Protesters target homestay attack victims; criticise their sympathisers

Bengaluru, Jun 15: The total number of COVID-19 cases in Karnataka reached the 7,000-mark on Sunday, with the state reporting 176 new cases and five related fatalities, taking the toll to 86.

The day also saw 312 patients getting discharged in the state after recovery while the total number of positive cases in the Udupi district alone breached 1000 cases mark.

As of June 14 evening, cumulatively 7,000 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 86 deaths and 3,955 discharges, the health department said in its bulletin. It said, out of 2,956 active cases, 2,940 patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while 16 are in ICU.

The five dead include- thee from Bengaluru urban, and one each from Dakshina Kannada and Bidar. The three from Bengaluru include- two women aged 57 and 60 respectively and a man who was 50 years; while the person who died in Dakshina Kannada was a 24-year-old man.

Also, a 76-year-old man from Bidar, who died at his residence on June 6, later tested positive for COVID-19. Out of 176 new cases, 88 are returnees from other states, the majority of them from neighboring Maharashtra. While 6 are those who returned from other countries.

Among the districts where new cases were reported, Bengaluru urban accounts for 42, Yadgir 22, Udupi 21, Bidar 20, Kalaburagi 13, Dharwad 10, Ballari 8, Kolar 7, Uttara Kannada 6, five each from Mandya and Dakshina Kannada, Bagalkote 4 and Ramanagara 3. Besides, two each from Raichur and Shivamogga, and one each from Belagavi, Hassan, Vijayapura, Bengaluru rural, and Haveri.

Udupi district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 1,026 infections, followed by Kalaburagi 896 and Yadgir 809.

Among discharges also Udupi tops the list with total of 713 discharges, followed by Kalaburagi 427 and Bengaluru urban 327. A total of 4,43,969 samples were tested so far, out of which 7,451 were tested on Sunday alone. So far 4,27,608 samples have been reported as negative, and out of the 6,835 were reported negative today.

Kasaragod, Mar 31: Two more Kasaragod natives lost their lives on Monday due to blockade of the interstate border by Karnataka police in the wake of outbreak of novel coronavirus.

They could not get emergency health care as the Karnataka police stopped the ambulance carrying them to a hospital in Mangaluru at the border.

Another critically-ill person, who was sent back by Manguluru hospital authorities on March 23 for being a Kasaragod native, also died on Monday.

This is the fifth such case in many days.

The deceased are Madhavan, 50, Ayesha, 55 and Aziz Haji, 61 respectively.

All three of them lived near the Karnataka border.

Madhavan, who hailed from Thummanattu in Manjeswaram, died enroute to Kanhangad hospital after being denied entry to cross over to Karnataka. He had an acute bronchial attack.

Udyavar native Ayesha, an asthma patient, was referred to the Mangaluru Hospital by the hospital authorities at Uppali. When the authorities stopped her at the border, she was taken to the Kanhangad hospital. However, she died before reaching the hospital.

Aziz Haji, from Nayabazar Cherugoli MA Cottage at Uppala, was allegedly refused entry into a Manguluru Hospital on March 23 on account of being a Kasaragod native. Haji was a dialysis patient at the hospital. “We were unable to contact his doctor at the time,” his relatives said. Haji, who was on the ventilator, lost his life Monday morning.

One more from Kerala dies as Karnataka police stop ambulance at border
Kunjathoor native Abdul Hameed and Bandwal native Fathima also lost their lives due to the closing of the interstate border.

The district authorities has appealed to the Government to intervene in the matter and influence Karnataka as to lift a ban in crossing over for ambulances carrying critical patients.

The people of Kasaragod are largely dependent on the medical facilities in Mangaluru for critical illness care.

The Kasaragod MP, Rajmohan Unnithan has said he would move the Supreme court against this.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has already taken up the issue with the Centre.

Kerala HC takes up issue with Karnataka AAG

The Kerala High Court on Monday sought the views of the Advocate General of Karnataka on the issue of the government of the neighbouring state blocking its borders with Kerala.

Considering a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Kerala High Court Advocates Association, seeking a direction for opening the roads, a bench comprising Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Shaji P Chali requested the Advocate General of Karnataka to join the hearing at 11 am on Tuesday through video conferencing.

The Court orally observed that the blockades erecting embankments on the inter-state roads would affect the people's right to life.

The Karnataka government blocked the state highway with to prevent movement of vehicles carrying essential goods and people seeking emergency treatment at hospitals in the city of Mangalore bordering Kasaragod.

With 97 infected patients, Kasaragod has the largest number of COVID-19 cases in Kerala. 7,437 people are under observation in the district.

Benglauru, May 17: A garment company manager jumped to death from his third-floor house on Saturday, four days after having killed his wife and wrapping her body in a blanket. 

Manish Kumar, 42, gave a relative and neighbours frightening moments before committing suicide at AECS Layout, Kudlu Gate, Southeast Bengaluru. The relative had come over after Kumar’s brother called him from Delhi, saying he had stopped responding to phone calls. 

The relative, who lives in Hongasandra, arrived at Kumar’s house around noon. He knocked on the door which was bolted from the inside but didn’t get a response. When he asked the neighbours, they said they didn’t have a clue. The relative and the neighbours decided to break the door open. 

But as they entered the house, they got the shock of their lives. Kumar was slitting his wrist with a blade. He then ran into the bathroom and locked himself in. They followed him and asked him to open the door. But he ignored them. They had to break open the bathroom door, too. By this time, Kumar had slashed his hands, chest and other parts of the body. Waving the blade at them, he asked them to stay away. 

Even the relative and the neighbours pleaded with him to drop the blade, he ran out and jumped off the building. He was taken to a hospital but it was too late. 

A bigger shock awaited them. They felt a foul smell emanating from the house. When they went in, they found the decomposed body of Kumar’s wife, Sandhya, 35, wrapped in a blanket. They called the cops. 

Police found a death note purportedly written by Kumar on May 12. “We suspect he killed her on that day,” said a police officer investigating the case. 

Police said the death note specifies what made Kumar kill his wife and commit suicide. Sandhya suspected him of having an affair since he regularly chatted up some bar dancers he had met in Gurgaon and Delhi. She accessed his phone and saw the calls and the WhatsApp messages he had sent them. The issue rocked their marital life and they often fought over it. He then decided to kill his wife and commit suicide, as per the death note. 

Police said Kumar appeared to have spent the last four days at home, with his wife’s body wrapped in the blanket. “We don’t know whether he tried to dispose of the body or didn’t want to see it,” the officer said. Police couldn’t determine how he killed her and are waiting for the post-mortem report. 

Joshi Srinath Mahadev, DCP (Southeast), said the couple hailed from Bihar. “We are waiting for Sandhya’s relatives to arrive in Bengaluru. A case of murder and suicide has been registered at the Parappana Agrahara police station.” Another officer said the couple had a love marriage.