Amit Shah to visit Adichunchanagiri Mutt to 'woo' Vokkaligas

DHNS
August 9, 2017

New Delhi, Aug 9: BJP national president Amit Shah's scheduled visit to Adichunchanagiri Mutt during his Karnataka tour this weekend is being seen as an attempt to woo Vokkaligas, a dominant community, ahead of the early next year's Legislative Assembly election in the state.

The mutt has influence over the politically dominant Vokkaligas. Over the last three years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited powerful religious-cum-spiritual heads of the Lingayat community --- Shivakumara Swami, the centenarian pontiff of Siddaganga Mutt in Tumakuru district and Sri Shivarathri Deshikendra Swami of Suttur Mutt in Mysuru district. Shah’s scheduled trip to Adichunchanagiri Mutt is being interpreted in the state political circles as the BJP’s balancing act among two major communities that swing election prospects.

With the Congress trying to project the BJP as anti-Vokkaliga after Income Tax raids on the properties of Energy Minister D K Shivakumar, the saffron party chief’s scheduled visit to the mutt will dispel the “misconception”, a senior BJP leader said.

Shah’s proposed engagement with Adichunchanagiri Mutt has gained significance as the academic institutions run by the mutt were probed by the Income Tax Department when the UPA was in power in 2013. The BJP leaders, however, stated that Shah’s visit should not be seen with political prism. Instead, it is in appreciation of the fact that the mutt’s head Nirmalanandanatha Swami is taking keen interest in the prime minister’s pet Swachh Bharat programme in that region and also adopted a few villages to implement the cleanliness project on behalf of the spiritual body.

The party, which is hoping to retain its traditional Lingayat votes after declaring B S Yeddyurappa its chief ministerial candidate, is now working to reach out to Vokkaligas to consolidate on their 15% vote share, which in previous elections was scattered among different parties.

The BJP recently took on board former Congress Chief Minister S M Krishna, a powerful Vokkaliga leader. Also, it recently appointed M S Boje Gowda, another leader from the community from Chikkamagaluru district, as chairman of the Coffee Board. There is also talk of inducting a Vokkaliga MP from Karnataka into the Union Cabinet in the next reshuffle expected later this month.

Shah, who will be in Bengaluru for three days starting August 12, will also visit Sri Sri Ravi Shankar who runs the Art of Living Foundation in Bengaluru. Ravishankar, who was one of the staunch supporters of the prime minister, has a large following in Karnataka, especially among the new generation. During the next round of the state tour, Shah will also pay respects to other religious heads, said a BJP leader.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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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 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

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