Satish Acharya accuses Mumbai police of forcing him to remove Pawar cartoon

[email protected] (CD Network)
October 8, 2011

Mangalore, October 8: A Kundapur based cartoonist has claimed that he was forced to remove a cartoon satirising Nationalist Congress Party Chief Sharad Pawar from his blog by the Cyber Cell of Mumbai police.

Satish Acharya's controversial cartoon had first appeared in Mid Day tabloid on September 5, in the wake of asset declaration of Union ministers.

In his typical way, Mr Acharya had satirised the Maharashtra politician's declaration of wealth at just Rs 12 crore, by depicting him as a pole dancer, teasing the audience with a red dress that reveals Rs 12 crore written over his calf.

Pawar, who heads the Nationalist Congress Party, is believed to be far wealthier than his mandatory official declaration suggests. He is also a cricket administrator. Pawar and his family have been linked to major scandals, including those relating to Adarsh Housing Society, Lavasa, and 2G spectrum allocation.

satish

The controversial cartoon

Although, no objections were raised when the cartoon was published in the daily tabloid, Mr Acharya, said that he received a call from a senior police inspector, after he posted the cartoon on his blog.

Acharya said that Inspector Mukund Pawar of Cyber Cell of Mumbai police called from his cell phone on September 21, initially wanted him to visit the crime branch office in Mumbai for “violating cyber law”.

"He said that a person by the name of Abdul Rehman Anjaria, chairman of the advisory council of Delhi's Jama Masjid had sought for removal of the cartoon from his blog”, Acharya said adding that same Anjaria had registered his comment on the blog by asking him to apologise and have the cartoon removed.

“The inspector talked about Section 69 of the IT Act. Since I wasn't aware of the details of the act, I consulted my journalist-friends. They suggested I remove the cartoon as the police could ask me to visit their office in Mumbai every now and then”, he said.

However, he said that he wanted to republish the same cartoon once he got more information about the IT Act. “Once the police had the cartoon taken off, they were satisfied. Meanwhile I shared this bitter experience with my friends on Facebook and Twitter. I was overwhelmed with the response I received there”, he said.

On the other hand, Inspector Pawar has denied that he or his officers called Acharya for removing the 'obscene' cartoon.

The development comes in the sideline of the arrest of Harish Yadav by Madhya Pradesh police for featuring a cartoon lampooning Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, which had recently appeared in a leading Indore based eveninger.

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News Network
November 30,2025

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Mangaluru, Nov 30: A 22-year-old college student succumbed to her injuries at a private hospital in Mangaluru today, days after she was hit by a goods tempo while crossing a road in Padubidri.

The deceased has been identified as Preksha, a resident of Nadsalu Billitota in Padubidri. The fatal incident occurred as Preksha, who was returning home after completing her examination, attempted to cross the service road towards Mangaluru. She was struck by a goods tempo approaching from the Udupi side, causing her to fall and sustain a severe head injury.

Prompt action from local residents ensured she received immediate first aid before being rushed to a hospital in Mangaluru for specialised treatment. Despite medical efforts, she passed away while undergoing care.

Preksha was a student at Karavali College, Vamanjoor on the outskirts of Mangaluru city. The tragedy is compounded by the fact that she belonged to a financially vulnerable family, having previously lost her father. She is survived by her mother and brother.

A case related to the accident has been registered at the Padubidri police station, and an investigation is underway to determine the exact circumstances that led to the collision. The incident highlights the growing concerns over road safety, particularly on busy service roads, and serves as a tragic reminder of the human cost of traffic accidents.

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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
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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