Latest news with #Belagavi
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Shettar welcomes HC order quashing govt move to withdraw riot-related cases
Belagavi: Former chief minister and Belagavi MP welcomed the Karnataka high court's decision to set aside the state government's order to withdraw 43 criminal cases including those related to the 2022 Hubballi riots. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Addressing the media on Thursday, Shettar termed the high court's verdict a 'strong rebuke' to the Siddaramaiah-led government. "This is a big slap on the face of the government, which seems to have acted without following due legal process. Before making such a decision, it is essential to consult the legal department. It appears that proper procedure was not followed," he said. The senior BJP leader criticised the state government's decision to withdraw cases, alleging that the move was driven by appeasement politics. "Most of the accused in these cases are Muslims. If the govt keeps favouring them in criminal matters, how will lessons be learned? There must be consequences for unlawful actions," he said. Shettar also expressed concern over what he described as the weakening of law and order in Karnataka. "This kind of approach encourages fringe elements and erodes the public's fear of law. The rising incidents of rape and murder in the state are a reflection of that," he added.
Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Bengaluru rave party bust: 31 arrested, including Chinese national; most attendees IT professionals
Bengaluru police arrested 31 individuals during a raid at a birthday party held early Sunday morning near Kannamangala Gate, where narcotic substances were found to have been consumed. Among those detained were seven women, including a Chinese national, news agency PTI reported. According to the report, the police conducted the raid around 5 am following a tip-off about an ongoing party at a farmhouse. Officials say nearly all attendees are IT professionals working in the private sector. Deputy Commissioner of Police (North East Zone) V J Sajeeth told PTI that the group consisted of both drug users and suppliers. Samples of blood and urine from those arrested have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for analysis. (Also Read: Head of Math in Karnataka's Belagavi arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl) 'Preliminary investigations suggest that 31 people were present at the party,' Sajeeth said. 'Small quantities of cocaine, hashish, and hydro ganja, a narcotic substance, were recovered during the raid.' The police have registered a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Further investigations are ongoing to uncover more details. In February, Bengaluru's Central Crime Branch (CCB) stepped up efforts against drug trafficking, arresting several suspects and recovering substantial amounts of narcotics across different parts of the city. In one operation under the jurisdiction of DJ Halli police station, authorities apprehended a drug peddler from Kerala and seized 523 grams of MDMA crystals. The Bengaluru Police estimated the value of the confiscated drugs at around ₹55 lakh, according to ANI. In a separate raid, the CCB arrested another drug peddler who was employed as a security guard. Police recovered 3.2 kilograms of narcotics worth approximately ₹2.5 lakh from the suspect. (Also Read: Zepto delivery agent assaults customer in Bengaluru after address dispute, case registered)
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Talewadi relocation under scanner after complaint
Bhimgad wildlife sanctuary Karnataka Forest Department Wildlife Protection Act Forest Rights Act In a letter written to the Deputy Conservator of Forest, Belagavi, the Head of Forest Force of Karnataka has issued directions for a fresh report on the ongoing relocation and rehabilitation of villagers from Talewadi village of. Instructions have been issued after a complaint was raised by a villager regarding the the letter dated April 15, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden of thehave instructed the local administration to verify the points mentioned by the complainant and file a fresh report on the ongoing process. Notably, a complaint against the ongoing relocation and rehabilitation process was filed by Raghavendra, a resident of the written complaint dated March 27, 2025, was sent to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Chief Secretary to the state Government, Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav, and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. In the letter, the complainant requested the officials and political leaders to issue directions to the State government to call off the relocation and rehabilitation program in Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary, to the complaint, the relocation of villagers is being conducted without obtaining consent from the Gram Sabha of the local Gram Panchayat, which is a violation of theof 1972, theof 2006, as well as guidelines issued by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). Raghavendra, in his complaint, has also underlined lapses in the functioning of the District Level Committee that was formulated to oversee the through a government order in 2020, the District Level Committee was established by the State Government under the chairmanship of the District Collector to oversee the relocation process of tribal and other families. The committee also includes the Director or Joint Director of the Social Welfare Department, an officer from the Tribal Welfare Department, the Deputy Director of Land Records, the District Registrar as members, and the Deputy Conservator of Forests as member the letter alleges that key departments were absent from crucial meetings regarding the relocation process. In the first meeting held in August 2024, representatives from the Social Welfare Department, Tribal Welfare Department, Land Records, and District Registrar were not present. The second meeting also lacked representation from the Social Welfare Department and the District Registrar.'RTI response received from the public information officer has revealed that the District Level Committee, constituted by the Government of Karnataka, is not functioning optimally in monitoring the relocation of forest dwellers. The response indicates that the District Level Committee, headed by the District Collector, Belagavi District, has been operating without fair representation from various departments,' he stated in his the instructions issued by the CWW (Centre for Wildlife Welfare) and APCCF (Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests) (Wildlife) still under implementation, Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar B Khnadre visited the village on Thursday and stated that 27 families from Talewadi village have voluntarily agreed to relocate due to the fear of wild animals. He also announced that as an incentive for relocation, a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each will be distributed to the families on May 17 under the first phase. Following this and an assessment by KFD officials, the rest of the compensation (Rs 5 lakh) will also be distributed.
Time of India
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
When it comes to the nation, we are all one: Karnataka minister Laxmi Hebbalkar
Udupi: When the nation is at stake, we are all one. If an enemy nation wages war against us, we must face it together in unity, said Laxmi Hebbalkar , minister for women and child visiting the renowned Hosamarigudi Temple in Kaup and offering prayers on Saturday, the minister highlighted that our Belagavi's daughter-in-law, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, is briefing the media everyday about Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. "This is indeed a matter of pride. She is the pride of Karnataka ," she told light of the tense situation between India and Pakistan, a district-level officials' meeting will be called in Udupi on Sunday. Precautionary measures were already taken, and officials will be instructed to remain vigilant, the minister to a media question about some individuals from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts spreading messages on social media that demoralise soldiers, the minister stated that such anti-social elements should not exist in decision by Lingayat ministersRegarding the caste census, seven Lingayat ministers reached a consensus and decided to draft a letter with their decision, which will be signed by all and submitted to the chief minister, the minister district minister of Udupi was honoured by the temple administration. Temple renovation committee president Vasudev Shetty and MLA Suresh Shetty Gurme were present.
Hindustan Times
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Horse power: The bronze equestrians of Bengaluru
In less than two weeks, Bangalore's summer racing season will kick off at the century-old Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) in the heart of the city. Way back in 1916, Maharaja Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar leased out 92 acres of prime real estate in the neighbourhood known as High Grounds to the stewards of the Bangalore races, under the condition that the land be used exclusively for horse racing. On May 20, 1921, those stewards created the Bangalore Race Club (which, in 1956, became the BTC). Horses and horsepersons have been around in Bangalore well before the BTC, of course, as the number of equestrian statues dotting the city reveal. The oldest is the statue of Sir Mark Cubbon, Commissioner of Bangalore from 1834 to 1861. Respected both by the locals and his fellow officers, the horse-mad Cubbon personally owned 60 fine steeds, which he stabled in the extensive grounds of his home (today the Karnataka Raj Bhavan) in the High Grounds. His statue, cast in bronze by Baron Marochetti, a Chelsea sculptor who was the toast of London society, arrived in Bangalore in 1866, and eventually found a home in the park that was named after him. About a hundred metres behind Cubbon, in the forecourt of the Vidhana Soudha, stand two equestrian statues unveiled in March 2023, mere weeks before the Karnataka state elections. One features Kempegowda I, who established, some two kilometres to the south of his statue, the original pete of Bengaluru in 1537. In recent years, giant (non-equestrian) statues of the founding father – recognisable by his turban, his naked sword, and the ultimate symbol of south Indian machismo, a luxuriant moustache – have mushroomed all over the city, including at our eponymous, beautiful airport. (Similar iconography marks the statues of 19th century Belagavi revolutionary Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna, after whom the City railway station is named - the only difference is that KSR holds a shield.) The other statue is of Basaveshwara, saint, poet, political administrator and reformer from north Karnataka, who launched a radical movement for social change in the 12th century, and whose deeply inclusive philosophy, expressed as simple, accessible Kannada poetry, is evoked to this day, often in the well of the Karnataka legislative assembly behind him. Very close to this statue, on the Race Course Road, is another, bigger, equestrian statue of Basava. Both statues are distinguished by Basava's crown, his sheathed sword, and the linga at his throat. Basava's followers, the Lingayats, form one of the two most populous, powerful caste groups in the state; the other is the Vokkaligas, to which community Kempegowda belonged. The only equestrian statue of a woman is to be found next to the Puttanna Chetty Town Hall on JC Road. From atop a pedestal that most resembles an upside-down wedding cake, the valiant Rani Chennamma of Kittur (in Belagavi district) presides fiercely over one of the most congested junctions in the city. In 1824, decades before Lord Dalhousie enforced the infamous Doctrine of Lapse, which did not recognize adopted children as royal heirs, Chennamma went to war against the East India Company to protect the rights of her own adopted son. An early victory turned her into a Kannada folk hero for the ages; sadly, she was arrested soon after and died in captivity in 1829. In the verdant surrounds of Lalbagh stands the equestrian statue of Chamarajendra Wadiyar X, another adopted heir, who took the reins of Mysore back in 1881, following half a century of direct British rule. Executed in classical European style, and flanked by the goddesses of Liberty and Justice, the beautiful bronze statue is a tribute to a visionary ruler who ushered Mysore into a brave new age of science, modern industry, and representative government. And then there is the equestrian statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji, who could never be mistaken for anyone else, on the ramparts of an ersatz fortress at the Sankey Tank in Sadashivanagar. Bangalore was once the fiefdom of Shivaji's father, Shahaji Bhosale, and Chhatrapati spent a few happy years of his boyhood here, in blissful ignorance of what the future would bring. (Roopa Pai is a writer who has carried on a longtime love affair with her hometown Bengaluru)
