Coovercolly Pushpalatha Chandrashekar Media Award presented to journalist Ismail Kandakere
Madikeri: Journalist K.M. Ismail Kandakere has been conferred the Coovercolly Pushpalatha Chandrashekar Media Award by the Kodagu Press Club for his compelling human-interest report titled 'The roof of Meena's house is leaking.'
The report narrates the harrowing story of Meena (16), an SSLC student from Mutlu village in Somwarpet taluk, who was brutally murdered by her fiancé Monnanda Prakash on May 10, 2024. Although the couple was engaged in April, Meena had opposed an early marriage to continue her education. Enraged by her resistance, Prakash allegedly attacked and killed her with a sickle at her home.
Ismail's story went beyond the crime to highlight Meena's dire living conditions. Her house, dilapidated and leaking during the rains, symbolized the poverty the family endured. The report resonated across Karnataka, prompting public outrage and swift political response.
Moved by the family's plight, Madikeri MLA Dr. Mantar Gowda visited the bereaved parents in May 2024 and pledged to build a new home for them at an estimated cost of ₹8.5 lakh. True to his word, the house was completed and handed over to Meena's parents on May 9, a day before her first death anniversary.
The award was instituted by senior journalist Coovercolly Indresh, along with his siblings Savitha, Sundresh, and Chandresh, in memory of their parents B.V. Chandrashekar and Pushpalatha. A corpus fund of ₹1 lakh was deposited with the Kodagu Press Club to support the annual award. The recognition includes a cash prize of ₹5,000 and a memento.
Ravishankar Nanaiah, Special Officer of Kodagu University, presented the award during a ceremony held at Patrika Bhavan in Madikeri on Sunday.
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Hans India
a day ago
- Hans India
Coovercolly Pushpalatha Chandrashekar Media Award presented to journalist Ismail Kandakere
Madikeri: Journalist K.M. Ismail Kandakere has been conferred the Coovercolly Pushpalatha Chandrashekar Media Award by the Kodagu Press Club for his compelling human-interest report titled 'The roof of Meena's house is leaking.' The report narrates the harrowing story of Meena (16), an SSLC student from Mutlu village in Somwarpet taluk, who was brutally murdered by her fiancé Monnanda Prakash on May 10, 2024. Although the couple was engaged in April, Meena had opposed an early marriage to continue her education. Enraged by her resistance, Prakash allegedly attacked and killed her with a sickle at her home. Ismail's story went beyond the crime to highlight Meena's dire living conditions. Her house, dilapidated and leaking during the rains, symbolized the poverty the family endured. The report resonated across Karnataka, prompting public outrage and swift political response. Moved by the family's plight, Madikeri MLA Dr. Mantar Gowda visited the bereaved parents in May 2024 and pledged to build a new home for them at an estimated cost of ₹8.5 lakh. True to his word, the house was completed and handed over to Meena's parents on May 9, a day before her first death anniversary. The award was instituted by senior journalist Coovercolly Indresh, along with his siblings Savitha, Sundresh, and Chandresh, in memory of their parents B.V. Chandrashekar and Pushpalatha. A corpus fund of ₹1 lakh was deposited with the Kodagu Press Club to support the annual award. The recognition includes a cash prize of ₹5,000 and a memento. Ravishankar Nanaiah, Special Officer of Kodagu University, presented the award during a ceremony held at Patrika Bhavan in Madikeri on Sunday.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
20 FIRs filed as MP exam candidates manipulate their Aadhaar biometrics
A probe into the irregularities in the Madhya Pradesh constable examination has revealed an elaborate fraud involving manipulation of Aadhaar biometrics and an intricate web of aspirants, 'solvers' and officials at the Aadhaar updation kiosks. In 2023, the MP Employee Selection Board (MPSEB) conducted the examination for recruitment of 7,411 constables in the state police. The fraud unraveled when the joining process began last month during which the biometrics of the selected candidate were being verified to identify the person who wrote the exam, officials said. It took two years for the joining process to begin as the final result was delayed due to the 2023 assembly election, 2024 Lok Sabha election and a court case on OBC reservation. 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'Once the Aadhaar was updated, the solver would reach the examination centre and provide thumb impressions for biometric validation, enabling them to appear in the exam on behalf of the candidate,' the Morena SP said. Further, the accused ensured that the candidate provided a hazy picture to make it difficult for examination officials to recognize them. The system used by MPESB relies on UIDAI's authentication technology which was manipulated, said an officer requesting anonymity. So far, the police have identified 30 suspects who updated their Aadhar Cards at least two times within three to four days ahead of the written exam in 2023. 'In 20 cases, the data, including the photo of the person who took the exam and the person who came to join, was found to be different. Similarly, thumb impressions of all candidates were found to be different from those who took the exam,' said Singh. At least 20 FIRs have been filed and 13 people, including four candidates, three solvers, and two Aadhar Card updation kiosk operators, have been arrested, Singh said. The MP police has now written to UIDAI urging them to not allow unlimited updates. 'We have written to all district police authorities to check the Aadhar Card updation history of all candidates since 2023. In case of any doubt and frequent update, a red flag should be raised against the candidate by including him in a list of suspects,' Singh said. While an officer from the MP unit of UIDAI said that a probe into the matter is ongoing, UIDAI CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar said that this wasn't a case of a systemic flaw but misuse of protocol. 'It wasn't a flaw in the system, but a case of misuse. Aadhaar operators, in collusion with others, exploited the system by illegally updating fingerprints with those of different individuals. The biometric authentication is all a tech operation, no manual intervention. 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Time of India
4 days ago
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