Tension grips Udupi after BJP leader's group assault driver; private buses go on strike

June 10, 2013

Udupi, Jun 10: Tension prevailed at Udyavar in Udupi district on Sunday night after a group of miscreants led by a local leader of Bharatiya Janata Party assaulted two private bus drivers and damaged three buses.

The incident took place at around 8:30 p.m. when the miscreants who came in a Ritz car bearing registration number KA 20 P 8328 waylaid a bus belonging to Vishal Travels near Udyavar.

BJP leader Yashpal Suvarna and four others, who alighted from the car dragged bus driver Dinesh and assaulted him brutally, sources said.

In his complaint injured Dinesh has stated that Suvarna and his accomplices were drunk when the assaulted him without any provocation.

When another private bus driver, Shamsuddin and others came to Dinesh's rescue, they were also attacked by the miscreants. It is learnt that the miscreants attacked four bus employees and three passengers on the road before fleeing the spot.

Source said that after waylaying Vishat Travels bus, the miscreants pelted stones at three more buses. Circle inspector Maruti Nayak and team visited the spot. A case has been registered at jurisdictional Kaup police station and investigations are on.

Protest

Following the incident, angry residents and bus employees staged a protest near Kaup bus stand.

The incident also prompted several private bus employees to go on strike. On Monday, several private express buses plying from Udupi to Kundapur, Karkala and Mangalore remained off the road.

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QR-code tips power Mangaluru's major drug bust: 25 arrested in 2 weeks

News Network

December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

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