Mysore varsity in charge V-C held guilty of sexual abuse

Bengaluru, Feb 18: Deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi was elected to the legislative council on Monday and although it was a done deal that he would win, a vote from across the aisle spiced up the election.

Counting was conducted soon after ballots were cast and Savadi polled 113 of the 120 votes cast, including the vote of disgruntled JD(S) legislator GT Devegowda. Seven votes were declared invalid. Members of the two opposition parties — Congress and JD(S) — abstained from voting.

The election was necessitated following the resignation of Rizwan Arshad of the Congress. Rizwan resigned after he was elected to the legislative assembly from the Shivajinagar constituency in the assembly bypolls held for 15 seats in December last year.

BR Anil Kumar, who was initially promised the support of both Congress and JD(S) was supposed to contest as an independent candidate. However, as both parties refused to support him at the last minute, he withdrew, paving the way for Savadi’s victory.

The BJP has 117 members in the 225-member assembly, but N Mahesh of the BSP and two independents, H Nagesh and Sharath Bachchegowda, besides GT Devegowda also voted, taking the total electorate to 120 (including the speaker). BJP’s SA Ramadas did not turn up because of health reasons.

“I would like to thank all those who were responsible for my victory. Special thanks to leaders of my party and chief minister BS Yediyurappa, who gave me the opportunity to be the BJP candidate,” said Savadi.

Winning this council election was crucial for Savadi to retain his ministry as he was not an elected member of either of the houses. Rules mandate that a non-member must get elected either to the assembly or council within six months after taking over as minister. February 20 was the deadline for Savadi, who had lost 2018 assembly polls from Athani, to get elected.

Officials in the assembly secretariat said seven votes were invalid because voters had wrongly marked their choices on ballot paper. According to norms, a voter has to mark numerical one, two and three against the names of the candidates in order of preference. Marking only numerical one is allowed. However, six ballots had a tick mark, while a voter had registered a cross mark. Since it was a secret ballot, it was not known who the MLAs were whose votes were invalid.

“The ballot papers bear serial numbers and they are randomly distributed. It is virtually impossible to say who a voter cast his or her vote for,” said assembly secretary MK Vishalakashi, the retuning officer for the bypoll.

Yadgir, July 2: A fresh video of the health staff dragging the body of a Covid-19 victim and dumping it into a pit disgracefully has gone viral on social media.

The incident occurred in Yadgir district of Karnataka on Tuesday, just days after shocking visuals of bodies of Covid-19 victims being handled disrespectfully in Ballari district went viral.

In the fresh video, two persons with PPE suits can be seen dragging, hurling and dumping the dead body of a senior citizen who died of covid-19. The duo dragged the body using a wooden log inserted to both hands of a plastic body bag for nearly 300 meters.

After pulling till the pit, the body was heartlessly dumped including a wooden log. Several villagers were also seen in the video.

The victim was settled in Siravara in Raichur district, although he originally hailed from Yadgir. On Sunday he was busy overseeing his daughter' wedding that was first postponed due to lockdown.

According to a relative of the deceased, on Monday he complained of breathing problems following which an ambulance was called to carry him to Raichur Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS).

Raichur Deputy Commissioner (DC), R Venkatesh said he was brought dead to the hospital as he succumbed en-route. The family members were quarantined and the body was packed as per the protocols and sent to Yadgir as his family members informed that the victim is from the neighbouring district. "In Yadgir district he was swabbed and his test results came positive," DC informed.

As soon as residents of Honagera village learned about the arrival of the body, the family members were harassed asking them to not to bury the body in any of the fields in the village.

Sridevi, a relative of the deceased said "the locals assembled near our house and threatened consequences if the body was brought here. Fearing backlash, we asked the district authorities to perform the last rites in the farmland owned by the victim. But it is now saddening to see the video where the body was inhumanely dragged and dumped."

Meanwhile Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa on Wednesday (July 1, 2020) said that six staff members have been suspended in connection with the inhumane funeral of a man who died of COVID-19 in Balari district.

Another covid victim’s body inhumanly dragged, dumped into pit in Karnataka pic.twitter.com/xs1fssupPg

— coastaldigest.com (@coastaldigest) July 2, 2020

Bengaluru, Jul 25: The Karnataka government on Saturday announced a waiver of crematorium fees for those who succumb to the COVID-19 infection in Bengaluru and said the city civic body would bear the cost.

It said that from now on, families of the COVID deceased need not pay any fees fixed by the city civic body- Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)- across 12 electric crematoriums in the city.

"There were reports in the media about difficulties faced in performing the last rites of those who died due to COVID-19 infections. Aimed at resolving those difficulties, certain decisions have been taken," Revenue Minister R Ashoka said.

He told reporters here that BBMP had fixed Rs 250 as the cremation fee, Rs 100 for the ash collection pot and Rs 900 for the bier (bamboo stretcher on which the body is carried), all of which have been waived for COVID deaths.

"So it will be a waiver of Rs 1,250 per cremation. The BBMP will bear this cost," he added.

Ashoka also announced Rs 500 per body incentive for the personnel who conduct the last rites of COVID victims.

"This is in recognition of their services at a time when family members of the deceased are not ready to touch the body and not ready to take the body in some cases," he said.

Noting that the government has identified 23 acres of land at five places around Bengaluru for burial or cremation of COVID victims, Ashoka locals in all these areas are protesting against it.

Appealing to the people for cooperation during these difficult times, he said the government's intention was to ensure respectful burial or cremation for the deceased.

"Obstructing it is not right, it is not Indian tradition," he said.

Pointing out that it takes almost a day's time for a COVID victim's body to be handed over for burial or cremation, he said "scientifically, according to experts and doctors, the virus will not remain alive for more than three hours.

...Also, bodies are either burnt or buried eight feet below. So there will not be any problem for those living in nearby areas and it will not spread infection. Cooperate with humanity," he said.

"These lands identified are for all religions and communities and once the pandemic subsides, can be used for other deaths as well," he said.