Mangalurean expat set free from jail in Saudi Arabia

Udupi: A suo moto case has been registered against a city-based doctor for making an inflammatory comment on a microblogging platform.

Dr. Keerthan Upadhya from Mahesh Hospital in Brahmavara, Udupi, has been booked for allegedly making a hate-filled comment against the Muslim community on the social media platform 'X' (formerly Twitter). Dr. Upadhya, a specialist in laparoscopic surgery, reportedly operated an account under the name ‘@LonelyStranger_’.

On July 13, a user with the handle ‘Abhi and Niyu’ posed the question, “If you could remove one thing from this world, what would it be?” To this, Dr. Upadhya allegedly replied “Muslim community” from his ‘Lonely Stranger’ account. This response went viral, causing significant controversy.

The Social Media Monitoring Cell at the Udupi District Police Office, under the supervision of Wireless Sub-Inspector Ajmal Ibrahim E.A., filed a complaint leading to the registration of the case at the Udupi City Police Station. The complaint states that Dr. Upadhya’s comment was derogatory and provocative, aimed at inciting hatred between different communities and disrupting communal harmony. It seeks appropriate legal action against Dr. Upadhya for his attempt to create discord among communities.

Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of the fact-checking organization Alt News, pointed out that Dr. Upadhya had deleted the controversial tweet and locked his Twitter profile, preventing access to his account and tweets.

In a subsequent post, Dr. Upadhya claimed that his account had been hacked and that the offending tweet was made by someone who had gained unauthorized access to his account. Netizens also claimed that Dr. Upadhya had earlier made similar Islamophobic tweets and shared screenshots of similar posts degrading Islam made from the same handle.

Bengaluru: Senior JD(S) MLA C B Suresh Babu is the party's leader in the Karnataka Assembly, Speaker U T Khader said on Monday.

The position fell vacant following JD(S) leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy's election to the Lok Sabaha.

"JD(S) state President H D Kumaraswamy on July 14 has given a letter stating that Chikkanayakanahalli MLA C B Suresh Babu has been appointed as the JD(S) party leader (in the Assembly) and the same has to be recognised. Accordingly, Suresh Babu has been recognised as the JD(S) party leader," Khader told the House.

Kumaraswamy resigned as the MLA from Channapatna segment after his election to the Lok Sabha in the recent polls.

Bengaluru: Search and rescue operations resumed on Wednesday morning in Shirur village in Uttara Kannada district, where a massive landslide claimed the lives of four people a day ago.

Vehicular traffic has been temporarily suspended on National Highway 66, where the incident occurred, officials said.

After an intensive rescue and search operation by the local police, a team of National Disaster Response Force, fire and emergency services and officials of other agencies amid rains, four bodies were recovered by Tuesday evening.

"So, far four bodies have been recovered and identified. Restoration and search operations have resumed early morning today," a senior police official said.

Among the four dead were members of the same family, who ran an eatery along the national highway.

Following the incident, the state government had said that three gas tankers had pulled up at the eatery for a tea break when mud and rocks plunged down the hill.

The landslip triggered by incessant rains also swept away two of the three tankers into the Gangavali river flowing on the other side of the road.

According to state government, the National Highways Authority of India while building National Highway 66 "cut the hill steep instead of a 45-degree slope resulting in the accident.

Meanwhile, vehicular movement has been banned till July 22 in Seethalayanagiri-Mullayanagiri area of Chikkamagaluru taluk due to collapse of hills and severe damage to the road surface owing to heavy rains.