Karnataka’s luxury train to roll out in November

The much-awaited Karnataka’s luxury train “Golden Chariot”, which will chug through the state’s pristine landscape covering wildlife sanctuaries, heritage monuments and beaches, is expected to roll out of Bangalore railway station in the first week of November.

Billed as Karnataka’s answer to Rajasthan’s Palace on Wheels and Maharashtra’s Deccan Odyssey, the Golden Chariot is expected offer high-end travellers a heady mix of “heritage, culture, forest and beach tourism” during a week-long sojourn, starting from Bangalore and ending in neighbouring Goa, said Karnataka’s Principal Secretary for Tourism I M Vittala Murthy.

After marching out of Bangalore, the Golden Chariot will cover Srirangapatna, Mysore and Kabini Wildlife sanctuary before proceeding to Belur, Halebeedu and Hampi. Later, the luxury train will take the travellers to Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal before winding up the journey in Goa.

The Rs 400 million luxury train has a total of lavishly decorated 19 coaches with a seating capacity of 88 passengers. Out of the 19 coaches of the luxury train, 11 are passenger coaches, having 28 cabins with beds on a twin-sharing basis and 17 double-bed cabins, besides a cabin for physically challenged. Each cabin will have an LCD television set with a DVD station and 6 satellite channels.

The remaining coaches are meant for conferences, dining, restaurant, gym and massage parlour and lounge bar.

“The seven-day-six-night tour package will cost around $ 300 per day for each passenger and will work out to around $ 2,100 for the entire trip”, Vittala Murthy said.

The luxury train, which is a joint venture between Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) and Indian Railways, will also offer advance booking online. “Bookings can be made online and we will commence the facility sometime next month”, Vittala Murthy said.

He said the marketing campaign for Golden Chariot in the domestic and international markets will also start next month, he added.

Devanahalli farmers demand Rs 30 million for each acre of land

The farmers of Channarayapatna in Devanahalli near Bangalore, where the international airport is coming up, have demanded a minimum of Rs 30 million per acre as compensation for the 550 acres of land proposed to be acquired by the Government for setting up Aerospace Industries.

The farmers put forward their demand at a meeting Deputy Commissioner of Bangalore Rural district D K Rangaswamy had convened to fix a price for their land.

Claiming that a good portion of the land notified by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB), a nodal agency of the Government, was fertile, the farmers said they would not accept even a rupee less than Rs 30 million for each acre however much the Government pressurizes them.

The farmers have also made it clear that they would allow the Government to take them for a ride as the farmers, whose lands had been acquired for a song in the name of international airport project. “Farmers, who gave their land for the international airport project were paid only Rs 500,000 per acre. But, today the price of land has increased enormously. We don’t want to lose our land for a small price”, said Muniyappa, a farmers’ leader.

The farmers said they will not let go of their land until the compensation amount as demanded by them is fixed in the presence of no less a person than the Chief Minister of the State H D Kumaraswamy.

The farmers even expressed displeasure against the Government’s decision to repeatedly summon them to Bangalore for meetings on acquisition of their land.

“If they want our land, they should come to our village and hold a meeting. We are forced to come to Bangalore several times by spending money from our pockets. Each farmer has to spend at least Rs 200 to reach Bangalore and spend the day here. We are forced to spend money only to lose our land”, said Muniyappa exasperatedly.

Another farmer Venkatesh sought to know whether government officials ever attend any meeting without claiming travel allowance. “Will the Government officers attend any meeting without claiming travel and dearness allowance?”, he said.

He said the farmers are afraid the skip these meetings as they fear that the Government will take a one-sided decision.

History teacher suspended for ill-treating Muslim students

– History teacher of a high school in Shimoga in Karnataka was yesterday suspended for discriminating against Muslim students in his class and ill-treating them.

Acting on a complaint lodged by a host of organizations including National Students Union of India (NSUI), the management of National High School in Shimoga decided to suspend history teacher P K Pandey, was has been accused of openly deriding Muslim students in the class and passing contemptuous remarks against them.

According to NSUI activists, the history teacher had asked the ten Muslim students of tenth standard in National High School to sit on a separate bench and would frequently taunt them as “beef eaters” in front of the entire class.

After the recent arrest of Bangalore-based doctor Mohammed Haneef in Australia in connection with the failed terror plot at Glasgow airport, the history teacher began branding Muslims as terrorists and used to insult the Muslim students in the class by asking whether even they would become terrorists when they grew up.

The teacher, who used to frequently threaten the students, had also beaten them occasionally.

The students had begun skipping the school since the ten to fifteen days. “We were afraid to go to school as the teacher would again insult us in front of everybody”, Nawab, a student of the school, told a regional television channel.

NSUI activists said the suspended history teacher had a track record of subjecting students to religious discrimination and had been removed from a private school on similar charges about five years ago.

Belgaum to be made second capital of Karnataka

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has declared that the Belgaum will become the state capital of the State.

Speaking after laying the foundation stone for a Rs 2.3 billion Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, state secretariat building, on 36 acres of land at Vaccine Depot in the heart of Belgaum, Kumaraswamy said Belgaum City would enjoy the official status of the second capital of the State.

He said the Government would hold at least one legislature session in Belgaum every year and expedite the development works in the entire north Karnataka region.

Karnataka’s decision to accord Belgaum as the second capital of the State and to construct a Vidhana Soudha in the City assumes significance in view of the unresolved dispute between Karnataka and neighbouring Maharashtra over the border district of Belgaum.

Kumaraswamy also used the occasion to promote amity among the Kannada and Marathi speaking populace of the region by warning the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) and the Maharashtra Government against jeopardizing the cordial relations nurtured by Kannada and Marathi speaking people of the region since centuries.

Asserting Karnataka’s hold over Belgaum, Kumaraswamy said the border district of Belgaum will remain an integral part of Karnataka. “It is unfair on the part of the MES to demand the merger of Belgaum with Maharashtra to meet its selfish ends”, he said.

“If the activities of MES or other forces are against the interests of Belgaum and Karnataka, we are capable of uprooting them”,

Kumaraswamy also came down heavily on Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil for delivering an “inflammatory” speech during a convention organized by MES in Belgaum last year. Claiming that Patil went away to the safety of Maharashtra after inciting parochial feelings among the people of the region, Kumaraswamy said responsible leaders should bear in mind that natives of Belgaum, who speak Kannada and Marathi, should live together.

It may also be mentioned here that Karnataka’s decision to Belgaum the status of a second capital comes close on the heels of the Federal Government’s refusal to permit Karnataka to rename Belgaum as Belagavi in view of the border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra.

All Government schools in Karnataka to turn into co-education institutions

In view of the rising absenteeism and below par performance in boys-only and girls-only schools across the State, the Karnataka Government has decided to convert the existing uni-gender Government schools into co-education institutions.

Karnataka’s Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Basavaraj Horatti told reporters that that the Government was not only working on a proposal to merge the uni-gender Government schools into a co-education institutions, but had also decided against starting any more boys-only or girls-only schools in the State.

“It has been observed that the performance in some uni-gender schools is not upto the mark and one of the reasons is absence of competitive spirit among students of boys-only and girls-only schools”, Horatti said.

The dwindling attendance in uni-gender Government schools has also become a source of concern for the authorities.

Horatti expressed confidence that a co-education atmosphere in schools would encourage competitive spirit among the students.

The phasing out the boys-only and girls-only Government schools is not only expected to revolutionize the education system, but also find a solution to the non-viability of running uni-gender Government schools that had been hit by a poor turnout of students.

However, the Government decision to convert uni-gender schools into co-education institutions applies only to Government schools. “Initially, we will implement it in Government schools. Private institutions will have the option to follow suit”, Horatti said.

But, private managements of uni-gender schools in the State do not appear to be convinced with the Government’s argument.

The effectiveness of uni-gender schools vis a vis co-educational institutions is debatable, opined Principal of Bishop Cotton Girls’ School, Bangalore, Franklyn. In view of the exposure the present day students have, there is every likelihood that they would be distracted in a co-education set up. “Both systems have their own advantages”, she added.

Nevertheless, the Government of Karnataka appeared all set to go ahead with its proposal to wind up all Government run boys-only and girls-only schools. “The modalities to implement the proposal are on. Segregation of students at primary level is outdated”, said Commissioner for Karnataka’s Public Instruction Department G Kumar Naik.

High alert in Bangalore

A high alert has been sounded in Bangalore in the wake of the twin bomb blasts in Hyderabad claiming 43 lives and injuring more than 60 others.

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who is touring northern parts of the State, spoke to Home Minister M P Prakash and reviewed the situation in the State after blasts rocked the neighbouring state.

Kumaraswamy has condemned the blasts in Hyderabad and directed Director General of Karnataka Police K R Srinivasan to step up security in Bangalore and other sensitive parts of the State.

Additional Commissioner of Bangalore City Police (Law and Order) Bipin Gopalakrishna told reporters that patrolling had been intensified and security tightened at vital installations, Information Technology and Bio Technology companies, airport, railway stations and bus stands in Bangalore. A vigil will be mounted in vulnerable areas of the City, he added.

Gopalakrishna also said that the police had been directed to screen all suspicious people and their vehicles. “The police has been directed to look for any unattended or abandoned articles on roads and in public places”, he said.

ISRO scientist killed in road mishap

A scientific secretary with Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Bangalore, Rajeev Lochan and his car driver Chandran were killed on the spot, while ISRO Director (Publications and Public Relations) Krishnamurthy sufferred grievous injuries when the car in which they were travelling met with an accident near the temple town of Tirupati.

According to information reaching here, the two officials left Bangalore for Sriharikota in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh in a car on Friday evening. The car crashed into a stationary truck at Pakala, about 40 kms from Tirupati, leading to the death of Lochan and Chandran on the spot. Krishnamurthy was rushed to a hospital in Tirupati with serious injuries.

According to officials, the driver of the car hit the truck, which had been parked by the roadside, while trying to avoid an on-coming vehicle. Apparently, the stationary truck did not have parking lights, which contributed to the mishap.

“The condition of Krishnamurthy is stable and he has been declared out of danger. But, he has sufferred fractures in his legs”, said Krishnamurthy’s wife.

Meanwhile, Lochan’s body was brought to Bangalore and cremated yesterday. He leaves behind his wife, a son and a daughter.

Lochan had been working with ISRO for the last three decades and his longest stint was at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. He had been working at ISRO, Bangalore, for the last six years.

Chairman of ISRO G Madhavan Nair has expressed sadness over Lochan’s death. “He have lost an able scientist”, Nair said.

Lochan possessed a doctorate in aerospace engineering and addressed scientific-administrative matters at ISRO. “He took care of issues relating to questions and answers figuring in the Parliament. He was in administration related to science. He was a competent engineer and made good contribution to ISRO”, Nair said.

Teachers booked for thrashing sixth standard student in Bangalore

Seven teachers of an English medium in school in Bangalore have landed in a soup after thrashing a sixth standard student for her failure to complete the homework assigned to her.

The victim, Sangeetha, an eleven-year-old student of Vinoda English School, was hit by not only her class teacher, but was also taken to the headmistress, where all the seven teachers physically tortured her.

“I had not completed the mathematics home work as I did not know how to do it. But, my teacher became angry over it and hit me. I was later taken to the headmistress, who also hit me. Soon, the other teachers also came and hit me one by one. After hitting me on the leg, they pushed my head to the wall and the bench. They also pulled by ear and hairs”, said Sangeetha, who bore injuries on her head, hands, legs and back.

Acting on a complaint from the girl’s father K C Kuttappa, an ex-serviceman, the Bangalore police have registered a case against the seven teachers of the school, including the headmistress Veena, on charges of assault, molestation and use of abusive language.

The battering of Sangeetha comes barely a week after the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights had directed the states to initiate steps against corporal punishment. The Commission had directed the states to treat all corporal punishments as breach of human rights.

Bangalore City Police Commissioner N Achuta Rao told reporters that the police have registered a case and the teachers accused of beating the student will be interrogated. The teachers could not be interrogated as the schools will be closed till Monday. “Some teachers are staying in rural areas. We could not get them due to the festival. We will interrogate them on Monday after schools reopen”, he said.

But, Karnataka State Women’s Commission, which has also taken up the case, said the action taken by the police so far is not enough. “The Education Department must suspend the license of the school and ensure that the school does not function anymore”, Chairperson of the Commission Pramila Nesargi said.

Meanwhile, Sangeetha was treated at the K C General Hospital in Bangalore for the injuries she had sufferred. Though the x-rays revealed no fracture, doctors had said she had sufferred muscle tear. “Doctors have prescribed medication and advised her to use a sling to provide aid to the injured right hand”, her father Kuttappa said.

Now, neither is the Sangeetha ready to go back to the school nor are her parents willing to send her.

Rs 60 million worth heroin seized in Bangalore

In a major drug haul, the Bangalore police have seized five kilograms of heroin valued at Rs 60 million and arrested two persons including a state-level volleyball player from Madhya Pradesh.

Bangalore City Police Commissioner N Achuta Rao told reporters yesterday that a team of policemen, acting on a tip-off, raided an auto stand in the upmarket Church Street in the City that yielded a rich haul of heroin.

The two persons arrested during the raid have been identified as Anjani Kumar Singh, 28, a volleyball player from Bhopal, and Khader Bakshi, 52, a native of Rajasthan.

Rao said the heroin recovered in the raid appeared to have a high level of purity and was estimated to be worth Rs 60 million in the international market. He said the seized narcotics would be sent to the laboratory for tests.

The seizure of 5 kilograms of heroin from Church Street in Bangalore comes close on the heels of the recovery of drugs worth Rs 20 million from the Udayan Express by the police on August 10.

Rao said the interrogation of the two suspects arrested in the Church Street seizure had revealed that the supplier of the heroin was from Rajasthan. “However, it is not clear if Bangalore was the transit point or the final destination. We are now trying to probe into the existence of a drug route that passes through Bangalore or the presence of any drug cartel operating in and around the City”, he added.

JD (S)-BJP to meet to resolve crisis plaguing coalition Government

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has convened a meeting of the co-ordination committee of the coalition partners JD (S) and BJP to defuse the crisis plaguing the Government ahead of the scheduled transfer of power in October this year.

The differences between the JD (S) and BJP had come to a head on Thursday when the BJP Ministers in the coalition threatened to quit en-masse from the Cabinet, taking umbrage over Kumaraswamy’s remarks that the JD (S) had lost its secular credibility after aligning with the BJP.

The BJP Ministers led by Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who had stayed away from the Cabinet meeting at Vidhana Soudha for almost 90 minutes, were convinced to attend the meeting after much cajoling.

Amid the high drama, the BJP not only accused the JD (S) of violating the coalition ethics, but also expressed serious displeasure over the frequent transfer of senior officials without taking the BJP into confidence and the nomination of its sympathizer as member of Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), a post that was to be filled by the BJP.

Kumaraswamy had sought to tide over the crisis by assuring the BJP that a meeting of co-ordination committee of the coalition partners will be held to resolve the differences. The meeting was scheduled to be held late on Friday evening.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, who arrived in Bangalore to participate in the Varamahalakshmi festival, advised the JD (S) leadership not to renege on its promise to transfer power to the BJP as scheduled on October 3.

“Credibility is the most important factor in politics. If a party loses its credibility, it gets eliminated”, Swaraj said. “I am confident that the JD (S) leadership is very intelligent and wants to remain in power in future”, she said and reiterated the Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa will be next Chief Minister of Karnataka.

Teenager masquerading as Minister’s son held in Rs 11 million fraud

An eighteen-year-old college drop-out, who was masquerading as a Minister’s son and leading a high-life in Bangalore after cheating a senior citizen to the tune of Rs 11 million, was arrested by the police.

The arrested youth C Sukesh, who went around claiming to be not the son of Tamil Nadu’s Finance Minister, but also the right hand man of Karnataka Chief Minister’s son, approached a 77-year-old retired engineer Subramani after learning that the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) had withdrawn a housing plot allotted to him in the upmarket HSR layout of the City.

Sukesh managed to convince Subramani that he would be able to secure a No Objection Certificate (NoC) from the BDA and help him clear the hurdles. Sukesh, who had forged the letter heads of BDA officials, Ministers and police, gave the a fake NoC to Subramani in return for Rs 250,000.

Next, he told Subramani that an investor was keen to build an apartment on his land under a joint development project and extracted another Rs 11 million. Sukesh had even introduced his friend Rehman Shariff, 28, as a builder, and Faiz, 21, as Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Gowda.

With the booty collected from Subramani, Sukesh and his friends bought flashy cars, trendy watches, expensive cell phones and partied at elite hotels and pubs in Bangalore. On week-ends, he and his friends would fly to Mumbai to party.

Sukesh, who was fond of car racing and participated in drag meets, used to cruise around the City in a Nissan, bearing a beacon light, with his friends. He carried a fake letter issued by the police department that read that Sukesh was “permitted to drive in full throttle in the City”.

Sukesh had even taken a house on rent in Audugodi in Bangalore, to catch up with his friends, including girls. He had informed the landlord, a doctor, that his father was the Finance Minister of Tamil Nadu. Sukesh had been frequently spotted with a couple of good-looking girls and his friends.

But, his luck ran out when Subramani approached the Bangalore police after Sukesh began blackmailing him for more money.

After Subramani had paid a total of Rs 11.4 million to Sukesh, the elderly man questioned him about the start of construction on his plot. When Sukesh began giving confusion answers, Subramani went to the youth’s parents Chandrashekar, 57, and Mala, 48.

“But, they assured me not to worry and that my work would be done. I waited for some more time, but when Sukesh threatened me that would inform the Income Tax Department about the money in my account and get me prosecuted for having unaccounted money, I decided that enough was enough”, Subramani said.

The Bangalore police arrested not only Sukesh, but also his friends Rahman Shariff and Faiz, besides his father Chandrashekar and mother Mala.

The police recovered from them a BMW, Nissan, Toyota Corolla, Honda City, Honda Accord, a modified Maruti, over 12 high-end watches, six expensive cell phones, including one costing Rs 340,000, besides designer clothes and cash worth Rs 200,000. A 50’ LCD television set, gold ornaments and other valuables were also recovered from him.

Turmoil in Karnataka coalition deepens

The political turmoil in Karnataka appeared to deepen yesterday with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy claiming that the transfer of power to BJP in the State would dent the secular principles of the JD (S).

Speaking to reporters after participating in a function in Bangalore, Kumaraswamy justified his statement on the damage to secular image of the JD (S) on account of its alliance with the BJP, causing anxiety among its coalition partner, which is looking forward to assuming the reins of power on October 3.

Earlier in the day, the signs of growing rift between JD (S) and BJP became apparent when BJP Ministers led by Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa kept away from the Cabinet meeting.

The BJP Ministers, who were reportedly upset over the Chief Minister’s public statements against the BJP, gathered at the residence of Minister for Science and Technology Ramachandra Gowda. The BJP Ministers were also angry with the Chief Minister for “usurping” the BJP’s quota in the membership of Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) by appointing its candidate G T Chandrashekar.

The BJP Ministers apparently urged Yediyurappa to boycott the cabinet meeting in protest against the Chief Minister’s statements and denial of KPSC membership due to the party. The BJP Ministers, however, went to the Cabinet meeting, albeit almost an hour late, after Kumaraswamy promised to convene a meeting of the co-ordination committee of the two parties on Friday.

Meanwhile, JD (S) supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda said his son and Chief Minister Kumaraswamy need not repent over his decision to align with the BJP to form an alternative Government.

He cited the example of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati, who had joined hands with BJP twice. Similiarly, he said DMK had aligned itself with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) before joining forces with the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (NDA).
Gowda also predicted a realignment of political forces not only in the country, but also in Karnataka in the next two to three months.

BJP has ruined secular image of JD (S) - Kumaraswamy

In a politically explosive statement that could rock the JD (S)-BJP coalition in Karnataka, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy claimed that the secular image of the JD (S) had been ruined on account of its alliance with the BJP.

Speaking to reporters in Gulbarga yesterday, Kumaraswamy said the minority communities would drift away from the JD (S) if the party continues its relationship with the BJP.

Kumaraswamy also expressed displeasure over BJP Ministers in the State claiming credit for a host of programmes of the coalition Government like banning of lottery and arrack.

Kumaraswamy’s offensive against the BJP barely one and a half months before transfer of power to the saffron party has raised fresh doubts over continuation of the coalition.

When reporters queried the Chief Minister on the scheduled transfer of power, Kumaraswamy asked the media to wait till October 3. Two days ago, Kumaraswamy said the JD (S) was ready to hand over power, but added that there was confusion among the BJP leaders on who would don the coveted mantle.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa refused to react to Kumaraswamy’s statement that the BJP had damaged the secular image of the JD (S). He told reporters that the BJP had decided to stop discussing the issue of transfer of power in public.

“I have told our leaders and workers to stop talking about the transfer of power”, said Yediyurappa after participating in a function organized at Vidhana Soudha in Bangalore to wish a bon voyage to the Karnataka legislators, who left for China yesterday.

Kumaraswamy’s public statements about the pitfalls of entering into an alliance with the BJP come close on the heels of an unmistakable bonhomie between JD (S) and Congress leaders during the swearing in ceremony of the new Governor of Karnataka Rameshwar Thakur at Raj Bhavan in Bangalore on Tuesday.

For the first time after the fall of the Dharam Singh-led Congress-JD (S) coalition in February 2006, JD (S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, former Chief Minister Dharam Singh, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President M Mallikarjun Kharge and former Federal Minister C K Jaffer Sharief arrived for a public function together.

Soon after the swearing in ceremony, Gowda took everyone by surprise when he hugged Jaffer Sharief and shook hands with Kharge and Dharam Singh with a broad grin. The renewed camaraderie between Congress and JD (S) leaders appear accentuated in the absence of BJP leaders. Though Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa was also present on the occasion, he appeared grim and left the premises soon after the conclusion of the oath-taking ceremony.

But, Gowda and the Congress leaders continued their friendly banter even at the lunch hosted by Kumaraswamy at the Banquet Hall of Vidhana Soudha to bid a farewell to outgoing Governor T N Chaturvedi and to welcome the new Governor Rameshwar Thakur. Gowda was spotted chatting with Singh and Kharge for almost half an hour at a corner of the Banquet Hall.

Haneef wants to pursue higher education in India

Even after an Australian court reinstated his visa, Indian doctor Mohammed Haneef is not planning to return to Australia in the near future.

According to Haneef’s relatives, the doctor is now planning to pursue a post graduate course in medicine in India.

“Haneef has no immediate plans of going to Australia either to resume work or study there. He is planning to enroll for a post graduate course in medicine here”, said Haneef’s uncle Iqbal Siddiqui.

Even as he was working at the Gold Coast Hospital in Australia, Haneef was pursuing a three-year-long post graduate course. Barely had he completed ten months of the post graduate course, the Indian doctor was arrested by the Australian police on charges of involvement in the Glasgow terror plot.

He was in detention for almost four weeks till an Australian court cleared him of all charges and allowed him to return to his home in Bangalore.

“We would be grateful to Karnataka Government or any other college if they offer a post graduate seat to Haneef in a discipline of his choice”, Siddiqui said.

Haneef had completed his MBBS from B R Ambedkar College in Bangalore during 2004 and worked in a hospital here for a brief while before proceeding to UK. From there Haneef had shifted to Australia for a three-year post graduate course.

Siddiqui said Haneef’s career had taken a back-seat because of the unfortunate developments. “He has come up the hard way after his father’s untimely death. His poor mother made him a doctor with great difficulty. But, due these false charges against him, his future has become uncertain. In this background, we appeal to the colleges and the Government to provide him a post graduate seat and help Haneef settle down in life”, he added.

According to officials at Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, which conducts entrance tests to post graduate courses in medicine at Government medical colleges in the State, the eligibility for admission to post graduate courses is a minimum of 50 per cent marks for general category students.

Candidates have to appear for the entrance examinations conducted by either the University or the Consortium of Private Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges, Karnataka (COMED-K).

Meanwhile, Haneef himself was out of the City and was not available for comment. But, his family has welcomed the Australian court’s decision to restore his visa. “It is a victory of truth. We had reposed complete trust in Allah and he has ensured us justice”, Haneef’s mother in law Farhath Jahan told reporters.

Karnataka Chief Minister upset over new Governor

Former Governor of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh Rameshwar Thakur assumed office as the 15th Governor of Karnataka yesterday amid resentment by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy over the Federal Government’s failure to consult him over its choice.

Expressing strong displeasure over the manner in which the Federal Government appointed a new Governor for Karnataka, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said the Federal Government should have consulted him in the matter in view of the impending transfer of power from the JD (S) to BJP in the State.

Kumaraswamy regretted that the Federal Government had given a go-by to the convention of seeking the preference of State Governments before taking a final decision on the appointment of a Governor.

He claimed that Federal Home Minister Shivraj Patil telephoned him four days ago and merely informed him about the appointment of a new Governor. “He did not bother to consult me on the issue. This development has taken place at this crucial juncture of transfer of power from the JD (S) to the BJP. The Federal Government should think twice in such matters as it is a very sensitive issue”, Kumaraswamy said.

He also added that the outgoing Governor T N Chaturvedi, who had been appointed by the erstwhile National Democratic Alliance (NDA), had an excellent relationship with the coalition Government. “He never embarrassed the Government at any point of time”, he said.

However, Rameshwar Thakur, a veteran Congressman, was administered the oath of office by Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court Justice Cyriac Joseph at a function at the Glass House of Raj Bhavan at 12 noon yesterday.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, outgoing Governor T N Chaturvedi, former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, leaders of the Opposition Congress Dharam Singh, H K Patil and M Mallikarjun Kharge, besides a host of Ministers were also present on the occasion.

The brief ceremony was witnessed by Thakur’s wife Narmada, his daughters Mrudulla Sinha and Sangeeta Thakur among other members of the family.


Earlier in the day, Thakur was accorded a warm reception on his arrival at the airport in Bangalore. Thakur will hold the gubernatorial post in Karnataka till November 18, 2009, according to a Presidential communique.

Federal Government refuses to allow renaming of Belgaum

The Federal Government has refused Karnataka permission to rename its border district Belgaum as Belagavi.

Disclosing this to reporters, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said the Federal Government has, however, cleared the State Government’s proposal to rename 11 other cities of the State including Bangalore.

Out of the 12 cities in Karnataka, which were proposed to be renamed, the Federal Government had accorded permission to rename 11 cities, except Belgaum. “I don’t know on what grounds the Federal Government has rejected our proposal to rename Belgaum district”, Kumaraswamy said.

Though Karnataka Government had planned to rename Belgaum as Belagavi, officials said the Federal Government had denied permission for the same in the wake of the unresolved boundary dispute between Karnataka and neighbouring Maharashtra over Belgaum.

The Maharashtra Government too had opposed Karnataka’s move to rename Belgaum as Belagavi, claiming that it would hurt the sentiments of the large number of Marathis residing in the Belgaum.

However, Kumarasamy said the Federal Government’s approval for renaming of the 11 cities will be placed before the state cabinet shortly and a gazette notification will follow.
Apart from Bangalore, which will be renamed as Bengaluru, Mysore, Mangalore, Gulbarga, Hubli, Shimoga, Chikmagalur, Bellary, Bijapur, Hospet and Tumkur will be renamed as Mysuru, Mangalooru, Kalburgi, Hubbali, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, Ballary, Vijapura, Hosapete and Tumakuru respectively.

Rameshwar Thakur is new Karnataka Governor

The Federal Government has appointed Rameshwar Thakur as the new Governor of Karnataka in the place of T N Chaturvedi, who completed his five-year-term yesterday.

Rameshwar Thakur, who was the Governor of Orissa and held additional charge as Governor of Andhra Pradesh, will now hold the gubernatorial post in Karnataka for the remainder of his term till November 18, 2009.

The appointment of 80-year-old Thakur, a native of Bihar and a former Federal Minister, comes less than a month a half before the scheduled transfer of power from the JD (S) to the BJP in Karnataka on October 3.

According to information reaching here, Federal Home Minister Shivaraj Patil spoke to Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy over the phone before finalizing the name of Thakur for the Governor’s post.

The shifting of Thakur from Andhra Pradesh to Karnataka is part of the reshuffle of Governors in eights states of the country.

Thakur’s predecessor T N Chaturvedi, who had been appointed by the erstwhile BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on August 21, 2002, had not been disturbed by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), which came to power in May 2004. The five-year term of T N Chaturvedi, who is an expert in parliamentary affairs and legislature procedure, remained non-controversial.

Deserted women to receive financial aid

Women in Karnataka, who have been deserted by their husbands, will now receive a financial assistance of Rs 400 every month from the State Government.

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy made the statement at a Janata Darshan or a public contact programme in Bangalore after being moved by the plight of women, who had been deserted and abandoned by their husbands.

Speaking to reporters, Kumaraswamy said the assistance would be similiar to pension currently being paid to widows. “Women separated from their husbands will now be entitled to a sum of Rs 400 every month”, he said.

Emphasizing the need for a mechanism to be in place to provide financial aid to separated women, Kumaraswamy hoped the Government assistance of Rs 400 per month will make such women self-reliant and prevent them from going into a depression for want of money.

The new scheme for financial aid to separated women comes in the run-up to the transfer of power from the JD (S) to the BJP. Barely a fortnight ago, the State Government had announced a pension of Rs 400 per month to devadasis, who had crossed the 45 years of age. Devadasi is a religious practice prevalent in several parts of the State in which parents marry a daughter to a deity or a temple.

The payment of monthly pension of Rs 400 to devadasis with retrospective effect from April this year is expected to benefit more than 16,000 devadasis in ten districts of Karnataka.

Gold and silver ornaments found at Hampi

Restoration work of an ancient temple at Hampi, the medieval capital of the erstwhile Vijaynagar empire in Karnataka, has yielded a rich haul of gold and silver ornaments.

Workers employed by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) for restoration of the ancient Vishnu Temple stumbled upon a gold chain, studded with precious stones, gold ear-rings and anklets, besides a wide variety of silver ornaments including waistbands on Thursday. The workers also found a total of 37 gold coins from the temple site.

According to officials, the gold chain bears pearls and opals, besides other precious stones. The two long gold ear-rings recovered from the site had red stones embedded in them. But, officials are yet to determine whether the stones are rubies. Four square-shaped beads had also been found.

Among the silver ornaments were six anklets, two of which were small in size. Though silver ornaments had turned black with prolonged exposure to earth underground, the gold ornaments had not lost their sheen, officials pointed out.

The ASI, which has been engaged in restoration work at Hampi for the last two years, had unearthed various types of metals and idols. It is for the first time that gold and silver ornaments in substantial quantity had been found.

With Hampi declared as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO, officials opine the discovery of gold and silver ornaments will help throw further light on the historical site. Excavation of the site would yield enough historical evidence to add more chapters to the history of Hampi, which was the capital of the erstwhile Vijaynagar empire of the fourteenth century.

Rift between JD(S) and BJP widens, Kumaraswamy threatens to quit early

Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka B S Yediyurappa’s repeated reminders in public on the transfer of power in the State from the JD (S) to the BJP in October this year have annoyed Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who has threatened to quit the coveted post early.

Yediyurappa’s declaration at the Independence Day celebrations at Shimoga that he would unfurl the national flag at the Parade Grounds in Bangalore as a Chief Minister next year had clearly irked Kumaraswamy.

Kumaraswamy, who had stayed away from the tea party hosted by Governor T N Chaturvedi to mark the Independence Day, told reporters that the transfer of power relates to the dignity of the office of the Chief Minister.

“It is not a childish issue to be discussed in the media repeatedly”, said a visibly peeved Kumaraswamy, who even threatened to quit early in the wake of the Deputy Chief Minister’s utterances.

According to JD (S) leaders, Kumaraswamy was so upset with Yediyurappa’s statement that he convened a hurried meeting of his close confidantes to consider the option of quitting as Chief Minister early.

The JD (S) leaders also pointed out that Yediyurappa had been frequently referring to the transfer of power issue. During the recent legislature session, the Deputy Chief Minister had pointed to the Chief Minister’s chair and said that after October 3, the date of transfer of power, he would be occupying that chair, and sought the co-operation of the legislators.

On another occasion, during the Ugadi festival, Yediyurappa said he would celebrate the next festival at Anugraha, the official residence of the Chief Minister.

Kumaraswamy’s public criticism of Yediyurappa’s statements have served to further widen the rift between coalition partners BJP and JD (S) ahead of the scheduled transfer of power on October 3.

Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa immediately went into a damage control mode by claiming that he would remain silent on power transfer issue till the D-Day. “We have decided to desist from making any statement on the transfer of power”, he said.

“I will talk to the Chief Minister to find out why he is upset and explain to him that there was no intention to hurt his feelings. I will clear the misunderstanding over my statement in Shimoga”, Yediyurappa added.

However, BJP’s Karnataka unit President Sadananda Gowda said the BJP was ready to accept power from the JD (S) ahead of the schedule if Kumaraswamy so wishes. “We expect the power transfer to take place on October 3. But, if it happens early, we are ready to accept it”, Sadananda Gowda said.

Rift between JD(S) and BJP widens, Kumaraswamy threatens to quit early

Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka B S Yediyurappa’s repeated reminders in public on the transfer of power in the State from the JD (S) to the BJP in October this year have annoyed Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who has threatened to quit the coveted post early.

Yediyurappa’s declaration at the Independence Day celebrations at Shimoga that he would unfurl the national flag at the Parade Grounds in Bangalore as a Chief Minister next year had clearly irked Kumaraswamy.

Kumaraswamy, who had stayed away from the tea party hosted by Governor T N Chaturvedi to mark the Independence Day, told reporters that the transfer of power relates to the dignity of the office of the Chief Minister.

“It is not a childish issue to be discussed in the media repeatedly”, said a visibly peeved Kumaraswamy, who even threatened to quit early in the wake of the Deputy Chief Minister’s utterances.

According to JD (S) leaders, Kumaraswamy was so upset with Yediyurappa’s statement that he convened a hurried meeting of his close confidantes to consider the option of quitting as Chief Minister early.

The JD (S) leaders also pointed out that Yediyurappa had been frequently referring to the transfer of power issue. During the recent legislature session, the Deputy Chief Minister had pointed to the Chief Minister’s chair and said that after October 3, the date of transfer of power, he would be occupying that chair, and sought the co-operation of the legislators.

On another occasion, during the Ugadi festival, Yediyurappa said he would celebrate the next festival at Anugraha, the official residence of the Chief Minister.

Kumaraswamy’s public criticism of Yediyurappa’s statements have served to further widen the rift between coalition partners BJP and JD (S) ahead of the scheduled transfer of power on October 3.

Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa immediately went into a damage control mode by claiming that he would remain silent on power transfer issue till the D-Day. “We have decided to desist from making any statement on the transfer of power”, he said.

“I will talk to the Chief Minister to find out why he is upset and explain to him that there was no intention to hurt his feelings. I will clear the misunderstanding over my statement in Shimoga”, Yediyurappa added.

However, BJP’s Karnataka unit President Sadananda Gowda said the BJP was ready to accept power from the JD (S) ahead of the schedule if Kumaraswamy so wishes. “We expect the power transfer to take place on October 3. But, if it happens early, we are ready to accept it”, Sadananda Gowda said.

Government honours fishermen for rescuing sailors

The Karnataka Government has honoured the twenty fishermen, who risked their lives to save the sailors on-board a sinking cargo ship off Mangalore coast recently.

The fishermen had responded to the distress calls from the sailors on board the Eritrean ship, which was caught in a violent storm on June 23, and managed to save the lives of twenty-one of them before the cargo vessel could capsize about 250 metres from the Mangalore coast.

The Eritrean ship, which had a total of 24 people on board, was transporting 8,000 tonnes of furnace slag to United Arab Emirates (UAE) when the mishap took place.

Though the Coast Guard had launched a rescue operation, the coast guard vessel could not reach the stranded Eritrean ship, which soon started drifting and sinking. “That was when we jumped into the waters to save them”, said Yashwanth P Ameen, one of the fishermen, who was honoured on the occasion. “Since we are used to swimming in the rough seas, we offered help in saving the sailors”, Ameen added.

The twenty fishermen managed to save the lives of twenty-one sailors during the daring rescue operation. The rescued sailors belonged to various nationalities including Ghana, Bahrain and Eritrea. The dead bodies of the remaining three sailors were recovered from the waters later. Ameen felt sorry that they were unable to save the three other sailors.

The chests of the fishermen, who were brought to Bangalore in a special bus arranged by state-owned Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), swelled with pride when their gallant act was read out to a huge round of applause at the Raj Bhavan on Wednesday evening.
Karnataka Governor T N Chaturvedi presented each fisherman with a certificate and a cash reward of Rs 2,000 for their exemplary achievement. The felicitation function was part of the Independence Day celebrations at Raj Bhavan

Violence breaks out in Gokak in Karnataka

The agitation for the creation of a separate district of Gokak in Karnataka took a violent turn yesterday when mobs went on a rampage, stoning Government offices and state-owned buses.

The district administration clamped prohibitory orders in the town after the mobs torched a bus belonging to Karnataka State Road Transport Cororation (KSRTC). The window panes of several Government offices were smashed and four buses were damaged in the stone-throwing spree.

The agitation for carving out a separate district of Gokak out of Belgaum intensified yesterday morning after Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s Independence Day address made no mention of any such proposal before the Government. Though Kumaraswamy promised to form a separate district of Chikkodi out of Belgaum and Yadgir out of Gulbarga, his failure to promise the creation of a separate district of Gokak touched the raw nerve of the pro-Gokak activists.

Protesting against the Government’s apathy towards the long-pending demand of the people of Gokak, the advocates of the town boycotted the court proceedings yesterday and formed a human chain. The protest spiralled out of control with mobs from different parts of the town joining the agitation and indulging in violence.

Soon after the agitators began stoning Government offices and targeting state-owned buses, shops and commercial establishments downed their shutters. The police deployed a large number of personnel in the trouble-hit parts of the town and later clamped prohibitory orders, which bars gathering of more than four persons, in a bid to contain the violence.

The widespread violence in Gokak yesterday comes close on the heels of a shutdown on Tuesday which witnessed the torching of a jeep belonging to the Minor Irrigation Department.

High Court quashes proceedings against Narayana Murthy in national anthem case

In a major relief to Infosys chief mentor N R Narayana Murthy, the Karnataka High Court yesterday quashed the proceedings initiated against him in a lower court on a complaint over his alleged remarks on the singing of national anthem.

Hearing a petition filed by Narayana Murthy, Justice K Bhaktavatsala quashed the proceedings initiated against him under the provisions of the Prevention of Insult to National Honour Act 1971 by the Second Additional City and Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s court.

It may be mentioned here that lower court had registered a criminal case against Narayana Murthy and had summoned him to court on the basis of a private complaint filed by Kannada Rakshana Vakilara Vedike, a forum of advocates fighting for the implementation of Kannada in courts.

However, the High Court observed that the lower court had no jurisdiction over the matter as the remarks attributed to Narayana Murthy on the singing of national anthem had been made in Mysore and not in Bangalore.

In its complaint, the Vedike contended that the Infosys chief, during the then President A P J Abdul Kalam’s visit to the Infosys campus in Mysore near here on April 8, had told reporters that the company chose against organising live singing of the national anthem and instead played its instrumental version to avoid “embarrassment” to the foreigners in the campus. The Vedike had accused Narayana Murthy of passing insulting remarks to the national anthem.

However, Narayana Murthy’s advocate K K Venugopal argued that his client was not guilty of any offence and playing the instrumental version of the national anthem did not amount to any violation.

Karnataka legislators’ trip to China draws flak

Notwithstanding the barrage of public criticism against their proposed foreign trip at a time when various parts of the State were reeling under natural calamities like floods, about 180 legislators of Karnataka are preparing to embark on a fortnight-long tour of China in four different batches beginning from the third week of August.

Though the Karnataka Government had sponsored a “study tour” for all the 225 MLAs and 75 MLCs of the State, more than a 100 legislators had opted out of the trip, citing various reasons including personal.

But, about 180 legislators, who are eager to fly to China, had been divided into four batches of 45 each for the trip. The itinerary of two batches has been finalized. The first batch of 45 legislators, accompanied by five officials, will leave for Shanghai on August 22 while the second batch will head to Beijing on August 27. Two other batches will follow them in September for the fortnight-long tour of China.

Though the legislators’ visit to China had been planned in response to an invitation extended by People’s Congress of China under the Indo-China Friendship programme, the foreign trip has come under severe criticism in view of the grim situation prevailing in many parts of the state on account of the monsoon fury and the accompanying floods.

The public outcry against the foreign trip has grown louder, particularly in the wake of the Karnataka Government knocking on the doors of the Federal Government for financial assistance to fund relief measures. With the State Government bearing the entire expenditure of the foreign trip, which works out to around Rs 200,000 for each legislator, various sections of the public in Karnataka are wondering whether such a trip was necessary under the prevailing scenario.

Though annoyed by the barrage of public criticism, Deputy Speaker of Karnataka Assembly N Y Gopalakrishna, who is also the Chairman of the Tour Committee, said the trip was aimed at studying the development modules in China.

Vehemently defending the trip and also the expenditure involved in it, Gopalakrishna said the Government earmarks about Rs 200,000 a year for every legislator to take up study tours, which are normally undertaken within the country. “Over a period of five years, which is the normal tenure of the legislator, each one of them is entitled to Rs one million. But, the expenditure per legislator for the trip is working out to less than Rs 200,000”, he said.

During the visit, the host country will be making arrangements for the Karnataka legislators’ visits to various educational institutions, hospitals, universities, special economic zones, besides fields visits to agricultural areas, he said.

A major kidney racket unearthed in Bangalore

The Bangalore police have unearthed a major illegal kidney transplantation racket and arrested three persons in the connection.

The kidney transplantation racket came to light on Sunday when a prospective victim of the racketeers tipped off the police, who raided a house in Doddabettahalli in Nelamangala taluk on the outskirts of Bangalore and rescued five others kept in confinement, pending the removal of their kidneys.

The main accused Mahadeva, 59, has confessed to the police that he had been running the racket for the last seven years and had roped in 25 donors so far. The prospective donors, who had been rescued in the operation, had been kept in confinement at the house of his accomplice Mohan Kumar, 29, and Ravi Kumar, 26, who had also been arrested.

Police said the racketeers would convince poor and debt-ridden people to sell their kidney to ailing recipients. “They would sell the organs for Rs 400,000 and gave the victims only Rs 100,000”, according to a senior police officer.

The racketeers had successfully hoodwinked all Government agencies regulating the exercise, including the Authorization Committee, a body set up by the State Government under the Human Organ Transplantation Act to ensure that organ transplants are not performed for commercial considerations.

Mahadeva had created a network of agents who would facilitate the creation of fake documents to facilitate the kidney transplantation. After securing all the necessary approvals through dubious means, the donors were taken to various speciality hospitals in the City for the transplantation. Police said the hospitals were not involved, as they were not aware that the documents had been forged.

Police said the accused and their relatives too had donated their kidneys. While Ravi Kumar had donated his kidney two years ago, Mohan Kumar’s wife Uma had donated her kidney to the wife of a politician. The main accused Mahadeva had three wives and of them have donated their kidneys, police said.

Police said Mohan Kumar’s wife Uma was also part of the gang. The police are looking out for her and another accused, who are absconding.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has expressed shock over the kidney racket and directed the police initiate stringent action against the persons involved.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Kumaraswamy said the Government would not spare the guilty. “I have asked the police to furnish a detailed report on this. If required an inquiry will be ordered into the matter”, he said.

Marriage pressure led to suicide pact by Bangalore girls

The mystery surrounding the suicide pact by four girl students in Bangalore has been solved with the lone survivor revealing that the pressure of marriage on one of them by her parents had forced them take the extreme step.

The survivor Hamsaveni, who is declared out of danger, told doctors of the private hospital, where she is convalescing, that there was marriage proposal to her friend Ammu and her parents had decided to marry her off.

“Ammu’s parents had decided to marry her to her maternal uncle. She had refused, saying she wanted to continue her studies. When Ammu’s parents did not relent, she mentioned it to me and my friends Divya and Jayanthi on Friday evening. We decided to commit suicide on Saturday after attending classes”, she said.

According to Hamsaveni, all the four, who were students of tenth standard, met at their school on Saturday. “Ammu had brought packets of insecticide and Jayanthi had brought two glasses for mixing the insecticide with water and drinking. After the classes, we went to the railway quarters and sat talking for a while”, she said. Later, Ammu wrote a suicide note in Kannada and all of them signed on the letter.

Next, all of them consumed the insecticide. “I was the last one consume it. We started to vomit and could sense being put in an autorickshaw”, she said.

Meanwhile, Chairperson of Karnataka Women’s Commission Pramila Nesargi collected Hamsaveni’s statement and met the parents of Ammu.
Nesargi told reporters that Ammu’s parents had admitted that they wished to marry her, but did not think she would take such a drastic step. “In order to prevent adolescent girls committing suicide, a counselling centre is the need of hour”, she suggested.

Sensational gold heist in Bangalore

The Bangalore police yesterday intensified its investigation into the sensational gold heist from a reputed jewellery shop in the City on Saturday, which saw a four-member gang loot 36 kgs of the precious metal valued around Rs 35 million at gunpoint.

The pistol-wielding gang turned up at Chemmanur Jewellers’ outlet on Kammanahalli Main Road minutes after the shop was opened, threatened the nine employees and wiped the place clean of all its gold in a filmy-style operation that lasted barely 15 minutes.

The daring heist, which has been described as the biggest jewellery robbery in Bangalore, has been captured on the closed circuit television cameras installed inside the store. With the police making the tape available to the media, the robbery was relayed into the homes of people in the State.

Four youths aged around 25 to 28 years, attired in expensive trousers and T-shirts, enter the shop pretending to be customers, conversing in Kannada, English and Hindi. Even as the nine employees, including four women, are arranging the jewel display boxes, the robbers whip out their pistols, hidden in their trousers.

Before the shocked employees could react, the robbers herd them into the locker room at gun point and snatch their mobiles from them. Even as one of them stands guard, the rest of them quickly begin emptying the gold jewellery into a bag. One of them even broke open the cash counter and lifted around Rs 350,000 from it. The robbers do not touch any silver articles kept in the store.

Before leaving the place and fleeing in a waiting car, the gang damages the four closed-circuit television cameras. However, the cameras have managed to capture the entire crime, upto the point of the being damaged, police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Gopal Hosur told reporters that the culprits will be nabbed soon with the help of the clues they had left behind. Not only have the robbers been caught on camera, they were not even wearing gloves. The forensic experts have lifted the finger print samples.

“It is a pre-planned attack. They might have visited the place several times and studied the situation. But, we are not yet sure whether the weapons were real”, Hosur said. “Going by the video footage and the body language of the robbers, it does not look like they carried revolvers. An original revolver is heavy. These guys were holding the weapons easily and from this we can make out that it could be toy pistols”, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) B K Singh told reporters.

Meanwhile, the police have fanned out in all parts of the City looking for suspects. Five teams of senior officers have been formed to investigate the crime. Teams have also been dispatched to different parts of Karnataka and neighbouring states, where thieves usually dispose stolen gold at throwaway prices.

Four girls commit suicide in Bangalore

In a shocking incident, four girls studying in a high school in Bangalore entered into a suicide pact on Saturday.

Three of the four girls, who had consumed unidentified tablets laced with insecticide, have died while the fourth girl is recovering at a hospital in Bangalore.

The four girls, all of whom are aged 15 years, and students of tenth standard at Nagaraj Memorial School at Magadi Road in Bangalore, were close friends and resided in the same locality.

After finishing school on Saturday, the four of them returned home for lunch and left soon thereafter informing their parents that they were attending a special class. “Apparently, they consumed the pills behind the railway quarters near their houses. An auto driver, who saw them vomiting, immediately rushed them to Victoria Hospital”, a senior police officer said.

Out of the four students, Ammu, Divya and Jayanti have died while their friend Hamsaveni, who is out of danger, is the lone survivor.

Before committing suicide, the four girls had drafted a note in Kannada, which said that neither their parents nor their teachers were to be blamed for their step. “We do not wish to live anymore. We have not taken this step in haste. Please donate our eyes and do not subject our bodies to post-mortem. Please conduct our last rites together. Though we were not born together, we want to at least die united”, the suicide note said.

The police, which is baffled at the quartet’s suicide pact, are planning to investigate the lone survivor Hamsaveni over the motive behind their extreme step. However, Hamsaveni is reported to have told her family that her friends pushed her to the step.

The police is waiting for Hamsaveni to recover as she presently too weak and sensitive to questioning.

School’s headmaster Sudhakar said the four girls were close friends and were seen together. “They used to sit next to each other and answer questions in a group. They were bright students and we were expecting them to score a distinction in the SSLC examination”, he said.

Bangalore to have country’s first aqua park

Karnataka Government will soon be setting up the country’s first aqua park on the outskirts of Bangalore with the aim of promoting commercial production of ornamental fish, which enjoys a huge market in the country and abroad.

To mark the 50th anniversary of Karnataka’s Fisheries Department, the State Government has decided to establish an aqua park on a 13 acre plot at Hessarghatta on the outskirts of Bangalore and encourage young entrepreneurs to breed and market ornamental fish with the assistance of Government.

According to Joint Director of Karnataka’s Fisheries Department N R Ramakrishna, the State Government seeks to tap the growing market for ornamental fish in India and abroad. “Bangalore City alone has about 500 shops dealing with aquariums and ornamental fish. Not only do thousands of households in the City boast of an aquarium, a large number of corporate and business firms, besides restaurants and star hotels have aquariums”, he said.

In view of the large number of people in Bangalore and other metros in the country importing fabricated aquariums and other accessories, the demand for ornamental fish is expected to increase in the coming days, he said. A large number of people are interested in acquiring exotic species of ornamental fish and add to their growing collection.

Claiming that the demand for ornamental fish in Bangalore and other parts of the State was presently being met by traders from Chennai and Kerala, Ramakrishna said the aqua park, which is being set up at a cost of Rs 15 million, would help meet not only the domestic demand but also exploit the huge export potential.

With Hessarghatta located close to the upcoming international airport at Devanahalli near Bangalore, Ramakrishna felt the exporters of ornamental fish would enjoy easy access to the airport.

Admitting that very little progress had been made in the country with regard to ornamental fish culture, Ramakrishna said the Karnataka Government seeks to take the lead by establishing an aqua park. Already, a team of officials from the Fisheries Department and experts has visited several parts of the country to study the ornamental fish culture, he added.

Foetuses recovered from garbage were congenitally deformed – forensic report

With the foetuses recovered from a garbage dump in Bangalore showing congenital deformity during a forensic examination, the Karnataka Government has ruled out the possibility of foeticide as alleged by the State Women’s Commission.

Citing the findings of the forensic report submitted by Victoria Hospital in Bangalore to the Government, Karnataka’s Minister for Women and Child Welfare H K Kumaraswamy said all the foetuses submitted for examination had congenital deformities. “So, it does not appear to be a case of foeticide”, he said.

Also, contrary to State Women’s Commission Chairperson Pramila Nesargi’s claim that more than 20 foetuses were recovered from the garbage dump, the Department of Forensic Medicine at Victoria Hospital claimed that they received only seven foetuses, ranging between 45 days to six and a half months.

“Out of the seven foetuses submitted for examination, five were found to be male and the remaining two were female”, said Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine, Victoria Hospital, D K Devdas.

“None of the foetuses appear to be illegally aborted. All the seven cases are premature deliveries and the foetuses were malformed. While one foetus had a very small head with an underdeveloped brain, another had a very large head filled with water. One foetus had spinal malformation and others had facial deformities. None of them would have survived their full term”, he said.

Devdas said the foetuses had been preserved in formaldehyde along with some parts of uterus and tumours, indicating that they were being used for teaching purpose at a medical institution.

Meanwhile, Pramila Nesargi, who did not appear convinced that only seven foetuses were recovered from the gunny bags found in the garbage dump, said she would need to verify the matter. “Initially, the police was not willing to register a case. They booked a case only at my insistence. Now, they claim they found only seven foetuses. I will have to look at the FIR filed by the police and verify other documents before making a statement”, she said.

However, the Government is convinced that the law had been violated in the disposal of the foetuses and other hospital waste in such an unhygienic manner without adhering to the Environment Protection rules. “I know some law is violated”, H K Kumaraswamy said referring to the illegal dumping of the foetuses.

With Bangalore hospitals generating more than 10 tonnes of hospital waste every day, Environment Protection rules have made it mandatory for hospitals to separate the bio-hazardous waste from other waste and incinerate it.
Karnataka’s Minister for Health R Ashok said a police inquiry will be conducted to ascertain the identity of the persons or institution responsible for dumping the foetuses and other materials in such an unscientific manner

Ruling party member displays arrack sachet in Assembly

A ruling BJP legislator created a stir in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Monday by displaying a sachet of arrack, which has been banned in the State since July 1 this year.

Claiming that the JD (S)-BJP coalition Government has not been able to implement the ban on manufacture and sale of arrack in the State, BJP MLA C T Ravi pulled out a sachet containing the brew in the Legislative Assembly to prove his point, much to the embarrassment of the Government.

Raising the matter during zero hour, Ravi, who represents Chikmagalur assembly constituency, said the Government has failed to implement the ban on arrack effectively. “It is freely available in my constituency”, he said.

Displaying the sachet, Ravi said there is a mafia in the arrack trade and the Government should crack down upon them.

Though BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who holds the Excise portfolio was not present in the House, other members of the coalition Ministry were squirming in their seats over the BJP MLA’s act.

Speaker Krishna expressed displeasure over the display of the arrack sachet in the House and suggested that Ravi hand over the sachet to him in his chambers. But, an unrelenting Ravi continued his attack on the issue and said the arrack mafia was raking in millions of rupees in the illegal trade while the Government was losing Rs 19 billion annually on account of the arrack ban.

Ravi was supported by Congress member Boseraju, who said the easy availability of arrack was not restricted to Chickmagalur. “It is available in many parts of the state”, he said.

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Dharam Singh criticised the Government for its failure to implement the ban effectively. Speaker Krishna agreed that the matter was serious and the Government should look into it.

Yediyurappa, who replied to the issue yesterday, assured the members of the House that the Government will crack down on the arrack mafia and ensure that the arrack ban is implemented.

23 foetuses found in garbage dump in Bangalore

A total of 23 aborted foetuses were found dumped in a garbage dump in Srirampuram in Bangalore on Sunday evening.

The foetuses, suspected to be female, were stuffed in gunny bags that were inside black polythene bags, were first discovered by ragpickers, who were rummaging the garbage dump near Rajiv Gandhi statue in Srirampuram.

After the local residents informed the police, a team of police officials rushed to spot and confirmed that bags contained skeletal remains of foetuses along with bio-medical waste like syringes, bandage and cotton after an inspection.

Quoting eye-witness accounts, police said a truck bearing the name of a private travel firm from Kundapur in coastal Karnataka came to the spot on Sunday evening and dumped the black polythene bags in the garbage and went away.

Though the foetuses had been sent to Victoria Hospital for a forensic examination, there is a widespread suspicion that the foetuses were female.

Karnataka State Women’s Commission Chairperson Pramila Nesargi, who visited the garbage dump, told reporters that she would convene a meeting soon to create awareness against rampant female infanticide.

“Female foetuses are being cut like vegetables”, she said and added that the Srirampuram police station has registered a case and investigation is underway.

“Though a receipt issued by a hospital in Kundapur was found inside one of the gunny bags, we are yet to confirm whether it is really from that hospital or from one of the hundreds of nursing homes in Bangalore”, Nesargi said.

Many licensed nursing homes in Bangalore perform abortions in gross violation of the Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act. “Pre-diagnostic tests are conducted and the female foetuses are aborted. The trick being used to reveal the sex of the foetus is by marking in red if it is female and in green if it is a boy”, she said.

The mass recovery of aborted foetuses had also shocked the Government forcing Karnataka’s Health Minister R Ashok to order an inquiry into the matter. “We have alerted the police and after investigation, action will be taken”, he said.

Ashok also warned hospitals and nursing homes in the State that penal action will be taken against them if they were found aiding female infanticide.

The mass recovery of foetuses in Bangalore comes close on the heels of a similar recovery of several foetuses in Nayagarh in Orissa a couple of weeks ago.

Karnataka’s DIG of Prisons commits suicide

In a shocking incident, Karnataka’s Deputy Inspector General of Police (Prisons) B S Abbai committed suicide at his official residence at the Bangalore Central Jail on Saturday evening.

Abbai, 58, who was in charge of the Bangalore Central Jail at Parappana Agrahara on the outskirts of Bangalore, returned to his residential quarters in the prison premises for lunch on Saturday afternoon after attending office in the morning. When he did not come out of his room for a long time, his personal staff broke open the door of the room and found him hanging from a window grill with a plastic wire.

Before committing suicide, Abbai had left behind a note, written in Kannada, stating that none was responsible for his decision to end his life. “I am disgusted over certain developments in my professional life. I am clean and have not committed any mistakes consciously. In the last few days, things have gone haywire. I do not blame anybody for my action, but I know I am doing injustice to my wife and child”, Abbai said in the suicide note.

Police said Abbai had taken the extreme step when his wife Girija and son Shivaprasad were away from home to see off a relative at the railway station. Though his wife tried to reach him on his mobile, around 5 pm, there was no response from Abbai’s mobile. Assuming that he was fallen asleep, his wife called up the assistant to wake him up, as it was time to go to office.

When there was no response to the assistant’s knocks on the door, he became suspicious and peeped through the window before breaking the door open. Efforts made by the assistant and other servants to rescue him went in vain, police said.

Abbai’s suicide, barely a year before he was due to retire, has spread shock in the police establishment. The top-ranking official, who was widely respected by officials and prison inmates alike, had also been conferred with the President’s medal for meritorious service in 2000.

Abbai’s wife Girija suspects that her husband decided to end his life, unable to bear the humiliation and harassment he received at the hands of his superior officers. But, she said she never thought he would go to the extent of killing himself and leaving her and their son in the lurch.

Meanwhile, officials pointed out that Abbai was depressed for the last few days after his senior officer Additional Director General of Police S T Ramesh paid a visit to the central jail. During the surprise inspection, Ramesh had found prisoners using mobile phones and had apparently written to the Government recommending action against Abbai for the lapses.

Meanwhile, a post-mortem was conducted and Abbai’s dead body was taken to Bailhongal in Belgaum, where his 80-year-old father stays, for the last rites.

Prime Minister asks Congress to prepare for polls in Karnataka

In view of the uncertainty over the transfer of power from the JD (S) to BJP in Karnataka, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called upon the Congress leaders to prepare for polls and come to power in the State.

Soon after arriving in Bangalore on a brief yesterday, Singh drove to the Central College campus to address Congress party leaders and workers. “The ruling formation is not in a good shape. I do not know what will happen in Karnataka. Congress workers should remain united and bring the party to power on its own”, he said.

Singh said the time had come for “winds of change” in the State and hoped the Congress will be ushered into power in the elections. As October 3, the date for transfer of power from JD (S) to BJP draws nearer, the “winds of change will move at a much faster rate”, he said.

The Prime Minister has also assured the Congress leaders in the State that the party leadership was not in favour of reviving ties with the JD (S) to form another coalition in the event of collapse of the JD (S)-BJP Government.

But, Singh emphasized the need to keep BJP away from power stating that communalization of politics does not portend well for the people of Karnataka.

He recalled that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime was marked by instances of communal disharmony and divisive politics. In contrast, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is seeking to strengthen the secular base, besides being committed to respect fundamental human rights and rule of law.

Claiming that India had emerged as one of the five fastest developing economies in the world during the UPA regime, Singh said the growth rate of the country was nine per cent per year, which was the highest since independence.

He had a word of praise for Karnataka, which he described as a “jewel” of the country. “In fact, Karnataka was a mirror image of research and development in the country”, the Prime Minister said.

“We want Karnataka to be the number one forward looking state”, he said assured that the Federal Government will work shoulder to shoulder to safeguard the interests of the State.

Pressure builds up on Mysore Palace to switch to eco-friendly lamps

Pressure is building up on the authorities of the famous Mysore Palace near here to replace the incandescent bulbs that illuminate the iconic heritage monument with eco-friendly and energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFL).

Greenpeace, an independent international organization spearheading the “Ban the Bulb” campaign, has already submitted a proposal to the Mysore district administration recommending the replacement of 96,000 incandescent bulbs of 15 watts each with CFLs that will not only bring down the power consumption, but also reduce the electricity bill substantially.

Srinivasa Krishnaswamy, climate and energy expert, Greenpeace India, told a press conference in Mysore near here that the 96,000 incandescent bulbs that illuminate the Mysore Palace consumed about 1,20,000 KW of power annually. The power consumption will come down by a whopping 80,000 KW per annum if the existing bulbs are replaced with CFLs, resulting in a saving of more than Rs 4 million every year.

More importantly, Krishnaswamy said the switch-over would help save electricity and reduce the carbon di oxide emissions from power plants. “The famous Mysore Palace can showcase itself as the first heritage building in the country, which is sensitive to the cause of climate change”, he said.

Greenpeace, which has estimated the cost of the overhauling the lighting system at Mysore Palace at Rs 12 million, said the authorities could recover the cost in three years by virtue of saving electricity bills.

The 80,000 KW of power saved by the replacement of bulbs at Mysore Palace could be used to supply power to more than 200 households in rural areas, Krishnaswamy said.

Expressing concern over global warming, Krishnaswamy said more than 60 per cent of India’s power requirement comes from coal-based thermal power plants that spew carbon di oxide into the atmosphere and contribute to the rise in greenhouse gases.

Haneef keen to return to Australia

Keeping his options open on the job offer made to him by Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, Indian doctor Mohammed Haneef said he was keen to return to Australia after fighting for the visa, which now stands cancelled.

Speaking to reporters in Bangalore, the 27-year-old doctor said he was saddened by the fact that Australia had not reinstated his work visa, which would have enabled him to return as a doctor at the Gold Coast Hospital in Queensland.

“I’d like to return to Australia. I want my visa back and I’ll fight for it”, he said before adding that he enjoyed working as a doctor at Gold Coast Hospital.

Haneef said he had no idea why the Australian Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews revoked his work visa though all charges against him had been dropped.

Earlier, Haneef called on Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy at the latter’s home office in Bangalore and expressed his gratitude for the offer of job made to him. “I will be keeping my options open on the Chief Minister’s offer of job in the health department and will respond at an appropriate time”,

Haneef also spoke out against the treatment meted out to him by the Australian authorities and sought an apology to the people of India. Though the Indian doctor, who had been detained in Australia for almost four weeks, did not expect an apology from the Australian Government, yet he would appreciate if they apologized to the citizens of India.

“I would appreciate if they apologize to my peace loving country and its citizens”, he said.

Fielding queries from reporters, Haneef said he was not a victim of international conspiracy. “I am not a victim of international conspiracy, but of an Australian conspiracy”, he said. When asked whether he was victimized because he was an Asian Muslim, he said: “There might be an element of that”.

Haneef also said that Islam means peace and he was a true follower of Islam. “I don’t want anyone to be victimized in the name of terrorism

Haneef’s lawyer Peter Russo, who was present on the occasion, too said the Australian authorities had victimized his client. “Haneef was contributing to the Australian society by working in the Gold Coast Hospital. He was detained without charge. The Australian authorities took away every single item from the unit where he stayed. If that does not make him feel victimized, I don’t know what else would”, he said.

While Haneef parried a question on whether he would sue the Australian Governmen, Russo said the matter had not even come on their “radar”. “We have not had an opportunity to sit and discuss it. We had bigger issues on hand”, Russo said.