Panel to decide on religion tag for Lingayat

Bengaluru, Jul 1: Veteran actor and comedian, Rajagopal, who was known for his outstanding mimicry skills in Sandalwood breathed his last on the night of July 1, that is yesterday. He was one of the favourite comedians among the audiences and is said to have been suffering from kidney and asthma problems.

He passed away at his residence in Bangalore.

The well-recognised comedian has worked in more than 600 movies in his career, along with Tamil movies. The actor was active in the film industry since 1983 and had acted with many stars like Vishnuvardhan, Ambareesh, Prabhakar among others. He is also known for mimicking actress Kalpana's voice very well.

Recently, he also had claimed that new directors, new producers in the Kannada film industry had not been calling veterans to play parts in their movies and preferring fresh talent. He also had been going through a financial crisis due to the lockdown. Rajagopal has also worked in TV serials for some time in his career.  He has acted in super hit movies like, ‘Real Police’, ‘Sadakaru’, ‘Goosi Gang’, ‘Super Police’, and others as well.

The lockdown has seen the demise of many South Indian stars. Chiranjeevi Sarja too passed away last month, leaving the industry in shock. Now, a famous comedian's demise has also saddened the industry further.

Bengaluru, Jul 9: Karnataka Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar on Wednesday said the private hospitals in the state have joined hands with the state government in the fight against COVID-19 and will provide 3,500 beds for patients.

"The meeting with managements of private hospitals has been successful and they have agreed to provide 3,500 beds for COVID-19 treatment," he said while addressing a press conference.

Pointing out that the step would help in providing more beds for COVID-19 patients, he added, "The state government is thankful to the private sector for joining hands with the government in this fight against the pandemic. Apart from beds, private hospitals will also run COVID-19 care centres in collaboration with hotels to treat asymptomatic and people with mild symptoms. Together with beds and COVID-19 care centres, private hospitals will add 6,000 to 7,000 beds in coming days," he said while addressing a press conference.

The minister while clarifying on JJM Medical College stipend issue said he had a number of meetings with the college as also the CM. "Held several meetings with the college management in this regard. I also discussed the same with Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. He already asked the college management to release the stipend of Resident Doctors and PG Medicos immediately. Now it is up to the college management to act.

Urging the residents of the state to fight the pandemic with honesty, the minister said, "We should be honest about the virus and get tested ourselves without hiding it. Wearing masks, social distancing and following government guidelines are the weapon against COVID-19, which would help us to win this war."

New Delhi, Jan 28: The Supreme Court of India today granted bail to 17 convicts sentenced to life imprisonment in 2002 Gujarat massacre case, pending their appeal before the Supreme Court.

The convicts also have to participate in social and spiritual services, said the court, announcing the riders for bail.

The Bench of Chief Justice of India SA Bobde and Justices BR Gavai and Surya Kant directed for the convicts to be segregated into two groups to be sent to Indore and Jabalpur.

District legal authorities in Indore and Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh have been asked to ensure that the convicts do the spiritual and social work the court has asked for.

The Supreme Court has also asked the administration to find them work for livelihood. The state legal services authority has been asked to file a compliance report as also report on their conduct.

The case concerns the mass killing of 33 innocent Muslims - mostly women and children - who were burnt alive at Sardarpura village in March 2002.

This was part of the mass massacre that swept through Gujarat in the aftermath of the death of train passengers on Sabarmati Express in Godhra on Feb 27, 2002. Thousands of innocent Muslims were killed and raped in the three-day violence. The victims include hundreds of children including newborns.

In 2016, the Gujarat High Court had upheld the conviction of 17 accused in the Sardarpura massacre case.

Earlier, a Special SIT court had convicted a total of 31 persons in the case, after three years of trial against 73 persons from Sardarpura and nearby villages.