Couple caught trying to sell baby girl in Ankola

January 14, 2012

Karwar, January 14: Forced by poverty, a man and his wife tried to sell their eight-month-old girl for Rs. 2,000 in Ankola on Friday.

B. Sikandar Ganisaab and his wife Naseema went around from house to house in Keni and Old Bazaar area of Ankola pleading with people to take the child. Named Rajamabi, the baby was sleeping in the arms of her mother.

Residents informed the police about the incident. The couple, who fled the spot, were later seen at the Ankola bus-stand.

Loss in business

When the police nabbed them, Ganisaab said they hailed from Unnikeri in Harapanahalli taluk of Davangere district. They were selling clothes in Goa but suffered loss in the business. He said they had no money to return home. They had reached Ankola with great difficulty. At first, Ganisaab said he was not trying to sell the infant but was trying to pledge her for money to return home. He said he planned to take the infant back after returning the money.

Help from public

The public pooled in money and asked the couple to reach their home and not to sell the child.

The police came in for severe criticism from the public for letting off the couple without investigating the matter. Many said the police should have handed over the infant and its mother to the custody of the Department of Women and Child Development.

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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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