Rally against communal attacks on Friday

February 8, 2012

Mangalore, February 9: Federation of Human Rights Organisations of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts will organise a massive rally followed by a public meet condemning the growing communal attacks in the State, on February 10 in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office.

Speaking to media persons, Karnataka Communal Harmony Forum District President B Suresh Bhat said that in the wake of communal violence incidents in the State including the clash in Uppinangady, Haleyangadi incident, the forum with like minded organisations will stage the rally and the public meet. The rally will start from Ambedkar Circle at 3 pm and will reach the Deputy Commissioner's office where a public meeting will be held.

Victim of Surathkal attack Jason D'Costa will inaugurate the rally. Three books will be released at the public meet namely Kannada version of Justice M F Saldanha's enquiry report on Church attacks - “State Terrorism-Tyranny,” “Communal Violence Bill-Why it is a must?” (in Kannada) by G Rajashekar, Shivasunder and Fakir Mohammed Katpady and “Saffron Terrorism” (in Kannada) authored by B Suresh Bhat.

Bhat also informed that the Forum has written a letter to the Inspector General of Police (Western Range) and to the Police Superintendent seeking action against the culprits.

In the memorandum submitted to the SP, they have questioned the presence of RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat at the inaugural function of the new office building of the Police Commissionerate.

Prabhakar Bhat of late grabbed the headlines for making hate speech against the minority community.

“The incident has only served to reinforce the widespread belief that there are different sets of rules for different people as far as twin districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi are concerned,” states the letter.

In the memorandum they have demanded the SP to file a case under IPC section 153B against Prabhakar Bhat.

A charge sheet should be filed against him after the through investigation of all his previous prejudicial activities and a non bailable warrant should be issued, demands the memorandum.

Suresh Bhat also said that in a letter they have submitted to the Governor, they have asked to take action against the saffronisation of text books and to expatriate Kalladka Bhat.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

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.

Comments