Suspension bridge linking Mangaluru to Bantwal taluk over Phalguni opened

Bengaluru, Jan 1: Karnatak Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol has said that the state government wrote to the Centre to fix the technical glitches in FASTag system.

"We have brought this issue to the notice of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari," he told reporters on Tuesday.

In response to the flood relief by the state government, Karjol said that the approximate cost of roads damaged in the floods was Rs 7000 crore and the government would take up the repair works soon.

Bantwal, Jun 16: Two unmarred siblings committed suicide by self-immolation at Sangabettu in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada last night.

Neelayya Shettogar (42) and his sister Kesari (39) poured petrol on themselves before torching themselves at around 11 p.m. on June 15 inside a room of their house, police sources said. The siblings were reportedly facing health problems.

Neelayya's brother and latter’s wife were sleeping in the other room of the same house when the incident took place. They came to know only when they heard the screams of the duo.

Even though the siblings were rushed to the government hospital at Bantwal with the help of locals, the doctors declared them dead.

Bantwal rural police sub-inspector, Prasanna and staff visited the spot as part of investigation.

A 7-year-old Dalit girl who had gone missing from outside her residence in Tamil Nadu’s Pudukkottai district on June 30 was found dead last evening. 

Police sources said that the body with severe injures was found in a forest area bordering her village. The young girl had been sexually assaulted before the murder, according to police.

Victim’s neighbour, Raja, 25, who belongs to the Pandaram caste, has been arrested in connection with the incident.

While they have included murder charges in the First Information Report (FIR) against him, they are awaiting the post-mortem report to add sections of the Protection of Children against Sexual Offence Act (POCSO act) in the FIR.

"The girl was playing outside her home at 4pm. Her parents then found her missing and her father filed a complaint at the station at around 7pm. Efforts were then underway to find the girl," said an investigating official.

They found the minor's body in the forest area near her village on the evening of July 1. Her clothes were in a state of disarray and her face was severely injured.

"She has been beaten with sticks on the face and injuries are clearly visible. The post-mortem will reveal the actual cause of death," says an official from the district.

Police sources further add that the neighbour had found the minor roaming around the area on Wednesday and allegedly took advantage of the fact that she was alone.

"During inquiry he admitted that he had sexually assaulted and murdered the girl," says a police official from the district. "Further investigation is underway and we will have more clarity once we get the post mortem report," he adds.