Police make no headway into murder attempt case; Rahim Uchil recovers

[email protected] (CD Network)
March 16, 2012
Mangalore, March 16: Mangalore City Police have failed to make any headway in the sensational murder attempt on Karnataka Beary Sahithya Academy Chief Rahim Uchil even a day after the heart rending incident.

It is learnt that police, during last 24-hours, have questioned several people including his relatives, friends and members of some organisations. A couple of hours after Thursday's brutal attack, Bajpe police had taken two persons from their jurisdiction into custody. However, both of them were released later in the evening.

Though the CCTV camera installed at the adjacent building of Presidium complex, in which the office of Beary Academy is located, had captured the scene of assailants entering into the office, their faces are not visible. All the six miscreants had covered their faces with kerchiefs. The CC TV camera at the building in front of the Academy office also has captured the images but they are of low resolution and the zoom images are not seen clearly.

rahimuchil

Mangalore City Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh has expressed confidence to nab all the culprits soon. “Three separate teams have been constituted under the leadership of three inspectors - Thilak Chandra, Vinay Gaunkar and Venkatesh Prasanna. They are also looking for a clue and are taking help of local shop keepers and residents”, he said.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Jagannath said that currently the probe was in progress in three different angles including religious and personal enmity.

Meanwhile, medical sources have said that Mr Uchil, who sustained severe injuries on neck, chest, hands and other parts of the body, was out of danger. “Though he is still in the intensive care unit, now he can speak” said a doctor.

According to Mr Uchil's wife Shahina it was God's grace that his life was saved. “I am a bit relieved now. I visited him in the morning and feel a lot better,” she said.

“He had received a threat call a month back. But I had not heard of any such things ever since. He generally would not speak about such things with me,” she said.

“He had a loud mouth. But he is not the person to take up a fight. He always helped people from our community. Our own people (Bearys) would come to him seeking some help or the other. We did not have many non-Muslim people coming to our place. But unfortunately, those people (Bearys) who sought his help talked ill of him from behind”, she said.

“He survived because he knew a trick or two to avoid such attacks. He must have used his arm as a shield when they came to slay his neck,” said a relative of him who was in the hospital.

Mr Uchil's marital life also saw some twists. Having married a second time there were many complaints against him. Recently there were rumours about a woman slapping him in Padubidri. But, he had denied the rumours, saying that it was a political conspiracy against him.

He was working as an Anchor in one of the local channels in the city. Mr Uchil was actively involved in BJP. He had struggled hard for the presidential post of the Beary Academy. Moreover, some of his recent statements following the Hindu Samajotsava in Uppinagady had sparked controversy.

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News Network
February 3,2026

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Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta has urged the Centre to give high priority to offshore wind energy generation along the Mangaluru coast, citing its strategic importance to India’s green energy and port-led development goals.

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha under Rule 377, Chowta said studies by the National Institute of Oceanography have identified the Mangaluru coastline as part of India’s promising offshore wind ‘Zone-2’, covering nearly 6,490 sq km. He noted that the region’s relatively low exposure to cyclones and earthquakes makes it suitable for long-term offshore wind projects and called for its development as a dedicated offshore wind energy zone.

Highlighting the role of New Mangalore Port, Chowta said its modern infrastructure, multiple berths and heavy cargo-handling capacity position it well as a logistics hub for transporting and assembling large wind energy equipment.

He also pointed to the presence of major industrial units such as MRPL, OMPL, UPCL and the Mangaluru SEZ, which could serve as direct buyers of green power through power purchase agreements, improving project viability and speeding up execution.

With Karnataka’s peak power demand crossing 18,000 MW in early 2025, Chowta stressed the need to diversify renewable energy sources. He added that offshore wind projects in the Arabian Sea are strategically safer compared to the cyclone-prone Bay of Bengal.

Calling the project vital to India’s target of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030, Chowta urged the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to initiate resource assessments, pilot projects and stakeholder consultations at the earliest.

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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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News Network
February 1,2026

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday criticised the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, claiming it offered no tangible benefit to the state.

Though he said he was yet to study the budget in detail, Shivakumar asserted that Karnataka had gained little from it. “There is no benefit for our state from the central budget. I was observing it. They have now named a programme after Mahatma Gandhi, after repealing the MGNREGA Act that was named after him,” he said.

Speaking to reporters here, the Deputy Chief Minister demanded the restoration of MGNREGA, and made it clear that the newly enacted rural employment scheme — VB-G RAM G — which proposes a 60:40 fund-sharing formula between the Centre and the states, would not be implemented in Karnataka.

“I don’t see any major share for our state in this budget,” he added.

Shivakumar, who also holds charge of Bengaluru development, said there were high expectations for the city from the Union Budget. “The Prime Minister calls Bengaluru a ‘global city’, but what has the Centre done for it?” he asked.

He also drew attention to the problems faced by sugar factories, particularly those in the cooperative sector, alleging a lack of timely decisions and support from the central government.

Noting that the Centre has the authority to fix the minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce, Shivakumar said the Union government must take concrete steps to protect farmers’ interests.

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