Private doctors’ strike claims 12 lives across Karnataka in two days

coastaldigest.com news network
November 15, 2017

Bengaluru, Nov 15: At least twelve deaths were reported from different parts of Karnataka in two days as the patients were unable to get timely care due to the private doctors' agitation. At least four deaths were reported on Monday, the first day of Belagavi Chalo agitation. On Tuesday, eight more patients died for want of treatment.

A 56-year-old panchayat development officer PDO, who suffered a heart attack, died as he could not get medical attention. Gyanappa Budnal of Mukkumpi in Gangavathi taluk of Koppal district, who was working as a PDO in Vanaballari of Koppal taluk, complained of chest pain. The officer died as he could not get treatment at a private hospital where he was taken, his family said.

Shekhappa Gyanappa Jakkali, 60, an APMC trader, died of a heart attack at Ilkal in Hungund taluk of Bagalkot district. Jakkali complained of chest pain in the wee hours due to a dip in blood pressure. As the private hospitals were closed due to the strike, he was taken to the government hospital.

Even before medical officer Dr Biradar could examine him, Jakkali breathed his last, hospital sources said.

A three-month-old infant, which was suffering from breathing problems, died as it could not get timely medical care in Hassan.  The victim is Ibrahim, son of Nadeem and Farhana, residents of Siddaiahana Nagar. The baby was suffering from breathing problems for the past four days. The infant was treated at a hospital in Tiptur, where Farhana had gone for her delivery.

As the baby did not recover, it was brought to Hassan. Ibrahim could not get proper treatment as all private hospitals remained closed. The couple took the baby to the district hospital for treatment and returned to Tiptur. But Ibrahim's condition turned critical at night. The baby died when the parents were bringing him to the hospital in Hassan in a bus.

Kallavva Srishail Ambi (12), a resident of Nadi-Ingalgaon village in Athani taluk, Belagavi district. Kallavva, a diabetic, was suffering from abdominal pain. As the girl was about to go unconscious, she was taken to a private hospital, but she did not receive treatment as the doctors are on strike. Kallavva was admitted to the government hospital in Athani, where she died during treatment.

Two deaths were reported from Haveri district. One-and-a-half year-old girl Sayina from Byadagi and 18-year-old Mardan Sab, a PU student from Kaginele near Byadagi also breathed their last due to unavailability of doctors.

Ashok (40) from Jamakhandi and Mahesh Chandu Vaghamore (27) from Athani taluk, who had received injuries in a road mishap breathed their last in the private hospitals as there were no doctors to treat them.

Vaishnavi Jadhav, 9, of Dharwad, who was undergoing treatment for dengue at the Kims Hospital in Hubballi, died on Monday night. She was refused treatment at private hospitals and had to be taken to the Kims Hospital.

Maktoom Husain Charagosti (53) from Badami in Bagalakote, Mallappa Yamanappa Neeralakeri (68) from Muthalageri village in Bagalakote, and Sunanda Belagaunkar (50) from Mudhola died on Monday as they did not get timely treatment.

Meanwhile, the private doctors on Wednesday continued their agitation across the state demanding the withdrawl of the certain provisions in Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (Amendment) Bill.

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
November 21,2025

Bantwal: A domestic dispute appears to have led to a violent confrontation in BC Road area, where the owner of a textile shop was allegedly attacked with a knife by his wife on Wednesday evening.

Krishna Kumar Somayaji, the owner of Somayaji Textiles, sustained serious injuries in the incident and was immediately taken to a hospital for treatment. He is currently receiving care in the intensive care unit and is reported to have survived the assault, according to police.

The Bantwal Town police have registered a case against Somayaji's wife, Jyothi KT, who has since been taken into custody.

Police stated that the complainant, Namita, an employee at the shop, reported the sequence of events. She stated that around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, the suspect entered the shop, wearing a burqa and disguised as a customer, before attacking Somayaji with a knife. The employee then transported the injured owner to a local hospital via an autorickshaw.

Superintendent of Police Arun K confirmed that an ongoing domestic dispute between Somayaji and his wife reportedly preceded the attack. Police noted that Jyothi KT had previously visited the shop and issued threats.

Based on the complaint, Bantwal Town police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Indian Arms Act-1959. An investigation into the incident is currently underway.

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
November 22,2025

The Karnataka government has announced a 50% rebate on pending traffic and transport fines. The discount is available from November 21 to December 12.

The rebate applies to all traffic e-challans and violation cases booked by the RTO between 1991–92 and 2019–20. Officials clarified that the offer is not applicable to pending tax dues and is restricted only to traffic-violation fines.

Across Karnataka, more than 4 lakh RTO cases remain pending, including those involving transport vehicles. While thousands of vehicle owners have already cleared their dues, the department expects to generate substantial revenue through this limited-period rebate.

How to Pay and Avail the Discount

There are three ways to check and pay your pending fines:

1. Through Mobile Apps
Available on both Play Store and App Store:
•    Karnataka State Police (KSP) app
•    KarnatakaOne app
•    ASTraM app

Steps:
•    Enter your vehicle number in any of the above apps
•    Verify the photo/details of your vehicle
•    Pay the fine with the 50% discount applied

2. Visit a Traffic Police Station

You can pay your pending fine at any nearby traffic police station.

3. Visit the Traffic Management Centre (TMC)

•    Location: First Floor, Infantry Road, near Indian Express, Bengaluru

Transport Commissioner Yogeesh A M said, “We don't issue e-challans, so there's no online payment system.”

The department estimates ₹52 crore in pending RTO fines up to March 2020. “With the 50% rebate, we expect to collect around ₹25 crore if all dues are cleared,” he added.

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.