Journalists in Mangalore hold dharna against attack by 'goonda' lawyers

March 2, 2012

Mangalore, March 2: Journalists came out on streets in Mangalore protesting the attack on their colleagues in Bangalore by lawyers on the premises of the city civil court on Friday.

They held a demonstration in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office and shouted slogans against the State Government for failing to protect journalists while discharging their duty.

They also submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda through the Additional Deputy Commissioner K.A. Dayananda condemning the hooliganism and demanding stringent action against the culprits.

Earlier the executive committee of the D.K. District Working Journalists' Union held an emergency meeting to condemn the incident and demanded protection to the journalists and media offices across the State.

The journalists, photojournalists and cameramen of different media organisations tied black ribbons around their arms and displayed placards condemning the hooliganism of the lawyers and demanding the resignation of Home Minister R. Ashok

Addressing the protesters, Harish Rai, President of Dakshina Kannada District Working Journalists' Union said,” It is a black day for journalists and the journalists have been coming under attack repeatedly. Lawyers have no right to physically attack any media person,” he said.

He urged chief minister Sadananda Gowda who is from this district, to take the protest seriously and ensure that the guilty lawyers are subjected to legal action.

He also warned that the journalists have to step up their protest if the government did not take action against the culprits.

Vartha Bharathi chief reporter K.N.Pushparaj and the city editor of The Hindu Govind D Belgaumka also spoke. Naveen Soorinje, from Kasturi TV, compered the programme. The representatives of the visual media journalists also held a separate protest at the same venue.

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Mangaluru’s KPT becomes India’s first autonomous govt polytechnic

News Network

January 23,2026

Mangaluru: The Karnataka Government Polytechnic (KPT), Mangaluru, has achieved autonomous status from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), becoming the first government polytechnic in the country to receive such recognition in its 78-year history. The status was granted by AICTE, New Delhi, and subsequently approved by the Karnataka Board of Technical Education in October last year.

Officials said the autonomy was conferred a few months ago. Until recently, AICTE extended autonomous status only to engineering colleges, excluding diploma institutions. However, with a renewed national focus on skill development, several government polytechnics across India have now been granted autonomy.

KPT, the second-largest polytechnic in Karnataka, was established in 1946 with four branches and has since expanded to offer eight diploma programmes, including computer science and polymer technology. The institution is spread across a 19-acre campus.

Ravindra M Keni, the first dean of the institution, told The Times of India that AICTE had proposed autonomous status for polytechnic institutions that are over 25 years old. “Many colleges applied. In the first round, 100 institutions were shortlisted, which was further narrowed down to 15 in the second round. We have already completed one semester after becoming an autonomous institution,” he said. He added that nearly 500 students are admitted annually across eight three-year diploma courses.

Explaining the factors that helped KPT secure autonomy, Keni said the institution has consistently recorded 100 per cent admissions and placements for its graduates. He also noted its strong performance in sports, with the college emerging champions for 12 consecutive years, along with active student participation in NCC and NSS activities.

Autonomous status allows KPT to design industry-oriented curricula, conduct examinations, prepare question papers, and manage academic documentation independently. The institution can also directly collaborate with industries and receive priority funding from AICTE or the Ministry of Education. While academic autonomy has been granted, financial control will continue to rest with the state government.

“There will be separate committees for examinations, question paper setting, boards of studies, and boards of examiners. The institution will now have the freedom to conduct admissions without government notifications and issue its own marks cards,” Keni said, adding that new academic initiatives would be planned after a year of functioning under the autonomous framework.

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