NRI Aboobakar Siddiq hacked to death by saffron extremists near Uppala

Bengaluru, Jan 14: A woman has sustained burns on the left hand and the left chest in a vicious acid attack that occurred as she walked home in Mallappa Layout, Seegehalli, near KR Puram in Bengaluru.

Prabhavathi, the victim, and her husband, Radhakrishna Reddy, own an acre and six guntas of land in Seegehalli. They had constructed 20 houses on the parcel and rented them while keeping the rest of the land empty and building a boundary wall around it, according to a senior police officer. 

Four men named Ravi, Kumar, Ashirvadam and Shekar laid claim to the land and demolished the boundary wall two years ago. When the couple approached the cops, Manjunath, a sub-inspector from KR Puram police station, visited the spot along with other officers and allegedly abused Reddy and his family. 

Reddy then approached a senior police officer who suggested that he file a complaint against the sub-inspector as well as his rivals for threatening the family. The case is pending in a case. 

On January 7, Ravi, along with four others — Raghu, Kabalan, Ashrivadam and Munireddy — mocked Prabhavathi as she walked home. They asked her to withdraw the complaint. When she ignored them, one of the men motioned to another person. In a flash, a man in the group threw acid on Prabhavathi. The liquid fell on her left hand and left chest, gashing them. Her screams drew her family who rushed her to a hospital. 

Reddy said the suspects had been intimidating them to sell the remaining land. He accused the KR Puram sub-inspector of “threatening” the family.

According to Reddy, following their complaint, a departmental enquiry was launched against the sub-inspector and his promotion was stalled. He suggested that the suspects had used the acid attack as a weapon to “silence” and force them into withdrawing the complaints. 

Following the acid attack, KR Puram police booked eight people — Ravi, Raghu, Kabalan, Ashirvadam, Munireddy, Sachin, Rahul, and Kumareshan — under IPC sections 326 (a) (acid attack) and 506 (criminal intimidation). Efforts are on to track them down. 

Bengaluru, Jan 2: Former chief ministers of Karnataka Siddaramaiah and H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he embarked on a two-day visit to the state attend events in Tumakuru and Bengaluru. In a series of tweets, the Congress and the JD(S) leaders took a dig at Modi for his alleged failure on various fronts.

"You did not visit Karnataka when it was devastated by floods, you did not visit Karnataka when our farmers cried for help, but all of a sudden, when you want to launch your political propaganda, you remember the innocent people of Karnataka. Wah Modi Wah!!" Siddaramaiah tweeted.

In another tweet, the Congress leader claimed Karnataka is starved of Central government funds as there were no adequate flood relief, no GST revenue loss compensation and there was a delay in the transfer of grant-in-aid.

He further said, "Before attempting to fool our people, let the people of Karnataka know when they will get their due share!" He also sought to know from Modi why the 25 MPs from Karnataka have 'turned off' their engines.

"With 25 MPs from BJP and a state government with BJP, people hoped for a double engine. Instead, all BJP representatives have turned off their engines and have become sycophants to play a tune to your idiosyncrasies. Why, are they scared of you?" Siddaramaiah said.

Seeking an explanation on various incomplete projects, the Congress leader said, "Mr Narendra Modi, people are fed up of your lies and double-edged sword comments. We want your answer today about long-standing questions on: Kalasa Banduri Yojana, Belagavi border issue, exams in Kannada, Tulu & Kodava in 8th schedule, the list goes on." Kumaraswamy too minced no words as he went on the offensive against the Centre.

In his tweets quoting newspaper reports, he said Karnataka's coffer has dried up, financial position is in doldrums and the revenue has plummeted.

"What's the reason (behind poor economic situation)? The poor economic policies of the Centre. After swallowing the GDP and development of the country, the wrong policies have affected the state too," alleged Kumaraswamy.

Quoting reports, Kumaraswamy said the Centre has denied the state's share of revenue.

"About 5.44 per cent of state's share is yet to come from the Centre. This is step-motherly attitude of the Centre towards the state," Kumaraswamy tweeted.

Bengaluru, Jan 30: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who reached the national capital on Thursday, said he will discuss the much-awaited Ministry expansion with the BJP high command.

"It's been long that I visited Delhi. I will meet the party national president J P Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah and take their suggestions on the cabinet expansion," Yediyurappa told reporters.

The chief minister said he will also call on Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and discuss about development issues related to Karnataka.

Yediyurappa has been anxiously waiting for the high command's nod to expand his ministry amid intense lobbying by the aspirants.

Opposition parties have been critical of the BJP and Yediyurappa over the delay in cabinet expansion, alleging that he was weak and that the administration had collapsed.

As the chief minister has already made it clear that 11 of the disqualified JDS-Congress MLAs who got re-elected in the bypolls on BJP tickets will be made ministers, lobbying has been on in the party for the remaining ministerial berths.

Currently, there are 18 Ministers, including the chief minister in the cabinet that has a sanctioned strength of 34. Sixteen berths are vacant.