Ramanath Rai called Poojary “Ra***maga”: Harikrishna Bantwal

Bengaluru, Apr 28: Karnataka has found that the rapid antibody test kits for COVID-19 that the Centre supplied to the state have only 47% sensitivity. The state will be returning the kits to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Karnataka had received 11,400 rapid antibody test kits from the ICMR a few days back, out of which it had sent around 200 of them to NIMHANS for validation.

After the ICMR, on Monday, sent a circular to all states to return the test kits to the suppliers, Dr CN Manjunath, Director, Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, and nodal officer for lab testing in the state's COVID-19 task force, said, "We have cancelled the orders we placed to Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech and Zhuhai Livzon Diagnostics for one lakh rapid antibody test kits. Since the ICMR supplied us with 11,400 kits out of the 6.5 lakh kits it procured, we will be returning the kits to them."

Manjunath told said that the validation at NIMHANS revealed the kits to have only 47% sensitivity. Sensitivity is the ability of a test to identify the true-positives in a population, i.e., the actual number of people who've been infected with the disease. With the rapid antibody testing kits being shelved, the state's plan to randomly test high risk groups has taken a backseat. 

So far, the state has tested 43,791 samples. 

Karnataka now has 22 testing facilities -- 14 government and seven private labs. Many private labs have not tested any samples so far because of the lack of test kits (the state has made it clear that it will not provide test kits to private labs). So, getting an ICMR approval for testing has become a moot point.p

Agreeing to the setback the state's plans of ramping up testing has taken, Manjunath said, "It is true that RT-PCR test kits are in shortage. Even Pune's Mylabs had a shortage in supplying test kits. But we are relying on institutes like Kidwai, Narayana Health and Biocon's Syngene that have received approval for testing. They're big institutes and we hope that they will test a large number of samples."

On reports that the Centre has RT-PCR test kits that will last for only a week, he said, "We have test kits that will last for eight to 10 days. We have ordered for more. We are hoping to receive them before the current kits run out."

Bengaluru, Jan 6: The city police commissioner Bhaskar Rao has ordered a special inquiry by the additional commissioner in connection with sexual harassment on a girl hailing from Kasaragod and the allegation that there were attempts to convert her to another religion.

Udupi-Chikmagalur MP Shobha Karandlaje on Sunday met Rao along with the girl and gave a complaint that two youths from Kasargod had raped her and forced her to convert to their religion.

A complaint has been filed in the Kasargod police station, but no action has been taken against them. Since both the accused work in Electronics City police station jurisdiction, she urged the police to arrest them.

Rao said he was yet to gather information about the case and he had directed the additional commissioner to conduct a preliminary investigation and submit a report.

After filing a complaint, Shobha told reporters that she has been sexually harassed ever since she was a minor. 

The MP said that the girl, who was brought from Kasaragod to Electronics City, where the accused youths run a business, was allegedly raped. “I have asked the Police Commissioner to direct the Electronics City police to register an FIR and arrest the youths,” she said.

“I have spoken to the survivor and she said that the youths were also forcing her to convert to Islam and threatened her with dire consequences if she did not,” the MP alleged.

Shobha went on to claim that there was a gang that could be operating to forcibly convert Hindu women to Islam. She also met Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa along with the girl’s family members and gave a petition.

Bengaluru, Jun 8: More than two months after the nationwide lockdown was imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus, people offered prayers at Bengaluru's Saint Mary's Church and Shree Dodda Ganapathi Temple as the government has allowed reopening of religious places from today.

Fewer devotees here visited Saint Mary's Church in Shivaji Nagar and were seen maintaining social distancing inside the church premises.

Meanwhile, people queued outside Shree Dodda Ganapathi Temple at Basavanagudi to offer prayers in the wee hours of Monday.

Floor markings have been made here to maintain social distancing.

Social distancing norms are also being followed in Hubli's Nagashetty Koppa where only a few devotees thronged the temple on Monday morning.

In Kalaburagi's Sharana Basaveshwara Temple the visiting hours for devotees have been fixed from 7 am to 10 am and three hours in the evening from 5 pm to 8 pm.

Thermal screening is being conducted here and a disinfectant tunnel has also been installed at the entry point.

Floor markings have also been made here to ensure social distancing while barricades have also been installed on the temple premises.