Katipalla mosque controversy: Writer's house vandalized by miscreants

September 6, 2011

Mangalore, Sep 6: A group of miscreants allegedly instigated by the President of the Katipalla Block-II mosque, ransacked the house of a Kannada writer and made away with cash and gold ornaments.

Abdul Jabbar Katipalla, a colunminst with local Kannada newspapers, said that a group of around 50 people surrounded his house on Monday night, while six among them entered into the house by breaking open the front door.

“As there was no one inside the house, the miscreants intentionally damaged the furniture, refrigerator etc before escaping with a cash amount of Rs 15,000 and two and a half pawan gold” said Mr Katipalla, who who was apparently at his relative's placee when the incident took place.

He alleged that Salim Rafi, the President of Katipalla Block-II mosque, provoked the miscreants to vandalize his house.

In his complaint to Suratkal Police, Mr Katipalla mentioned the names of six miscreants as Iqbal, Siddiq, Yaseen, Bindas Ibrahim, NMPT Bava and Mohammad Shareef, all local residents.

The incident occurred in the backdrop of a controversy that has gripped the mosque. A city based Kannada eveninger in its debate column had recently carried an article criticizing the practice of “special classes for women,” by Mohammad Shareef Baqavi, who was recently reappointed as the Mudarris of the mosque by its president Salim Rafi.

Enraged by this article, Salim Rafi after Isha mass prayer in the mosque on Monday night, allegedly provoked the youth to 'teach a lesson' to those who tried to “tarnish the image of the mosque and its Mudarris”.

Abdullah (name changed), a local resident, who was present at the Isha prayer, said that soon after the prayer, Salim Rafi stood up and “advised” the youth not to tolerate any attempt to undermine the image of this mosque and its leaders.

Abdullah said, Salim declared that six persons including Jabbar Katipalla, Illyas, Husain and Siraj were behind this article and people need to teach a lesson to them.

A case has been registered at Suratkal police station based on Jabbar Katipalla's complaint.

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‘Nothing for Karnataka’: DKS slams Union Budget, flags Bengaluru neglect

News Network

February 1,2026

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday criticised the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, claiming it offered no tangible benefit to the state.

Though he said he was yet to study the budget in detail, Shivakumar asserted that Karnataka had gained little from it. “There is no benefit for our state from the central budget. I was observing it. They have now named a programme after Mahatma Gandhi, after repealing the MGNREGA Act that was named after him,” he said.

Speaking to reporters here, the Deputy Chief Minister demanded the restoration of MGNREGA, and made it clear that the newly enacted rural employment scheme — VB-G RAM G — which proposes a 60:40 fund-sharing formula between the Centre and the states, would not be implemented in Karnataka.

“I don’t see any major share for our state in this budget,” he added.

Shivakumar, who also holds charge of Bengaluru development, said there were high expectations for the city from the Union Budget. “The Prime Minister calls Bengaluru a ‘global city’, but what has the Centre done for it?” he asked.

He also drew attention to the problems faced by sugar factories, particularly those in the cooperative sector, alleging a lack of timely decisions and support from the central government.

Noting that the Centre has the authority to fix the minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce, Shivakumar said the Union government must take concrete steps to protect farmers’ interests.

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