Undeclared bandh in Surathkal area after murder; stones pelted at buses

coastaldigest.com news network

January 3, 2018

Mangaluru, Dec 3: A tense atmosphere prevailed in Surathkal, Katipalla and surrounding areas in Mangaluru taluk after a youth was hacked to death by miscreants in broad daylight on Wednesday afternoon.

Soon after the murder, the activists of various Hindutva groups started spreading provocative messages on social media and WhatsApp groups. They claimed that the murdered youth, Deepak Rao, was a Bajrang Dal activist and that he was murdered for being a Hindu activist. The police said they were verifying claims about the victim’s links with Bajrang Dal.

After the dead body was shifted to a private hospital in Kuntikana, a large number of activists of VHP and Bajrang Dal started assembling there.

People chose to remain at homes in Katipalla, Krishnapura and Chokkabettu localities after the murder that took place at 2 p.m. in Katipalla. Miscreants pelted stones at buses, sources said.

The region experienced an undeclared bandh. In Surathkal most of the shops closed their shutters after the incident.

Also Read:

Mangaluru: Youth hacked to death at Katipalla in broad daylight

Katipalla murder: Cops nab four after dramatic chase; 1 injured in firing

Prohibitory orders clamped in Mangaluru after Katipalla murder

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Campus politics: DKS pushes to restore student elections in Karnataka banned since 1989

News Network

November 26,2025

Bengaluru, Nov 26: Karnataka is taking its first concrete steps towards lifting a three-decade-old ban on student elections in colleges and universities. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced Wednesday that the state government will form a small committee to study the reintroduction of campus polls, a practice halted in 1989 following incidents of violence.

Speaking at a 'Constitution Day' event organised by the Karnataka Congress, Mr. Shivakumar underscored the move's aim: nurturing new political leadership from the grassroots.

"Recently, (Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi wrote a letter to me and Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) asking us to think about restarting student elections," Shivakumar stated. "I'm announcing today that we'll form a small committee and seek a report on this."

Student elections were banned in Karnataka in 1989, largely due to concerns over violence and the infiltration of political party affiliates into campus life. The ban effectively extinguished vibrant student bodies and the pipeline of young leaders they often produced.

Mr. Shivakumar, who also serves as the Karnataka Congress president, said that former student leaders will be consulted to "study the pros and cons" of the re-introduction.

Acknowledging the history of the ban, he added, "There were many criminal activities taking place back then. We’ll see how we can conduct (student) elections by regulating such criminal activities."

The Deputy CM reminisced about his own journey, which began on campus. He recalled his political activism at Sri Jagadguru Renukacharya College leading to his first Assembly ticket in 1985 at the age of 23. "That's how student leadership was at the time. Such leadership has gone today. College elections have stopped," he lamented, adding that for many, college elections were "like a big movement" where leaders were forged.

The move, driven by the Congress high command's push to cultivate young talent, will face scrutiny from academics and university authorities who have, in the past, expressed concern that the return of polls could disrupt the peaceful academic environment and turn campuses into political battlegrounds.

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