Swamiji tells Hindu youths to lure Muslim girls; calls CM as'Maulana alias Siddeeq Siddaramaiah'

Bengaluru, Nov 24: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar refrained from making a direct comment on Friday about the state cabinet's decision regarding the disproportionate assets case against him.

The State Cabinet on Thursday had held that the sanction given by the previous BJP government to hand over the case against the Deputy Chief Minister to the CBI was "not in accordance with law."

Shivakumar, also the Karnataka Congress chief, stayed away from Thursday's Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

The Congress government is now expected to issue an order withdrawing the consent given to the CBI in the case.

"I saw in the paper (newspaper), I could not attend (the cabinet meeting) yesterday. Whoever has to speak on it will speak," Shivakumar told reporters here.

Noting that he was going to Telangana for two days for the election campaign there, he said, "if the party asks me to extend (campaigning), I will have to."

The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday adjourned to November 29 the hearing of the appeal filed by Shivakumar against the sanction accorded by the previous government to the CBI to prosecute him in a disproportionate assets case.

The CBI informed the High Court on November 15 that the Supreme Court has directed the HC to hear the application filed by the investigating agency seeking vacation of stay granted on the appeal, preferably within two weeks.

A single judge bench had earlier dismissed Shivakumar's petition challenging the sanction of September 25, 2019 granted by the government to prosecute him.

Shivakumar then challenged it before the division bench which had stayed the single judge order. The CBI had filed an application for vacation of this stay.

Based on the Income Tax Department's search operations at Shivakumar's home and offices in 2017, the Enforcement Directorate started its own probe against him. Based on the ED investigation, the CBI sought sanction from the state government to register a case against him.

The state government had given the sanction on September 25, 2019. The CBI had registered an FIR against him on October 3, 2020.

The CBI has claimed that Shivakumar amassed wealth to the tune of Rs 74.93 crore, disproportionate to known sources of his income from April 1, 2013 to April 30, 2018, when he was the Energy Minister in the then Siddaramaiah-led Congress government (2013-2018).

Mangaluru, Nov 28: A woman lost her life after a fire mishap led to an explosion at a flat in an apartment building at Attavar area in Mangaluru on Tuesday, November 28. 

The deceased is identified as Shaheena Nusba (58), wife of Abdullah Kola.

It is learnt that the fire erupted at around 4 a.m. due to an electrical short circuit which led to the explosion of an aquarium. 

Nine people including five children were present in the home at the time of the mishap. Shaheena who was a cardiac patient, breathed her last when the smoke engulfed the house. 

The injured have been admitted to different hospitals in Mangaluru. All are said to safe and out of danger.

Bengaluru, Nov 28: The probe into the foeticide racket that recently came to light in Bengaluru has led to shocking revelations as the accused told the police that they had aborted 3,000 female foetuses so far. 

Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayanand told reporters on Tuesday that the investigations have shown that the accused had carried out 3,000 abortions so far and in the last three months itself, 242 female foetuses were killed.

The accused had set a target of 1,000 abortions per year to make money as they charged anywhere between Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per termination of pregnancy. The scam came to light when Byappanahalli police, on October 15, tried to stop a vehicle moving suspiciously. The vehicle’s driver did not stop and had to be chased by the police before being caught.

During interrogation the accused spilled the beans about the abortion racket. The police have arrested nine people till now, including two doctors and three lab technicians for their involvement in the nefarious activity.

Two of the arrested were also found to be involved in a kidnapping case, Commissioner Dayanand stated. Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara has stated that the investigation into the case will be completed soon and everything will come out in the open.

The probe also revealed that abortions were conducted at a jaggery production unit in Mandya district where the accused had set up a lab and related facilities. Mandya Assistant Commissioner Shivamurthy stated that the jaggery production unit has been seized as per the orders of the District Commissioner.

According to police sources, two doctors - Chandan Ballal and Tulasiram - were the prime movers of the foeticide racket. Dr Ballal, who ran Mata hospital in Mysuru, was arrested last Friday last from a farmhouse in KR Pet. Though most of the abortion deals were struck at Mata hospital, the procedures would be performed at an ayurveda hospital nearby. Dr Ballal’s wife Meena Ballal and receptionist are also among the nine arrested. 

The other arrested in the case are Shivalingegowda from Mysuru, Nayan Kumar and Naveen Kumar from Mandya district, and TM Veeresh of Davangere district. The police have also taken Sunanda, wife of Shivalingegowda, into custody. Another prime accused Dr Mallikarjun, and his associate Siddesh were absconding.