21-yr-old Kannada actress dies during fat removal surgery, parents blame hospital

News Network
May 17, 2022

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Bengaluru, May 17: A 21-year-old Kannada actress died yesterday after a fat removal surgery at a private hospital in Bengaluru. Chethana Raj developed complications after the surgery, her family alleges. A case has been filed against doctors at Dr Shetty's Cosmetic Clinic in Rajajinagar on a police complaint by her parents.

Chetana Raj acted in serials like Geetha, Doresani and Olavina Nildana, which were aired on Colors Kannada television channel. She also played small roles in some Kannada films. 

Chetana went to Dr Shetty's Hospital near Navarang Theatre in northern Bengaluru's Rajajinagar at around 8.30 am on May 16 for a surgery to cut excess fat, her father Varadaraju said. "She went with some friends. We didn't know about the surgery. She wasn't discharged even until 5 pm. At around 9 pm, I learnt about her death," he said. 

According to Varadaju, Chetana was taken to another hospital where she was declared brought dead. "She faced breathing problems. Doctors said her lungs were filled with water, causing the death," he said and blamed medical negligence for the tragedy. 

Varadaraju stressed that no consent was taken from the family before the surgery and said he would file a police complaint against the doctors. 

Kaade Hospital, located in Manjunathanagar, where the actress was declared brought dead, issued a news statement, claiming that she had died before being brought in there. 

According to the hospital, Chetana was taken there around 5.30 pm on May 16 by an anaesthetist named Melvin. 

"Melvin barged into our hospital with a patient (who was found unresponsive later) disregarding all the protocols of the hospital and threatening our security. Before our doctors could intervene and check the patient, he pushed the patient into our ICU and demanded that our doctors treat the patient on the lines indicated by him as the patient had suffered a cardiac arrest during some procedure at their hospital M/s Dr Shetty's Cosmetic Centre," said Dr Sandeep V, ICU Intensivist.  

According to Dr Sandeep, no patient file or doctor's recommendatory note or any other document depicting her condition was submitted to them. The patient did not have a pulse. Still, on the insistence of Dr Melvin and the team, CPR was undertaken for about 45 minutes but the patient could not be revived as it appeared that she was brought dead, he added.

Dr Sandeep claimed that their doctors were "forced" by Dr Melvin and his team to declare the patient dead only at 6.45 pm "for reasons best known to them." 

"We strongly object to this kind of behaviour by these doctors and we may decide to file a report against them," Dr Sandeep said. 

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coastaldigest.com news network
December 2,2025

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Udupi, Dec 2: A wave of regional pride is sweeping through Udupi district as Shagun S Verma Hegde, a talented Class 9 student from Christ King English Medium High School, Karkala, has been named the captain of the Indian National Team for the Under-15 Girls’ Volleyball Championship.

Shagun holds the unique distinction of being the sole player from Karnataka selected to represent the country in the prestigious international tournament. The championship, organized by the School Games Federation, is scheduled to take place in Shangluo, China, from December 3 to 13, where Shagun will lead the national squad.

A Remarkable Journey to the Top

Shagun’s selection is a testament to her dedication and exceptional skill on the court. Her journey included several rigorous rounds of selection:

•    She was the only player from Udupi district to qualify for the state-level selection camp.

•    Out of eight players from Karnataka who advanced to the national selection camp in Pune, Maharashtra, Shagun was the only one to secure a place in the final national squad.

•    The national camp saw participation from approximately 200 players, which was shortlisted to 23. Shagun not only made the final cut but was also ranked as the second-best player overall, solidifying her leadership role.

Shagun, who is the daughter of Sandesh Verma and Shruthiraj of Kallotte, Karkala, has trained under experienced coaches Santosh D’Souza, Jeevan D’Silva, Jairaj Poojary, and Ramesh. Her selection as the team captain has brought profound honour to her family, school, the Udupi district, and the entire state of Karnataka.

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News Network
November 28,2025

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Mangaluru, Nov 28: Karnataka Health Minister and Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Friday handed over Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the severe distress faced by farmers due to crashing crop prices.

PM Modi arrived at the Mangaluru International Airport en route to Udupi, where Gundu Rao welcomed him and submitted the letter. The chief minister’s message stressed that farmers are suffering heavy losses because maize and green gram are being bought far below the Minimum Support Price (MSP). The state urged the Centre to immediately begin procurement at MSP.

According to the letter, Karnataka has a bumper harvest this year—over 54.74 lakh metric tons of maize and 1.98 lakh metric tons of green gram—yet farmers are unable to secure fair prices. Against the MSP of ₹2,400/MT for maize and ₹8,768/MT for green gram, market rates have plunged to ₹1,600–₹1,800 and ₹5,400 respectively.

The chief minister has requested the Centre to:

• Direct NAFED, FCI and NCCF to start MSP procurement immediately.
• Ensure ethanol units purchase maize directly from farmers or FPOs.
• Increase Karnataka’s ethanol allocation, citing high production capacity.
• Stop maize imports, which have depressed domestic prices.
• Relax quality norms for green gram, allowing up to 10% discoloration due to rains.

The letter stresses that MSP is crucial for farmer dignity and income stability and calls for swift central intervention to prevent a deepening crisis.

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coastaldigest.com news network
November 29,2025

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Mangaluru, Nov 29: Around 12,500 healthcare students from Medical, Dental, AYUSH, Pharmacy, Nursing, Physiotherapy and Allied Health Sciences colleges of Dakshina Kannada, affiliated to Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), took part in a massive walkathon to promote awareness on Organ Donation and Nasha Mukth Bharat.

The inaugural ceremony was held at Mangala Stadium. Dr Bhagavan B C, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of RGUHS, delivered the welcome address. The walkathon was flagged off by Shri U T Khader, Hon’ble Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, and presided over by Shri Dinesh Gundu Rao, Hon’ble Minister for Health, Family Welfare and Dakshina Kannada District In-charge. Dakshina Kannada MP Shri Brijesh Chowta also addressed the students.

Music director Guru Kiran, MLA Dr Bharat Shetty (Mangalore North), Police Commissioner Shri Sudheer Kumar Reddy, Shri Manjunath Bhandary and Shri Harish Kumar were among those present.

Institution heads including Dr Haji U K Monu (Kanachur Colleges), Dr Shantharam Shetty (Tejaswini College), Dr Bhaskar Shetty (City Group of Colleges), Mr Abdul Rahiman (Kanachur Institute of Medical Sciences), and the District Health Officer, Mangalore, also participated.

The vote of thanks was delivered by Prof U T Ifthikar Fareed, Syndicate Member, RGUHS.

The event was organised by Dr U T Ifthikar Ali and Dr Shiva Sharan (Syndicate Members), Prof Vaishali (Senate Member), Prof Mohammad Suhail (Chairman, BOS Physiotherapy), Dr Sharan Shetty (Former Senate Member), along with principals and faculty of various colleges.

Students marched from Mangala Stadium to Karavali Grounds via MCC and Lalbagh signal. The event set a record as one of the largest gatherings of healthcare students for a social cause in the RGUHS Dakshina Kannada Zone.

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