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Minister's death, Prasad joining BJP land double blow to Siddaramaiah

[email protected] (DHNS)
January 4, 2017

Bengaluru/Mysuru, Jan 4: The death of Cooperation Minister H?S?Mahadeva Prasad comes as a double whammy for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as he has lost a close friend and also his political strategist for Chamarajanagar district. The loss comes close on the heels of Siddaramaiah's one-time confidant V?Srinivas Prasad quitting the Congress and joining the BJP.

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The friendship of Mahadeva Prasad and Siddaramaiah goes back more than two decades. They were in the Janata Dal together and later in the JD(S). Mahadeva Prasad joined the Congress along with Siddaramaiah in 2007. Politically, the Congress finds itself in a void in Gundlupet and Nanjangud Assembly constituencies that were represented by Mahadeva Prasad and?Srinivas Prasad respectively and it will be a challenge for Siddaramaiah when the bypolls are announced in these two segments.

The 58-year-old Mahadeva Prasad, a Lingayat, and Srinivas Prasad, a Dalit, held a sway over the electorate. The Gundlupet Assembly constituency is dominated by Lingayats. Mahadeva Prasad was the lone Lingayat MLA from the erstwhile undivided Mysuru district and had emerged as the voice of his community in that region. He was closely associated with the Suttur Mutt. Mahadeva Prasad and Srinivas Prasad were instrumental in getting the Congress candidate R?Dhruvanarayana elected from the Chamarajnagar Lok?Sabha constituency in 2014.

In his condolence message, Siddaramaiah acknowledged that Mahadeva Prasad, a five-time MLA, was instrumental in getting Congress candidates elected from all the four Assembly constituencies in Chamarajanagar district in the Assembly polls in 2013. “He was one of my closest friends. His demise is a great loss to me personally,” Siddaramaiah said.

The chief minister, who?arrived at the Mysuru airport to pay his last respects to his Cabinet colleague, told reporters that Mahadeva Prasad's death was unexpected. “I have lost a good friend, both politically and personally.”

“Prasad was an able and clean politician. His sincerity as well as pro-people work made him popular. For any political party, he was an asset. He served in the Janata Dal, Janata Dal (S) also,” Siddaramaiah recalled. Siddaramaiah said that on December 31, he and Prasad celebrated the New Year.

“For the past 15 years, we used to be together on December 31 to ring in the New Year,” the chief minister said. Energy Minister D?K?Shivakumar, Bengaluru Development Minister K?J?George and Inspector General of Police (Intelligence) B?Dayananda accompanied the chief minister.

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News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru CEN police have arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly posting provocative and misleading content on an Instagram page named “mr_a_titude”, targeting the Bajpe police.

Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H identified the arrested as Abhishek M, a resident of Katipalla in Mangaluru.

A case has been registered at the Bajpe Police Station under Sections 353(1)(c), 353(2), 56, and 57 read with Section 189 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the post.

According to police, the accused uploaded a photograph of a hotel on the Instagram page and alleged that accused persons in a murder case under the Bajpe police jurisdiction were being given “royal treatment” by the police, including being served beef meals daily from the hotel.

The post further accused the police of supporting criminals, misusing their authority, and betraying public trust. Police said the content was provocative in nature and aimed at inciting public outrage against the police.

Following the post, a case was registered at the Bajpe police station, and further investigation was transferred to the CEN police station.

Police records indicate that the accused has a criminal history, with multiple cases registered against him, including murder, attempt to murder, assault, and robbery at the Surathkal Police Station, and one case at the Kaup Police Station.

The Commissioner said the accused was traced and arrested using technical evidence.

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News Network
December 20,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 20: The Mangaluru City Police have issued a detailed traffic advisory ahead of the inaugural ceremony of Karavali Utsava, which will be held at the Karavali Utsava Ground on Saturday.

The festival will be inaugurated at 6:00 pm by Dakshina Kannada District Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao. Cultural and public programmes will be held at the venue every evening and will continue until January 2.

According to City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy, parking of vehicles is strictly prohibited on both sides of the road from Lalbagh to Karavali Utsava Ground. Visitors are requested to park their vehicles only at designated parking areas.

To help the public, traffic signboards and parking guidance flex boards have been installed along the routes leading to the venue. The police have urged commuters and visitors to follow these instructions to ensure smooth traffic movement.

Designated Parking Locations

•    Urwa Market Ground – Cars
•    Gandhinagar Government School (near Press Club) – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Ladyhill Church parking area – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Canara School Ground, Mannagudda – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Thimmappa Hotel premises – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Scout and Guide Bhavana premises (behind Karavali Utsava Grounds) – Two-wheelers
•    Urwa Market Road – Two-wheelers
•    Hat Hill Road – Two-wheelers

The police have appealed to the public to cooperate by following traffic rules and parking guidelines to avoid inconvenience during the festival.

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