Hindu population is declining because of internal insecurity, inequality: Kharge

Bengaluru, Jul 12: Karnataka on Sunday registered 71 COVID-19 deaths, its highest single day count, and 2,627 fresh cases, pushing the tally of infections in the state to 38,843, the health department said.

The total positive cases include 22,746 active cases and 15,409 discharges, the department said in its daily bulletin.

The total active cases include 532 people admitted in the ICUs across the state.

Of the 71 fatalities, a record 45 were reported in Bengaluru alone including the death of 16 day-old baby girl and 17-year-old girl with chronic kidney disease, taking the total mortalities in the city to 274.

Among the districts, where new cases were reported, Bengaluru urban accounted for 1,525 cases, followed by Dakshina Kannada with 196, Dharwad 129, Yadagiri 120, and 19 in Bengaluru Rural.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, 8.39 lakh samples have been tested including 20,050 on Sunday alone, of which 7.80 lakh tested negative.

Other than Bengaluru, five fatalities were reported in Dakshina Kannada, three each in Mysuru, Hassan, Davangere and Belagavi, two each in Haveri and Bagalkote and one each in Dharwad, Koppal, Tumakuru, Vijayapura and Chamarajanagar.

While majority of those who died of coronavirus suffered from Severe Acute Respiratory Illness and Influenza Like Illness, significantly 21 victims did not have any pre-medical conditions while eight were the asymptomatic patients with pre-medical conditions.

Bengaluru, May 5: After Congress delegation was denied to donate a cheque of Rs one crore to ensure free transportation to migrants, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar said that Congress party can go anywhere and help anyone they want and BJP leaders must understand what constitutional rights are.

Earlier on Monday, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister who holds the transport portfolio, Lakshman Savadi suggested the Congress delegation for donating at least Rs 150 crore to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund instead of handing over a cheque of Rs one crore as a donation in order to bear the transportation fare of the migrants.

While reacting to Deputy CM and other BJP leaders' comments, Shivakumar said, "BJP leaders must understand what constitutional rights are. Who are these BJP leaders? They are now entering to help migrant workers after RSS guidelines. They must understand that we are a party and we can go anywhere and help anyone we want."

Congress leaders on Monday met Savadi to handover a cheque of Rs one crore in order to donate money for the migrant workers' transportation.

However, Savadi did not accept the cheque and suggested the Congress delegation to donate a bigger amount to the CM Relief Fund.

While addressing media after meeting the Congress leaders' delegation in the leadership of KPCC president, DK Shivakumar, Savadi said: "Congress has a history and its a wealthy party, still if Congress leaders want to donate, at least they must donate Rs 150 crores to the CM relief fund to fight COVID-19."

DK Shivakumar yesterday slammed the government and urged to depute free transport services to migrant workers, he asserted that Congress will donate money in this regard.

But the Managing Director of KSRTC denied to accept the cheque of Rs one crore and suggested the Congress delegation to meet transport minister or Chief Minister and donate to CM relief funds. Hence, today congress leaders met deputy CM Lakshman Savadi and tried to handover Rs one crore cheque which he did not accept.

After Congress leaders slammed the government and people criticised the decision of collecting bus fares, CM BS Yediyurappa ordered for free transport service to migrant workers.

Bengaluru, Apr 28: A local court in Karnataka on Tuesday granted bail to a CRPF commando who was arrested by state police officials for alleged assault on them during COVID-19 lockdown duty, a charge contested strongly by the paramilitary.

The jawan has been taken to the jungle warfare training school of the paramilitary force in Belagavi district, a senior official said.

Constable Sachin Savant of the 207th CoBRA battalion was granted regular bail by a court located in Chikodi taluka of the district, he said.

A team of CRPF and CoBRA officials were present in the court during the proceeding during which the state police did not oppose the bail, the official said.

The commando was arrested by police on April 23 from Examba village (Belagavi district) when he was washing his bike outside his house without wearing a mask, as required under the coronavirus prevention protocol.

An altercation and physical fight took place between the two sides, following which the trooper was taken to the local police station and arrested.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) had on Monday taken up the case with the Karnataka director general of police (DGP), calling the incident "unpleasant".

The CRPF letter said commando Savant was "manhandled, ill-treated, paraded to the police station barefooted, kept in chains and handcuffs" by police personnel and sought the intervention of state Director General of Police Praveen Sood.

The paramilitary had said that from the scrutiny of a viral video on social media of the incident "it is apparent that the conduct of the police personnel was not citizen-centric".

A police report had said the CoBRA commando "started the altercation" with the beat constable and another policeman accompanying him, and "assaulted" them.

As per the official Twitter handle of the Karnataka DGP's on Monday evening, "IGP (inspector-general of police) Belagavi has been asked to enquire into the incident involving the CRPF constable and action will be taken against guilty after receipt of the report".

The Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) unit of the CRPF specialises in guerrilla tactics and jungle warfare.