Dalits flay police for labelling Vaittal as naxal

April 1, 2012
Mangalore, April 2: Dalitha Hakkugala Horata Samiti, Belthangady taluk president Shekhar l took police to task for labelling Dalit student Vittal Malekudiaya as a naxal supporter in the absence of proper evidence.

At the SC/ST monthly grievance meeting organized at the old commissioner office meeting hall on Sunday, he sought the status of the complaint lodged by one Ishwari against the circle inspector of Belthangady police station as he had verbally abused her when she stepped into the police station seeking justice.

Responding to this, SP Abhishek Goyal said no action has been taken due to lack of proper witnesses. On what grounds was the only graduate from Malekudiya community , Vittala Malekudiya arrested? Shekhar questioned . Is it wrong on the part of a person to store sugar, tea powder and other rations in his home? .The Anti Naxal Force (ANF)has traced only ration items and a book pertaining to the biography of freedom fighter Bhagath Singh.

How can they claim that Vittala was a strong supporter of Naxalites? He questioned, alleging that Anti Naxal Force had put Vitalla Malekudiya's name in the Naxalites list only to receive funds from the government. Responding to that, SP Abhishek Goyal said the ANF and Poilce department were two separate entities. ANF had arrested Vittala Malekudiya and handed him over to Belthangady police station. Blaming the police Department for the same is not fair as the district police is not connected to this at all. Whether he was a Naxal supporter or not will be decided by the court, he said.

The Police did not allow Vittala's mother to talk to him when he was in police custody, saying a court order was needed.

When Dalit leaders claimed that their life had worsened after the entry of the ANF team , SP Abhishek Goyal questioned Dalits about whether there were Naxalites in the Belthangady region or not.

Irked over the question ,Shekhar L said only the Police Department should answer such questions and not the public. If the SP is not able to answer the question , he should step down , he opined. Immediately ASP Prabhakar got up and warned him not to make such comments.
Though some leaders stood in favour of Shekhar many Dalit leaders said there were other issues that needed to be discussed and Vittala's arrest should be discussed separately.

Later, Dalit leaders placed some of their grievances at the meeting and received answers from the department. Civil Rights Enforcement cell (CREC) SP Sarvotham Pai and others were present at the meeting.

Complaints should be given FIR copy

Whether it is an atrocity case or any other case, a copy of the First Investigation Report should be given to each complainant. Every police station should follow this procedure, said Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh here on Sunday.

He was speaking at the SC/ST monthly grievance meeting at the Commissioner's Office.

When Dalith leader M A Naik revealed that Moodbidri police station had not provided a First Investigation Report copy to a complainant, Singh said the complainant should know the status of his case and police stations should instil confidence in the complainant by doing justice and give him a copy of the FIR.

Another Dalit leader, Vittal VB revealed that traffic police constable Jithin Kumar had collected Rs 1000 from him without giving him a receipt. Hearing this Seemanth Kumar Singh questioned why he had paid the constable such a huge amount without getting a receipt. He promised to inquire about the incident.

DSS district convener SP Anand alleged that a sub inspector at Mangalore South Police station threatened a dalith woman not to enter the station in future. However , when the Commissioner asked the particular sub inspector , she rubbished the complaint.

St_1

St_2

St_3

St_4

St_5

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.
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.

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.
News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

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.
News Network
December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A 34-year-old fruit and vegetable trader in Mangaluru has reportedly lost ₹33.1 lakh after falling victim to an online investment scam run through a fake mobile app.

Police said the scam began in September, when the victim received a link on Facebook. Clicking it connected him to a WhatsApp number, where an unidentified person introduced a high-return investment scheme and instructed him to download an app.

To build trust, the fraudster asked him to invest ₹30,000 on September 24. The trader soon received ₹34,000 as “profit,” convincing him the scheme was genuine. Over the next two months, he transferred money in multiple instalments via Google Pay and IMPS to different scanner codes and bank accounts shared by the scammers. Between September 24 and December 3, he ended up sending a total of ₹33.1 lakh.

When he later requested a refund of his investment and promised returns, the scammers demanded additional payments, claiming he needed to pay a “service tax” first. Even after he paid a small amount, no money was returned, and the scammers continued pressuring him for more.

A case has been registered at the CEN Crime Police Station.

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.