Congress will make hijab compulsory for Hindus if it comes to power, claims Sunil Kumar

News Network
February 9, 2022

Bengaluru, Feb 9: While all attention is on the Karnataka High Court's verdict expected Wednesday on wearing hijab, Karnataka BJP Minister for Power, Kannada and Culture V Sunil Kumar said, "We should respect the order of the High Court on hijab row."

Speaking to reporters, Minister Sunil Kumar attacked the Congress, saying "if it comes to power, the leaders of Congress will make the wearing of hijab compulsory for Hindus. Congress should come out of a communal mindset.

"Congress party has always been sided with divisive forces from 1947. During partition also Congress was with forces who wanted to divide the country. In the present situation also the party is supporting the divisive agenda," he said.

Sunil Kumar turned his guns on Opposition leader Siddaramaiah said that he started celebrating Tipu Jayanti which led to the killing of Hindu leaders. "Siddaramaiah says he is against wearing of the tilak, he is opposing the Anti-Conversion Bill," he said.

Araga Jnanedra, the state Home Minister said that those arrested for the violence are outsiders and not students. Action will be initiated on the untoward incidents happening in the state. He also criticized state Congress President D.K. Shivakumar for alleging that Tricolour was removed for hoisting 'Bhagwa Dhwaj' in Shivamogga College.

Meanwhile, Nassir Hussain, the Congress Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka addressing media persons in New Delhi said that the internal politics within the BJP Karnataka unit is resulting in the hijab crisis. "A group of leaders within the BJP do not want Basavaraj Bommai to become the Chief Minister. Now, they are at play. Due to internal politics of BJP, the state is suffering," he stated.

Basavaraja Rayareddy, senior Congress leader and former minister demanded implementation of the President's Rule in the state as the state government failed to control the law and order situation in the state. "The government is in the clutches of RSS. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has zipped his mouth," he stated.

Meanwhile, another Congress local leader Ibrahim Khan has kicked up a controversy by stating that if anyone comes against the hijab, they will be cut into pieces. "We will not tolerate it when it comes to the matter of our religion," he said.

Reacting to BJP MLA Basavanagouda Patil Yatnal's statement that those 'who want to wear hijab can go to Pakistan', he stated that "we are Indians. We were born here and will die here and the country does not belong to Yatnal," he stated.

Meanwhile, Vachananda Seer has asked the people to maintain peace in the society and accept the ruling of the High Court on hijab row and follow it without giving room for any untoward incidents.

Hijab row started last month with a few students of Udupi Government Pre-University College wearing hijab being denied permission to attend classes. The college authorities maintained that the students who used to come without hijabs have suddenly started wearing hijabs. The students later went on protest refusing to attend classes without hijab. The issue became a controversy and spread to other districts snowballing into a major crisis in the state.

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News Network
December 4,2025

Udupi: A 40-year-old NRI from Udupi has reportedly lost more than Rs 12.25 lakh in an online investment scam operated through Telegram.

According to a complaint filed at the CEN police station, Leo Jerome Mendonsa, who has been working in Dubai for the past 15 years in computer accessories sales, maintains NRI accounts in Karkala and Nitte.

On November 12, 2025, Mendonsa was added to a Telegram group called Instaflow Earnings by unknown individuals. Users identified as Priya and Dipannita persuaded him to invest in “Revenue Tasks.” Initially, Mendonsa transferred Rs 1,100 multiple times and received the promised returns, encouraging him to continue.

On November 14, another user, Nishmitha Shetty, directed him to register on a website, digitvisionuoce.cc, and invest Rs 4 lakh in various shares. Over the next few days, he made multiple transfers totaling Rs 12,25,000, including Rs 50,000 via Google Pay, believing the scheme was legitimate.

After receiving the money, the alleged handlers stopped responding, and neither the invested amount nor the promised profits were returned.

The CEN police have registered a case under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the IT Act and Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and investigations are ongoing.

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News Network
November 26,2025

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Bengaluru, Nov 26: Karnataka is taking its first concrete steps towards lifting a three-decade-old ban on student elections in colleges and universities. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced Wednesday that the state government will form a small committee to study the reintroduction of campus polls, a practice halted in 1989 following incidents of violence.

Speaking at a 'Constitution Day' event organised by the Karnataka Congress, Mr. Shivakumar underscored the move's aim: nurturing new political leadership from the grassroots.

"Recently, (Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi wrote a letter to me and Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) asking us to think about restarting student elections," Shivakumar stated. "I'm announcing today that we'll form a small committee and seek a report on this."

Student elections were banned in Karnataka in 1989, largely due to concerns over violence and the infiltration of political party affiliates into campus life. The ban effectively extinguished vibrant student bodies and the pipeline of young leaders they often produced.

Mr. Shivakumar, who also serves as the Karnataka Congress president, said that former student leaders will be consulted to "study the pros and cons" of the re-introduction.

Acknowledging the history of the ban, he added, "There were many criminal activities taking place back then. We’ll see how we can conduct (student) elections by regulating such criminal activities."

The Deputy CM reminisced about his own journey, which began on campus. He recalled his political activism at Sri Jagadguru Renukacharya College leading to his first Assembly ticket in 1985 at the age of 23. "That's how student leadership was at the time. Such leadership has gone today. College elections have stopped," he lamented, adding that for many, college elections were "like a big movement" where leaders were forged.

The move, driven by the Congress high command's push to cultivate young talent, will face scrutiny from academics and university authorities who have, in the past, expressed concern that the return of polls could disrupt the peaceful academic environment and turn campuses into political battlegrounds.

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News Network
November 24,2025

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Israel has launched a new act of aggression on a residential neighborhood in Lebanon's capital, Beirut, killing and injuring about two dozen civilians.

The Israeli regime's military said in a statement that its forces carried out a so-called precise strike in a residential apartment in Dahiyeh in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sunday.

The aggression targeted residential areas, killing at least five people and injuring more than 28 people, Lebanon's Health Ministry said. 

Hezbollah announced the martyrdom of senior Hezbollah commander Haytham Ali Tabatabai and four resistance fighters.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun condemned the airstrike, calling it a clear demonstration of Tel Aviv’s disregard for repeated international calls to halt violations on Lebanese soil.

“Israel refuses to implement international resolutions and all efforts aimed at ending the escalation and restoring stability,” Aoun said, urging the international community to take action to prevent further aggression.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement also condemned the attack, holding the international community accountable. 

“The international community bears responsibility and continues to provide cover for these attacks as long as it does not restrain the occupiers,” said Ali Abu Shahin, a member of the group’s political bureau.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that the Israeli army carried out a strike “in the heart of Beirut."

Netanyahu reportedly approved the operation following recommendations from top Israeli security officials.

Two senior US officials commented on the Israeli strike.

The first official said that Israel did not notify Americans in advance about the attack. "We were informed immediately after the strike was carried out."

The second senior official said that the "US knew for several days that Israel was planning to escalate its strikes in Lebanon, but did not know in advance the timing, location, or target of the strike."

Speaking from the site of the Israeli strike, Lebanese MP Ali Ammar condemned the attack as part of a broader campaign of aggression that has targeted "all of Lebanon since the Washington-sponsored ceasefire."

He stated that "any attack on Lebanon is a violation of red lines; this aggression is part and parcel of the entity that targets Lebanon's dignity, sovereignty, and security of citizens."

Ammar went on to say the resistance is responding with "utmost wisdom, patience, and will confront the enemy at the appropriate time."

"Unfortunately, the enemy is emboldened to commit its aggression by voices within Lebanon that have turned themselves into tools that support its aggression," he added.

The Israeli attack on the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital is the latest blatant violation of the ceasefire Israel signed with Hezbollah in November 2024, which was intended to end hostilities that had escalated into full-scale war.

An Israeli strike on the Ain al-Hilweh camp near Sidon in southern Lebanon late Tuesday killed at least 14 people. It wounded several others, including young students, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

The military claimed the attack targeted “a Hamas training compound” used to plan and carry out attacks against the regime -- a claim that has frequently been made without evidence.

Hamas rejected the allegations as “a blatant lie aimed at justifying the massacre,” stating it had “no military installations in the Palestinian camps in Lebanon” and that the targeted site was merely “an open sports field.”

According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli attacks have killed approximately 4,000 people and displaced more than 1.2 million residents across the country since October 2023.

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