Homestay attack: All you had to do was dial 100, Seemant tells media

[email protected] (CD Network, Photos by Ahmed Anwar)
July 30, 2012

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Mangalore, July 30: Seemant Kumar Singh, Mangalore City Police Commissioner, on Monday said that he does not hold media as a whole responsible for the attack which took place on young boys and girls at a homestay in Padil in the presence of their cameras.

Addressing media persons at his office after a memorandum was submitted to him by the Dakshina Kannada District Working Journalists' Association requesting him to drop the FIRs registered against media persons in connection with the case, Mr. Singh said that no media person has been arrested and that their role is still being investigated. “Although one of the arrested has told us that he had informed the media, we are not going by his word just as yet. The matter is being investigated”, he said.

Mr. Singh said that media persons arrived at the spot to do their duty. “However, you and I have a bigger duty and responsibility towards the society and you should have informed the police. The concerned media person has said that the mob outnumbered media persons at the spot and there was very little he could do. If you were really concerned, you could have done much more. All you had to do was dial 100”, he said.

When it was pointed out that many a time police do not respond to calls made by media persons, Mr. Singh said that he would direct all police officers to see that media persons' calls are attended to and revert back to them in case they are unable to pick calls for some reason.

Mr. Singh maintained that the video footage shot by media persons have helped in identifying some of the culprits behind the assault. “But had you informed us beforehand, there would not have been a need to go through the footage at all. The incident could have been prevented”, he said. Media persons focused more on capturing the victims on camera rather than the culprits, he alleged.

In response to a query on the inaction of police personnel also being present at the spot when the assaulters were in the homestay, Mr. Singh asked for evidence for the early presence of police at the spot. If police officers are found to have been guilty, action would be taken against them, he assured.

Denying that the police have registered FIRs against media persons for personal grudge and enmity, Mr. Singh invited media persons to name a few members from their side to be a part of a common committee along with the police to sort the matter out.

Earlier, a delegation of media persons led by P B Harish Rai, President, DK District Working Journalists' Association, submitted a memorandum to the Commissioner. Stating that it is the democratic right of the media to convey to the people what is happening in society, Mr. Rai requested Mr. Singh to drop the cases against media persons and create an environment where members of the media fraternity could carry out their job with freedom.

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News Network
March 12,2020

Mangaluru, Mar 12: Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh on Thursday said that the test reports of the 35-year-old passenger from Dubai have shown no signs of either Coronavirus (COVID-19) or H1N1.

In statement issued here Ms Rupesh said that the passenger has now been discharged from the Bantwal hospital. He has been asked to stay at home quarantined for the next 14 days.

The passenger, who had been diagnosed with fever after he arrived at the airport from Dubai on March 8, had left the Government Wenlock Hospital in the early hours of March 9 refusing to undergo tests.

Later, he was traced and admitted to the hospital in Bantwal and his throat swab samples had been sent to Viral Research Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) in Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences.

Meanwhile, throat swab samples of six patients were also found negative for COVID-19.

As many asf 49 people were under quarantine in the district of which five have completed the 28-day cycle.

All passengers arriving by international flights and those in contact with them should voluntarily report to the district health team and undergo self-quarantine for 14 days. If there were symptoms of cough, cold and fever, they should undergo tests for COVID-19. If the reports were positive for COVID-19, then they have to stay in the isolation ward of the Government Wenlock Hospital or in the seven select private hospitals for 28 days.

Screening facility at the airport has been strengthened by posting doctors from seven private medical colleges on rotation basis. These doctors would be in addition to the medical officer at the airport. An ambulance has been placed at the airport exclusively to shift people to the hospitals, she added.

The State government has issued a notification on Wednesday authorising Deputy Commissioners to get the affected admitted by force, if necessary.

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News Network
April 22,2020

Mangaluru, Apr 22: A staff working at the office of Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner was sent to quarantine as a precautionary measure here in the city on Wednesday.

The staff reportedly is a distant relative of a woman (native of Bantwal) who recently died due to killer Corona Virus in Wenlock Hospital, prompting the DC office to send the staff for 14-day quarantine.

According to the reports the staff had met the Doctor who was treating the woman and had inquired about her health condition on April 18.

However the staff did not meet the woman when she was in hospital as she was being treated in the ICU.

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News Network
February 12,2020

Belagavi, 12: Even though the investigation into the four abandoned country pistols that were recovered by the Karnataka police on the outskirts of Waghawade village in Belagavi taluk last weekend did not make any headway, the police are verifying if the weapons had been used by the assassin of Gauri Lankesh for training.

Four country pistols were found abandoned on the outskirts of Waghawade on Sunday. Locals informed that the police had taken the weapons for inspection.

Prima facie it appeared that the weapons were rusted and had not been used for long. Cases had been registered against unidentified persons and investigations were in progress.

After reports that the weapons could have been used for training by the assassin of Gauri Lankesh in the forests in Khanapur, a few kilometres away from the spot wherein they were found, police have been looking into this angle too.

Sources said the condition of the weapons indicated that they have not been used for decades but to allay doubt all aspects were being looked into.

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