All arrangements made in Udupi for smooth polling; tight security in place

coastaldigest.com web desk
April 17, 2019

Udupi, Apr 17: The district administration of Udupi, which falls under Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha constituency, has made all arrangements to facilitate smooth polling in the four Assembly constituencies under its jurisdiction.

Deputy Commissioner Hephsiba Rani Korlapati told media persons that there were 15,13,231 voters in the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru parliamentary constituency, including 7,74,674 women and 7,38,503 and 54 others. The total number of polling booths in the constituency, which included eight Assembly segments of Kundapur, Udupi, Kaup, Karkala, Sringeri, Mudigere, Chikkamagaluru and Tarikere, was 1,837.

The administration had made arrangements for setting up 25 Sakhi booths, two booths for differently abled persons and one ethnic booth. The administration had also made arrangements to provide for wheelchairs, magnifying glass, Braille script ballot papers, ramp and other facilities for the differently abled.

The administration had identified the vulnerable and critical booths and there would be additional vigil in these places. As many as 996 presiding officers, 996 assistant presiding officers, 1,367 security personnel, 952 Group D employees, 206 micro observers and 1,972 booth officers would be pressed into service on the polling day.

The administration had distributed voter slips to 99.05 % voters. The booth-level officers would be present at the help desk at polling booths. Electronic Voting Machines along with VVPATs had been arranged for polling in the district. The first and second rounds of randomisation of EVMs had been done in the presence of political parties and candidates.

The administration had received 222 complaints on C-Vigil app. Of them, 178 cases had been investigated and disposed of, while 44 were dummy cases. Action had been taken on 166 cases within 100 minutes.

As many as 1,513 calls had been received on the voter helpline and all of them were attended to. Of the 97 complaints received on NGRS portal, 90 had been disposed of.

Security stepped up

Udupi Superintendent of Police Nisha James said that tight security arrangements had been made for the smooth conduct of parliamentary elections in the four Assembly constituencies of Udupi-Chikkamagaluru parliamentary constituency in Udupi district.

Addressing presspersons here, Ms. James said that of the 865 polling booths in the four Assembly constituencies of Udupi, Kundapur, Karkala and Kaup in the district, 685 were normal, while 36 booths were in the naxalite-affected areas.

Personnel from the Police Department, Home Guards, Forest, four units of Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP), two companies of Indo-Tibetan Border Police, were being deployed in the district.

Already the police along with the Anti-Naxalite Force (ANF) had taken up combing operations eight times in the naxalite-affected areas.

As regards firearms, of a total of 3,733 arms, 3,696 have been deposited, while 29 had been exempted, one impounded and while licenses of six arms holders were cancelled and one case was pending as the permit holder was abroad, she said.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru police have arrested a 27-year-old NRI on his return from Saudi Arabia in connection with an Instagram post allegedly containing derogatory and provocative remarks about the Hindu religion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Khader Nehad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Mangaluru, was working in Saudi Arabia when the post was uploaded, police said.

A suo motu case was registered at the Bajpe police station on October 11 after an allegedly offensive post circulated from the Instagram account ‘team_sdpi_2025’. Police said the content was flagged for being provocative and derogatory in nature.

During the investigation, technical analysis traced the Instagram post to Nehad, who was residing abroad at the time, a senior police officer said. Based on these findings, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.

On December 14, Nehad arrived from Saudi Arabia at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, where he was taken into custody on arrival. Police said further investigation is underway.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Udupi, Dec 15: What was meant to be a post-pilgrimage gathering turned tragic in Padukere village of Brahmavar taluk, Udupi district, late Sunday night, when a clash among youths escalated into a fatal assault, leaving one man dead.

The victim has been identified as 30-year-old Santosh Mogaveera, a resident of Padukere.

According to preliminary information, the incident took place during a late-night drinking party involving a group of local youths who had recently returned after completing their pilgrimage to the Sabarimala shrine. An argument reportedly broke out among the group and soon escalated into a violent confrontation.

During the ensuing brawl, Santosh Mogaveera was allegedly assaulted and collapsed at the spot after sustaining serious injuries. He was rushed by local residents to a private hospital in Brahmavar, where doctors declared him dead.

On receiving information, senior police officials, including Brahmavar Circle Inspector Gopikrishna, Kota Police Sub-Inspector Praveen Kumar T, Station ASI Manthesh Jabagoudar, and head constables Pradeep and Ashok, visited the spot and conducted an inspection.

Police have taken four youths into custody in connection with the incident. A case has been registered at the Kota police station, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the death.

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News Network
December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

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