Dakshina Kannada: Non-Hindu traders barred from doing business in Kukke temple premises

Udupi: A suo moto case has been registered against a city-based doctor for making an inflammatory comment on a microblogging platform.

Dr. Keerthan Upadhya from Mahesh Hospital in Brahmavara, Udupi, has been booked for allegedly making a hate-filled comment against the Muslim community on the social media platform 'X' (formerly Twitter). Dr. Upadhya, a specialist in laparoscopic surgery, reportedly operated an account under the name ‘@LonelyStranger_’.

On July 13, a user with the handle ‘Abhi and Niyu’ posed the question, “If you could remove one thing from this world, what would it be?” To this, Dr. Upadhya allegedly replied “Muslim community” from his ‘Lonely Stranger’ account. This response went viral, causing significant controversy.

The Social Media Monitoring Cell at the Udupi District Police Office, under the supervision of Wireless Sub-Inspector Ajmal Ibrahim E.A., filed a complaint leading to the registration of the case at the Udupi City Police Station. The complaint states that Dr. Upadhya’s comment was derogatory and provocative, aimed at inciting hatred between different communities and disrupting communal harmony. It seeks appropriate legal action against Dr. Upadhya for his attempt to create discord among communities.

Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of the fact-checking organization Alt News, pointed out that Dr. Upadhya had deleted the controversial tweet and locked his Twitter profile, preventing access to his account and tweets.

In a subsequent post, Dr. Upadhya claimed that his account had been hacked and that the offending tweet was made by someone who had gained unauthorized access to his account. Netizens also claimed that Dr. Upadhya had earlier made similar Islamophobic tweets and shared screenshots of similar posts degrading Islam made from the same handle.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced on Wednesday that the state government will give ex gratia compensation of Rs 5 lakh each for those who have died in the landslide that occurred on Tuesday in Uttara Kannada's Ankola taluk.

Rescue officials on Tuesday had recovered bodies of four persons and a search is on to trace the missing persons from both under the debris of the landslide and in the Gangavali river. Seven members of two families were killed when a huge hill collapsed on their houses in Shirur village. 

In his post on X, the CM said, "In the landslide that occurred on the national highway near Shirur in Uttara Kannada district Ankola taluk, seven people are believed to have died due to mud and 4 dead bodies have already been recovered. This is a very unfortunate incident. I pray that the soul of the deceased may rest in eternal peace."

He further added, "For those who died in the incident, Rs. 5 lakh compensation has been announced. Despite the continuous rain, the rescue operation is continuing and the search is on for the remaining three."

The deceased have been identified as Lakshman Naik (47), his wife Shanthi (36) and son Roshan (11). The identity of the fourth body is yet to be ascertained.

Officials also sighted the body of a girl child in the river but could not retrieve it. The bodies were recovered in Gangavali River, at least six km from the accident area.

With continuing landslides in coastal and malnad areas of Karnataka, a Maruti van got stuck under the soil, near Doddatappale village, on the Bengaluru-Mangaluru national highway, in Sakleshpur taluk, on Thursday morning.

The two passengers in the car managed to escape but with minor injuries.

A landslide occurred at the same place on Wednesday, affecting vehicular movement for a while. However, the soil was removed and the route cleared for traffic.

On Thursday morning, around 100-ft tall hillock collapsed. Hence, traffic has been suspended on the national highway. Vehicles are stopped at Kandali on the outskirts of Hassan and not allowed to ply after Sakleshpur as a precautionary measure.

Vehicles are also stranded from Maranahalli to Donigal. Highway authority personnel and taluk administration officials are on the spot and measures are being taken to clear the route.

A pregnant woman was injured when the wall of the house collapsed at Kudigarahalli in Sakleshpur taluk. She has been admitted to the district hospital in Hassan.

A KSRTC bus fell into the roadside ditch near Maniganahalli in Alur taluk, as the driver lost control of the vehicle due to rain. The passengers in the bus suffered minor injuries.