court and obtain a declaration of law in his/her favour, other similarly situated ought to be extended the benefit without the need for them to come to court,” the...

Shivamogga: A 70-year-old woman was allegedly tied to a tree and brutally “assaulted” by her neighbour following an argument over garbage disposal in front of her house, police said on Monday. The incident occurred on the morning of June 24 in Gautampura village but came to light only after a video of the assault went viral on social media, sparking widespread outrage, they added. The elderly woman, Huchamma, confronted her neighbour, Prema, for dumping garbage in front of her house, leading to a heated argument during which she allegedly made remarks about the latter’s “character”. Enraged, Prema, with the help of two male relatives, allegedly dragged the elderly woman out of her house, tied her to a tree, and “assaulted” her, a senior police officer said. “A case was registered at Anandapura police station the very next day, as soon as the matter came to our notice. Prema, who is also a relative of the septuagenarian, has been arrested,” police added. Get the latest updates i...

Bengaluru: Members of the Bike Taxi Welfare Association staged a hunger protest on Sunday, demanding to lift the ban on bike taxis in Karnataka and calling for an inclusive policy framework. They have also written an open letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. According to the association, protests were held in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mandya, Davangere, and Ramanagara, with several bike taxi riders participating. App-based bike taxi services were suspended across Karnataka on June 16 after the Karnataka High Court refused to stay an earlier order suspending such operations unless the state government notifies relevant guidelines under the Motor Vehicles Act. Also Read HC directive prompts Karnataka police to clamp down on bike taxis A division bench of the High Court, on June 13, had declined to stay the April 2 order given by a single judge, which directed bike taxi operators to stop services within six weeks. This deadline was later extended to June 15. “Sir, we, who ride through...

Bengaluru: Referring to the June 4 stampede incident which claimed 11 lives in Bengaluru, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Friday that he has never seen such a delayed response to the horrific incident in his entire political career. He made the statement during a progress review meeting of the police department held at the office of the Director General and Inspector General of Police with senior police officials present here. “I have been an MLA since 1983 and have served as the Chief Minister as well. Never in my political experience have I seen such a delayed response to the stampede incident as the one that occurred recently in Bengaluru,” he remarked. Also Read Shivakumar condemns BJP protest on Bengaluru stampede “What is the purpose of the Intelligence Department if it cannot provide timely, comprehensive information? Because of this failure, 11 people lost their lives,” Siddaramaiah asked. “Yet, we were not provided with the correct information. Isn’t thi...

Bengaluru: An incident of robbery has been reported from the Vidyaranyapura police station limits in Bengaluru, where a gang of six assailants attacked a businessman with a knife and robbed him of Rs 2 crore in cash. The incident occurred on June 25 but has come to light recently. Police have detained two suspects in connection with the case and are currently questioning them. Sriharsha V., a 33-year-old businessman from Kengeri New Town, has filed a police complaint regarding the matter. Also Read Two men attacked by group in Bengaluru, forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ According to the FIR, Sriharsha ran a private company and was planning to start a cold-pressed oil industry. He had raised Rs 2 crore for the investment through his savings and loans from friends. As the machinery required for the industry was available in Germany, he intended to convert the cash into USDT (a cryptocurrency). To facilitate this, he approached his friends for help. One of them introduced him to an...

Two Muslim men, Waseem, 35, and Zameer, were allegedly attacked by a group of 7 to 8 in an open plot near AJBJ Grounds in Bengaluru on Sunday, June 22. Zameer, a mechanic, stopped his vehicle to relieve himself near the ground between 4:30 pm and 5:30 pm, when the assailing group approached him. “They suddenly came up to us and started asking why we were there. Then they began abusing and beating us,” Zameer stated in his police complaint, reported TNM . He added that they were beaten with a stick and forced to chant “Jai Shri Ram.” Luckily, Zameer was able to run away, but his friend Waseem, also a mechanic, was not as fortunate. “They hit him with a stick. When he shouted ‘Allah’ in pain, they got angry and told him to say ‘Jai Shri Ram’,” Zameer alleged. The Sampigehalli police station has registered an FIR and are investigating the case. Zameer, who is still rattled by the incident, “This was a horrifying experience. We were just minding our own business.” He hopes the cops c...

Bengaluru : The Karnataka Lokayukta sleuths on Tuesday were conducting simultaneous raids on at least 10 locations in eight districts, targeting the residences, properties, and offices of nine officials, including a police inspector. The raids are being carried out in Bengaluru, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, Gadag, Dharwad, Vijayapura, Bagalkot and Kalaburagi districts. The operations, which began early in the morning, are currently underway. An official statement from the Lokayukta is awaited. According to Lokayukta officials, a raid was conducted in Kalaburagi at the residences of the Executive Engineer (EE) and the Project Development Officer (PDO) of the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) department. The raid specifically targeted the residence and office of the Executive Engineer of the Kalaburagi PRI division, who is scheduled to retire in four days. His properties in both Bengaluru and Kalaburagi are being searched, according to sources. Also Read Karnataka: 16 r...

Bengaluru : Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde has been booked for allegedly assaulting a family, including an elderly woman, and using communal slurs in Karnataka, police said on Tuesday. The Deputy Superintendent of Police has questioned Hegde. According to police sources, Hegde responded by stating that the incident occurred after the complainant’s car touched his vehicle while overtaking. Hegde claimed that although he was present in the vehicle, he did not assault the complainant or his family. Also Read Karnataka: ED attaches Rs 1.80 cr in double compensation scam case The FIR has been registered against Hegde by the Dobbaspet police under Sections 117(2) (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 74 (assault or criminal force against a woman), 351(3) (criminal intimidation), and 352(3)(5) (intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act. The incident reportedly occurr...

Bengaluru: An Indigo flight that flew from Guwahati to Chennai, had to make an emergency landing at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru recently, said airline sources. Indigo spokesperson said the airline made a “mayday” call before it landed in Bengaluru, as it “ran out of fuel”. Also Read DGCA issues show-cause notice to Air India over exceeding crew duty hrs “The incident occurred on June 19. The flight was scheduled to arrive in Chennai at about 7.45 pm, but due to bad weather in Chennai, it could not land. The pilot opted to divert the flight to Bengaluru, but realised they ran out of fuel. So, he alerted the airport with a mayday call,” said the spokesperson. According to Indigo, the flight finally landed safely in Bengaluru at about 8.20 pm on June 19. 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 An...

Bengaluru: Senior Congress MLA B R Patil on Saturday said that his claims about bribery in the allotment of public housing were true, even as Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar condemned the legislator’s statement and made it clear that such things cannot be accepted. Patil, who is also the Karnataka State Policy and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman, had alleged bribery in the allotment of houses in a phone conversation with Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan’s private secretary Sarfaraz Khan, causing embarrassment to his own party government in the state. The conversation went viral. “I don’t accept it for any reason. I have not understood what he (Patil) has said. The matter has come to the notice of the chief minister. He will take necessary action,” Shivakumar told reporters here. Also Read Karnataka housing schemes: Cabinet to increase reservation for minorities “When house allotments are happening in a transparent way, how can any beneficiary pay the mo...

Bengaluru : The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday decided to enhance the reservation for minorities under various housing schemes in the state from 10 to 15 per cent. According to the government, this enhanced quota will benefit all minorities including Muslims, Christians, and Jains. The move follows a recent government initiative to introduce a 4 per cent reservation for Muslims in public contracts, which has come under criticism from opposition BJP. The saffron party has accused the Congress dispensation of “undermining” the Constitution through religion-based reservations. Also Read Shivakumar condemns BJP protest on Bengaluru stampede Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar defended the decision, saying its primary objective is to help poorer sections of the society. Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, state Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said, “Under various housing schemes being implemented by the Housing Department across the state, in both urb...

The Bengaluru police booked Hindutva supporter and priest of Samartha Sridharashrama Trust, Atmananda Saraswati Swamiji, for delivering a hate speech against Muslims and Christians. A video of the address went viral on social media on June 15, drawing widespread condemnation from viewers. The Bengaluru police booked Hindutva priest, Atmananda Saraswati Swamiji, for delivering a hate speech against Muslims and Christians. Police booked a case suo moto on January 16 under sections 196(1) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion) and 351(2)… pic.twitter.com/vnnTjTZ59C — The Siasat Daily (@TheSiasatDaily) June 17, 2025 “Only Sanatana Dharma is the true religion in this country. All others are just groups,” later adding that “Muslims and Christians must be eliminated using modern weapons,” the Swami is heard speaking in the viral clip. Calling on Hindus to communal violence, he said “There is no wrong in killing thousands if they go against Sanatana D...