Latest news with #non-Kannadigas
New Indian Express
5 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
BBMP split will lead to skewed development
BENGALURU: While the Urban Development Department has issued the draft notification to split Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) into five corporations, civic experts and former corporators opine that the division was 'unnecessary' and has been done in a way that the city will see skewed development, and claim that the split didn't focus on language and culture. They note that Bengaluru East Corporation is carved out in a way that the area has the highest revenue collection, while other corporations are nowhere near. The area is predominantly populated by non-Kannadigas, who they believe will not understand local Kannada and culture. Founder member of Bengaluru Praja Vedike NS Mukunda said, 'The split has only laid the foundation for more problems. Instead of splitting the city into five corporations, the existing eight BBMP zones should have been doubled to 16, with a commissioner heading each zone. This would have made the administration easier.' Bengaluru East, being the highest revenue generator, will plan and implement multiple projects and schemes, and corporations like West will barely be able to run the show, Mukunda said. Echoing Mukunda's views was former Leader of Opposition in BBMP and BJP leader NR Ramesh, who said, 'East's revenue will be over Rs 2,000 crore, while Central's will be over Rs 250 crore, West will end up last with Rs 200 crore. North's revenue will be over Rs 1,400 crore and South's revenue around Rs 600 crore.' Ramesh predicted that if this split becomes a reality, Bengaluru will face Delhi's fate, where the national capital was trifurcated in 2012 and couldn't sustain due to multiple problems, and was again merged into one in 2022.
The Hindu
18-07-2025
- The Hindu
Tripura man arrested for abusing Kannadigas, Karnataka
The Bommanahalli police have arrested a 32-year-old Tripura man for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Kannadigas and Karnataka, while talking to a delivery executive under the influence of alcohol. He has been identified as Mithun Sarkar, an employee at a massage therapy center and a resident of Bommanahalli in South Bengaluru. According to investigators, he has been living in the city for the past ten years. The incident occurred on Thursday morning after Sarkar ordered a T-shirt from an e-commerce platform. When the delivery executive was unable to locate his address due to confusion in the details provided, he called Sarkar multiple times for clarification. 'The delivery person called Sarkar two or three times but couldn't find the address. Sarkar became angry over the repeated calls and verbally abused the delivery person during one of the conversations,' a police official told The Hindu. The officer added that the delivery executive recorded the call when Sarkar began using offensive language. 'Sarkar allegedly said that if all non-Kannadigas left Karnataka, the locals wouldn't have enough money to even buy tomatoes,' the officer said. He reportedly insulted Kannadigas for eating 'mudde' (ragi balls), a staple local dish. The audio clip was later submitted to the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), which demanded Sarkar's immediate arrest. The police have registered an FIR against Sarkar under sections 196 (promoting enmity between different groups based on religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc.) and 352 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) of the BNS. Sarah Fathiema, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast Division), told The Hindu that Sarkar was arrested on Friday.
Time of India
06-06-2025
- Time of India
Labourer dies, 4 injured in granite quarry accident
Hassan: A labourer died, and four workers were seriously injured after soil and boulders collapsed on them at a granite quarry in Dhumagere village in Hassan taluk on Thursday. The district administration suspects foul play and cancelled the licence of the unit. A labourer, Mani, died while he was being shifted to Bengaluru for treatment. However, four others are undergoing treatment in a private hospital in Hassan and are recovering, said deputy commissioner C Sathyabhama. Following the death of Mani, his body was shifted to his native in Kollegala in Chamarajanagar without reporting it, she stated. All the labourers were non-Kannadigas from Chamarajanagar and from Tamil Nadu. The soil and boulders collapsed while the workers were cutting granite stone in the quarry. The authorities suspect foul play, as the incident was not reported to the higher-ups until late at night. Not even the officials of the mines and geology, revenue department, or the local police took the matter to higher authorities until night, according to the DC, who said the incident took place at noon, but it was reported to her only around 10.50pm. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Zumbido e perda de audição? Médico revela técnica caseira de 1 real para aliviar! Zumbido no ouvido Undo Soon, she, along with superintendent of police Mohammad Sujeetha, rushed to the spot late in the night. The DC issued a notice to revenue officials and also wrote to the SP to get clarification from her department. "We got information only at night, and I have issued notices to the jurisdictional officials seeking clarification," she said. The experts from the forensic department visited the spot and collected samples on Friday, and the licence of the unit was cancelled, the DC said. However, there were no houses or any other establishments near the quarry, said an officer. A police officer said a probe has been initiated over the incident, and three persons were taken into custody by Shantigrama police. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
‘Moving to Pune': Bengaluru entrepreneur Kaushik Mukherjee blames ‘language nonsense' for office shift after SBI Kannada row
A Bengaluru tech entrepreneur has announced plans to relocate his company's office to Pune within six months, citing employee concerns about recent language-related incidents in Karnataka. The move follows public debate after a viral video showed a bank manager refusing to speak Kannada in Bengaluru. Bengaluru tech founder cites employee concerns Kaushik Mukherjee , co-founder of a tech firm, posted on X that he had decided to move the office following discussions with his team. "Today I took a decision to wind up our Bangalore office in the next 6 months and move it to Pune. If this language nonsense is to continue, I do not want my non Kannada speaking staff to be the next 'victim'. This idea was mooted by the staff themselves. I agreed to their POV," he wrote. — kush07 (@kush07) Mukherjee's post was a direct response to a viral video of a State Bank of India (SBI) manager in Chandapura, Bengaluru, who refused to speak Kannada to a customer. In the video, the manager says, "This is India, I'll speak Hindi, not Kannada." The incident sparked criticism across the state. Political leaders react to SBI incident Bengaluru South Member of Parliament Tejasvi Surya shared the video on X, writing, "If you are doing customer interface work in Karnataka, especially in a sector like banking, it is important to communicate to customers in the language they know." He also said that he has consistently demanded that public-facing roles in Karnataka be staffed with Kannada-speaking employees. — Tejasvi_Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned the incident. He called the manager's conduct "strongly condemnable" and urged the Union Finance Ministry to introduce cultural and language sensitivity training for bank staff across the country. Live Events SBI responds to backlash Following the backlash, the bank transferred the manager to another branch. Both the bank and the manager issued apologies. The manager also released a statement in Kannada, promising to be more sensitive to customers in the future. Language debate in public services The Kannada Development Authority (KDA) has expressed concern over the growing number of non-Kannadigas posted in customer-facing roles in banks. According to the KDA, this trend is leading to a disconnect between local citizens and essential services. Under Reserve Bank of India guidelines, banks must offer services in English, Hindi, and the regional language. Despite this, incidents like the one in Bengaluru have reignited debates over language use in public-facing institutions in Karnataka.
The Print
22-04-2025
- Politics
- The Print
IAF officer's Bengaluru clash triggers political storm, fierce backlash over ‘Kannada pride'
However, hours after the posts went viral on social media, additional videos surfaced, showing the IAF officer grievously assaulting the biker he had earlier accused of being the aggressor . On Monday, Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose shared two videos online, in which he appeared bloodied and claimed that he and his wife, a Squadron Leader, were assaulted for being 'outsiders' in Karnataka. His assertions drew widespread reactions across the country. Bengaluru: The road rage incident involving an Indian Air Force (IAF) officer in Bengaluru took a political turn Tuesday, with members of both the ruling and opposition parties framing the altercation as an issue of Kannada pride and identity. Leaders condemned what they described as the tendency of 'outsiders' to take Kannadigas for granted. The political fallout intensified Tuesday when Prathap Simha, former Member of Parliament from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) representing Mysuru-Kodagu, made incendiary remarks threatening a recurrence of the 1991–92 Cauvery riots if 'outsiders' did not stop testing the patience of Kannadigas. 'If you test the patience of Kannadigas… you know what happened during the Cauvery riots in 1991–92. Kannadigas have this power… to beat up and chase out anyone,' Simha told reporters Tuesday. He added that people from other states come to Karnataka as they lack means of livelihood in their home regions. 'A blame saying 'non-Kannadigas are being attacked'. This is an attempt to tarnish Karnataka's reputation. A conspiracy is being carried out through social media and English channels. I condemn this. There are no cases of Kannadigas harassing others for not knowing Kannada,' Simha said. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also weighed in, criticising the IAF officer for what he described as 'unwarranted and derogatory remarks about Karnataka and Kannadigas' posted on social media. The remarks, he said, were 'deeply disrespectful and inflammatory.' In a lengthy post on X (formerly Twitter), Siddaramaiah stated: 'Kannadigas are proud of their mother tongue, but they are not parochial or intolerant. It is not in our culture to attack or abuse others over linguistic matters.' He further said it was unfortunate that national media outlets had amplified what he termed 'baseless allegations' that cast 'aspersions on the dignity of the entire state.' In connection with a recent incident in CV Raman Nagar, Bengaluru, Wing Commander Shiladitya Bose assaulted a Kannadiga, Vikas Kumar, following a minor vehicle-related matter. Subsequently, he made unwarranted and derogatory remarks about Karnataka and Kannadigas on social media,… — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) April 22, 2025 Meanwhile, the biker involved in the altercation, 28-year-old Vikas Kumar, was released on station bail Tuesday afternoon. Several pro-Kannada outfits rallied in his support and demanded action against Wing Commander Bose. In a video statement following his release, Vikas claimed that the incident had jeopardised his employment. 'I will get justice from the Wing Commander. I won't leave this here. They filed a false complaint about a language barrier. I speak five languages—Kannada, English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu. I know it's difficult to survive with just one language, so I have learnt four to five. He (Bose) gave false complaints and attacked me,' Kumar said in the one-minute-eight-second video. Kumar has lodged a counter-complaint at Byappanahalli police station, accusing Bose of attempted murder, criminal intimidation, and intent to provoke a breach of peace, among other charges. However, the police have not named Bose in the First Information Report (FIR); instead, they have referred to him only as a 35-year-old car driver. Wing Commander Bose reportedly flew to Kolkata Monday, and his wife, Squadron Leader Madhumita Dutta, could not be reached for comment. At least four IAF officers were seen visiting Byappanahalli police station on Tuesday. In an official statement, the IAF said: 'An unfortunate incident, involving an IAF Officer, took place in Bengaluru yesterday. The IAF is assisting the local authorities in investigating and following up the case to its lawful resolution.' The incident and the officer's subsequent social media post have caused visible unease within IAF ranks in Bengaluru. One officer told ThePrint that Bose and his wife were asked to secure legal representation and handle the case independently after the video brought up sensitive linguistic and cultural issues. 'The video took on a different colour when linguistic sentiments were provoked and the officer played to the subconscious. More than the rampage, it was the rant that has irked the organisation (IAF),' the officer said on condition of anonymity. Bengaluru Police Commissioner B. Dayananda also suggested that many of the claims made by Wing Commander Bose were 'far from reality.' 'Whenever you upload such things on social media, it should be factual, authentic and truthful. Otherwise, such kinds of things—especially when it comes to language, race, community, religion, and other issues—can escalate very fast,' Dayananda told reporters at a media briefing Tuesday. (Edited by Radifah Kabir) Also Read: IIM-B director, senior faculty booked on professor's charge of 'caste-based discrimination'
