'Diluted' anti-superstition bill gets State Cabinet nod

DHNS
September 28, 2017

Bengaluru, Sept 28: After much ado, the State Cabinet on Wednesday approved a diluted anti-superstition bill that seeks to ban 16 practices, including human torture in the name of rituals and creating panic by threatening to invoke ghosts.

The Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Bill, 2017 is a watered down version of the Karnataka Prevention of Superstitious Practices Bill, 2013 which had proposed to ban numerology and astrology too.

However, the 2013 bill had met with resistance from various quarters, including religious institutions, and was referred to a scrutiny committee for review. Numerology, astrology and vaastu have now been spared from the purview of the bill.

The words “aghori” and “narabali” (cannibalism and human sacrifice) have also been deleted in the revised bill as these practices are not found in the State.

Briefing reporters, Law Minister T?B?Jayachandra said the bill will be tabled in the winter session of the State legislature, likely to be held in November in Belagavi.

The bill is modelled after a similar legislation in force in Maharashtra. It seeks to ban practices such as exorcism, black magic, witchcraft, rituals promoting self-injury, throwing of infants from a height on a bed of thorns, parading women in the naked and sexual exploitation by invoking supernatural powers.

Made snana out

The bill also bans the controversial “made snana” practised in some temples. Without naming the practise, the bill states that facilitating any person to roll over leaves with leftover food by others, in public or religious places, is banned.

The bill does not cover worship, teaching of ancient and traditional learning, holding prayers, religious celebrations, piercing of ears, nose in accordance with rituals, vaastushastra, astrology and advice on sourcing groundwater.

The bill contains penal provisions and designates police inspectors as vigilance officers for detection and prevention of violations of the provisions of the bill.

Comments

Unknown
 - 
Thursday, 28 Sep 2017

This is good , we will keep Yeddi's people away from performing such stupid act

Vijay
 - 
Thursday, 28 Sep 2017

irrelevant to this article.

Shiva
 - 
Thursday, 28 Sep 2017

Going by superstitious practices of Congis,worship of Gandhis to be abolished?!!!.stop glorification of progressive thinkers,gauri lankesh.......etc!!!!

Gopalkrishna
 - 
Thursday, 28 Sep 2017

I think , i need clarify what education means in my comment, many times most of get misled. I don't mean schooling and getting degrees is education. thats only earning a degree not getting educated. Hope i made my stand clear

Kumar
 - 
Thursday, 28 Sep 2017

Education is has no bearing on superstitions. Many well educated Pundits' superstitions are in fact make others to believe too. I have seen many believe in astrology, vastu, puranas, and so on. Many uneducated are atheists too.

Gopalkrishna
 - 
Thursday, 28 Sep 2017

Wonder any rule can stop practices, but education can.. can government spend time and money in spreading awareness. Just law does not help in any fashion. Unless we change the minds of the ppl. This will be a defunct law as even enforcers do not believe in this the law enacted...

Gopalkrishna
 - 
Thursday, 28 Sep 2017

Wonder any rule can stop practices, but education can.. can government spend time and money in spreading awareness. Just law does not help in any fashion. Unless we change the minds of the ppl. This will be a defunct law as even enforcers do not believe in this the law enacted...

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News Network
February 21,2020

Chikkamgaluru, Feb 21: Wazi Noronha, aka, Vojald, the father of Amulya Leona Noronha, who lives in Koppa taluk of Chickmagalur district has said that he was shocked by his daughter’s pro-Pakistan slogans.

“Let her rot in jail. I don’t mind if police break her bones, I don’t support what she said and I will not approach lawyers for her bail. She has committed a grave mistake,” he said.

Amulya, a 19-year-old student activist, was booked for sedition yesterday after she raised ‘Long Live Pakistan’ slogans at a CAA-NRC rally. A visibly embarrassed Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM chief and MP tried to snatch the mic away from her and slammed her. Karnataka Police have registered a case under IPC Section 124A (Offence of sedition) against Amulya.

Mr. Wazi, who owns a two-acre areca plantation and runs a poultry farm, said he would not make any attempts to get her bail. “Let the law take its course. I cannot approve of her statement,” he said.

He said he had cautioned his daughter against getting involved in protests. “I told her to complete studies first and later she could fight for poor people. But what she said yesterday is not acceptable. I don’t know what made her so. I hope a probe would bring out who prompted her to make such statements,” he said.

Mr. Wazi also admitted that he was associated with BJP and had worked for saffronite leaders like Shobha Karandlaje and D N Jeevaraj.

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News Network
August 7,2020

Bengaluru, Aug 7: Amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Karnataka, the state's health department issued fresh guidelines for the disposal of bodies of COVID patients.

"Although an increased risk of COVID infection from a dead body to health workers or family members who follow standard precautions while handling the body is unlikely, the lack of scientific data requires the utmost care to avoid the inadvertent spread of COVID-19 during these times," the statement from the health department's press release read, emphasising on the dignity of the dead and the religious and cultural tradition.

The 23-page press release elaborated on guidelines regarding testing, handling of dead bodies and other specificities in relation to the management of COVID-19 bodies.

"Testing should not be insisted in every case of death, but only when they have a recorded history of influenza-like symptoms. The body should be handed over to the family members/ relatives in a dignified manner immediately after swab collection and hospitals should provide handouts with a list of dos and don'ts in English and Kannada laying down relevant information," the statement said.

It added, "At the mortuary, health care workers, mortuary staff and the family of the deceased body shall not come in direct contact with the dead body and must wear full personal protective equipment (PPE). If the family or relative are for any reason unable to cremate or bury the body, the local health authority shall arrange for the dignified last rites as per the religious traditions of the family."

Regarding autopsies (post mortem) on COVID-19 bodies, the state department said that they should be avoided, except in necessary circumstances.

The statement also gave detailed guidelines regarding the appropriate recording of COVID-19 deaths in line with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines.

Additionally, the health department made a statement about the admission procedure for COVID positive patients referred by other district administrations saying, "It is now mandatory for all the referrals from the BBMP admission and discharge of COVID positive patients to be done through the online COVID Hospital Bed Management System (CHBMS)."

The state's count of coronavirus cases was 1,51,449 in the past 24 hours.

So far, a total of 2,804 people have died due to COVID-19 in the state, while the average recovery rate in Karnataka is 49.3 per cent.

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News Network
January 1,2020

Mangaluru, Jan 1: Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said here on Tuesday that the State government will think about making policy on giving compensation to the families of those who have died in police firing.

Speaking to newsmen here on Tuesday, he said that the government withholding compensation to the families of two persons who died in police firing in the city on December 19 after a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act turned violent and even in 2006 when two persons had died in police firing at Mulky in Dakshina Kannada the then State government had not given any compensation to their families.

In the latest case, the First Information Report (FIR) has named the two persons who had died in the firing as the accused. After the incident, there were demands to provide compensation to the families of the victims.

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