Yekkur motorbike accident victim identified

September 19, 2011

Mangalore, September 19: The motorcyclist, who lost his life in a road accident on NH-75 in Yekkur near hear last Saturday, has been identified as Mohammad Arif, a 22-year-old youth from Uppala.

The young rider was run over by the lorry after he fell off his bike while trying to overtake a vehicle near Yekkur railway-bridge. His head was crushed beyond recognition.

The pillion rider on the crashed two-wheeler had survived the accident, but apparently fled the scene after the incident.

The body had been kept at morgue in Government Wenlock Hospital till Monday morning, as nobody came forward to claim the body.

Arif's elder brother Zakariya, who confirmed that the dead body was that of his younger brother, who had left for Mangalore three days ago.

The dead body was handed over to the family on Monday afternoon after completing formalities.

Meanwhile, the city police found that the pulsar bike, bearing registration number KA19 - 1444 with 'Fazil' written on it, which met with accident, was stolen one.

A complaint of bike theft had been lodged with the Pandeshwar police station by Alex Anthony from Vidyanagar. He has stated that his motorbike which was parked near Town Hall had been lifted by some unidentified thief.

However, police said that it was not confirmed whether the deceased was thief or he was riding the bike stolen by someone else.

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Mangaluru’s KPT becomes India’s first autonomous govt polytechnic

News Network

January 23,2026

Mangaluru: The Karnataka Government Polytechnic (KPT), Mangaluru, has achieved autonomous status from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), becoming the first government polytechnic in the country to receive such recognition in its 78-year history. The status was granted by AICTE, New Delhi, and subsequently approved by the Karnataka Board of Technical Education in October last year.

Officials said the autonomy was conferred a few months ago. Until recently, AICTE extended autonomous status only to engineering colleges, excluding diploma institutions. However, with a renewed national focus on skill development, several government polytechnics across India have now been granted autonomy.

KPT, the second-largest polytechnic in Karnataka, was established in 1946 with four branches and has since expanded to offer eight diploma programmes, including computer science and polymer technology. The institution is spread across a 19-acre campus.

Ravindra M Keni, the first dean of the institution, told The Times of India that AICTE had proposed autonomous status for polytechnic institutions that are over 25 years old. “Many colleges applied. In the first round, 100 institutions were shortlisted, which was further narrowed down to 15 in the second round. We have already completed one semester after becoming an autonomous institution,” he said. He added that nearly 500 students are admitted annually across eight three-year diploma courses.

Explaining the factors that helped KPT secure autonomy, Keni said the institution has consistently recorded 100 per cent admissions and placements for its graduates. He also noted its strong performance in sports, with the college emerging champions for 12 consecutive years, along with active student participation in NCC and NSS activities.

Autonomous status allows KPT to design industry-oriented curricula, conduct examinations, prepare question papers, and manage academic documentation independently. The institution can also directly collaborate with industries and receive priority funding from AICTE or the Ministry of Education. While academic autonomy has been granted, financial control will continue to rest with the state government.

“There will be separate committees for examinations, question paper setting, boards of studies, and boards of examiners. The institution will now have the freedom to conduct admissions without government notifications and issue its own marks cards,” Keni said, adding that new academic initiatives would be planned after a year of functioning under the autonomous framework.

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