'Operation Lotus' story was spread only to cover up Cong-JDS govt failures: Yeddyurappa

Ahmedabad/New Delhi, Jan 22: Interpol has issued a Blue Corner Notice seeking information about controversial self-styled godman Nithyananda, who fled the country amid allegations of wrongful confinement of children, officials said on Wednesday.

A Blue Corner Notice is issued by the international police cooperation body to collect additional information from its member countries about a person's identity, location or activities in relation to a crime.

The Gujarat Police had sent a request to the CBI, the nodal body for Interpol matters in India, seeking a Blue Corner Notice against Nithyananda, the officials said.

"Interpol issued the Blue Corner Notice against the controversial godman this month," Deputy Superintendent of Police, Ahmedabad (rural), K T Kamariya, told PTI.

The police said they are now working to get Interpol to issue a Red Corner Notice, a global arrest warrant, against Nithyananda.

The Gujarat Police had registered an FIR against Nithyananda after two girls went missing from his ashram in Ahmedabad.

He was charged with kidnapping and wrongful confinement of children to make them collect donations from followers to run his ashram.

Nithyananda was earlier declared wanted by the Gujarat Police.

While police continue to look for him, reports emerged in December last year that he has created a Hindu nation, Kailaasa, with its own flag and political setup, on an island near Ecuador.

Mysuru, Jan 2: Mysuru-based Karnataka State Open University is gearing up to offer courses online from this year onwards and a proposal in this connection will be placed before the University Grants Commission (UGC) this month, after approval from the board of management.

As of now, the university offers 31 courses, including undergraduate, postgraduate, and diploma programmes.

Vice-chancellor Vidyashankar S Said that the university will submit its proposal to the UGC soon.

“This is being done to make learning convenient and help students study their courses of choices from the comfort of their homes.”

After launching online admissions for courses, this is another step to go paperless and towards an e-campus, the V-C explained.

The university has also proposed to launch 12 new courses for 2020-21.

A proposal in this regard will be placed before the board for approval on Thursday and the same will be submitted to the UGC for its nod.

Prof. Vidyashankar said the these courses will be in addition to the 31 already available.

The new courses include LLM, MA in Education, BBA, BSc, BCA, diploma in Information Technology, postgraduate diploma in Information Technology, BSc in Information Technology, MSc in Information Technology, MSc in Botany, PG diploma in Banking and Insurance, MSc in Zoology, MA in Telugu, Executive MBA, and MSc in Food Sciences and Nutrition.

The new courses had been proposed based on students’ feedback and the trend.

The V-C said the admissions for the January cycle have begun and over 380 students had so far taken admissions online.

“We are hoping for good admissions this cycle and are expecting around 12,000 admissions,” he replied.

Mysuru, Mar 7: Former minister and senior Congress leader and sitting MLA Tanveer Sait has shot off a letter to state Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai expressing his dissatisfaction over the slow progress in the investigations regarding the attack on him.

In the letter, which he released to the press on Saturday, he claimed that although the police have already arrested the culprit, but it is yet to find the real masterminds, leaders or organisation behind the attack.

Mr Sait urged the Home Minister to request the police to speed up their investigation and solve the case at the earliest and give him justice.