Udupi BJP stages protest condemning FIR against Bhat

January 26, 2012

Udupi, January 26: The district unit of BJP with its Sangh Pariwar allies staged a protest before Gandhi statue in service bus stop condemning the FIR charged against RSS leader Kalladka Parbhakar Bhat.

Speaking on the occasion, Zilla Panchayat President Katpadi Shankar Poojary said the act of police should be strongly condemned for registering FIR against Bhat alleging non bailable charges like communally provoking talk.

It is inhuman to charge false allegations against a leader who always had a clean record. The police department would have gone for second thought before framing charges against Bhat, he said and added that the incident of Uppinangady is conspiracy to create riots fuelling communal hatredness.

Action should be taken against those who are responsible for the disturbance, he demanded. BJP leader Mattar Ratnakar Shetty said the incident that happened in Uppinangady is nothing but an attempt to create anarchy in the State. Hindu organisations are not against any person or religion.

These organisations fight for cause like banning cow slaughter, love Jihad, terrorism and forceful conversions.

Prabhakar Bhat represents the culture and tradition of Hinduism and he can never create communal hatredness, he said. Kaup MLA Lalaji Mendon said it is a tragedy that the interests of the attackers on Parliament and accused in the Mumbai bomb blast incident are safeguarded in our country.

However, contrary to this, the Governor finds it hard to sanction his consent for banning cow slaughter, he added.

RSS leader Shambhu Shetty, BJP District President Uday Kumar Shetty and others were present.

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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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