Remove photos of political leaders on all hoardings and ads: EC

Bengaluru, Jun 8: Normal life is slowly returning to normal across Karnataka with the state government further easing the restrictions by throwing open places of worship, hotels, malls for the public.

Despite these places being opened after a gap of more than two months, the places wore a deserted look as the people are and cautious and not ready to take of risk of venturing out amid the ongoing Corona threat.

"Business is not as heavy as expected though it was allowed after a gap of almost three months. You can see for yourself the crowd, it is not what it should have been in a commercial area like this prior to the imposition of lockdown. However, hope it will improve", a Cloth merchant B Ramesh told UNI when asked for his reaction.

Bengaluru, June 10: A court in Bengaluru has ejected the bail plea of Amulya Leona Noronha, a college student who has been accused of sedition for saying “Pakistan Zindabad” at the beginning of a speech during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the city on February 20.

The court claimed that if granted bail, the 19-year-old student of journalism and English at a Bengaluru college “may involve (herself) in similar offence which affects peace at large”.

Rejecting her bail plea, 60th additional city civil and sessions judge Vidyadhar Shirahatti said in his order, “If the petitioner is granted bail, she may abscond. Therefore, the bail petition of the petitioner is liable to be rejected.”

The police had booked Amulya under charges of sedition and promoting enmity between groups, although her friends claimed she was trying to convey a message of universal humanity by chanting zindabad in the name of all nations, including Pakistan and India.

Amulya, known for her oratory, and often invited at protests against the CAA, NRC and NPR, was arrested on the evening of February 20.

Video clips of the speech showed her chanting “Hindustan Zindabad” soon after saying “Pakistan Zindabad” and trying to tell the audience — her microphone had been taken away by then — that all nations are one in the end. She could not complete the speech; the protest was being held at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park.

Amulya’s bail plea was delayed on account of the lockdown, which came into force on March 25 — around the time hearings were due to begin in a lower court. Bengaluru police did not file a chargesheet against the student during the lockdown.

In the course of bail hearings, which began after lockdown restrictions were eased, the public prosecutor argued that Amulya was trying to incite people to create a law and order problem. The prosecutor also argued that she had earlier been accused of causing hatred and disaffection towards religion and the government established by law in India by holding a placard that stated “F##k Hindutva” during a student protest.

The prosecution argued that the student, if released, may commit similar offences since cases were already registered against her.

Defending Amulya, a friend who was part of the February 20 protest said, “Before she could complete what she wanted to say they surrounded her and grabbed the microphone. She was later placed under arrest on charges of sedition. What she was trying to say was, if we love one country it does not mean we should hate another.” Another friend said, “Please see her Facebook post of February 16, around 8 pm. Loving another country does not mean you are going against your own — this is exactly what she was trying to say (at the protest). She is promoting unity among nations…”

Newsroom, June 14: Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput, who was found dead in his house in Mumbai’s Bandra today, was heartbroken after the death of his former manager Disha Salian.

34-year-old actor had posted a heartfelt note after her death: “It’s such devastating news. My deepest condolences to Disha’s family and friends. May your soul rest in peace.” 

The police are considering 28-year-old Disha’s death as an accidental one and the investigation is on to find if it was a suicide. She died after falling off the 14th floor of a building in Malad, Mumbai on June 8.

It is not yet known if there is any connection between the two deaths. Sushant’s house help reportedly found him hanging inside his room on Sunday and cops are investigating the case. He was recently seen in Nitesh Tiwari’s Chhichhore and more recently on Netflix opposite Jacqueline Fernandez in Drive.

Who is Disha Salian?

Disha Salian hails from Karnataka’s coastal district of Udupi. She was born in 1992 into a business family background. She reportedly migrated to Mumbai with her family at an early age. 

After completing her education, she worked in the Times of India Group for more than three years. The she went on the become the celebrity manager at Media Vantage.

Apart from Sushant, she had great links with many popular celebrities like Bharti Singh, Alisha Panwar, and others.