Security tightened in Mangaluru after fresh ‘communal clash’

Mangaluru, June 11: The Saudi Arabia based Expertise Contracting Company, which is repatriating its employees to India and other countries, today allocated around 90 seats of one of its chartered flights to Kannadigas stranded in Saudi Arabia. 

The Gulf Air flight took off with around 175 passengers on board from Dammam International Airport around noon local time. It is expected to land at Mangaluru International Airport at around 7 p.m. Indian time. 

In fact the company had chartered the flights only to repatriate its employees. However, due to the lack of special flights under Vande Bharati Mission, the company decided to help the other stranded Kannadigas in Saudi Arabia, who had approached Saudi Kannadigas Humanity Forum for help. 

A company official said that around 2,000 employees from various countries in the Indian subcontinent are being repatriated, of which 1,665 are Indians.  Already hundreds of them have reached India, and hundreds are still waiting for repatriation. 

“We are grateful to Expertise for allowing to travel in the flight which the company had chartered to repatriate its own employees,” said one of the passengers before boarding the flight at the airport.  

Director of Expertise, KS Shaikh said the 20-year-old Expertise group, one of the largest conglomerates in the GCC operating in petrochemical and heavy equipment sectors, has more than 10,000 employees and their family members in the Gulf, mainly in Jubail, one of the largest industrial cities.

Of these, the company has chosen over 2,000 employees for the covid-related repatriations considering various emergencies. He said 12 chartered flights have been engaged to carry out the repatriation exercise to the Indian subcontinent.

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 18: Bindhu Sampath, the mother of Nimisha alias Fathima who travelled from Kerala to Afghanistan to join the Islamic State (IS), has sought the Central government's help to bring her daughter back to India.

"I saw a video of my daughter in which she was requesting her return to India. She has realised that India is her country, not Afghanistan. She is scared that she'll be put in jail over there. Responding to my mail, the Afghanistan government has said that the procedure will take time," said Bindhu Sampath.

"I believe in Indian laws. Let her be questioned and realise what is good or bad. I am waiting for the Central government's confirmation on the matter," added Sampath.

Around four years back, a team of 21 members which consisted of couples and children went to Syria from Kerala to join ISIS and lead an Islamic life. After they left, police registered a case against them, which has been handled by the National Investigation Agency.

Mandya, Apr 25: An FIR was registered against JD(S) MLC KT Srikante Gowda, his son, and three others for protesting against coronavirus testing of journalists in Karnataka's Mandya city on Saturday.

According to the police, JD(S) MLC KT Srikante Gowda, his son Krishik Gowda, Chandrakala Aythu, Jagadish, and Raju have been named as accused in the FIR filed at Mandya West police station.

The FIR has been registered under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Disaster Management Act including unlawful assembly, rioting, wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt, negligent act likely to spread infection of a deadly disease, etc.

Gowda, along with a group of locals, had created a ruckus objecting to the coronavirus testing of journalists at Ambedkar Bhawan in Mandya here earlier today.

Police said that a journalists' association had filed a written complaint seeking the registration of an FIR in the matter.

As per an order by the state health department, medical professionals were conducting health tests of journalists at Ambedkar Bhawan in Mandya when Gowda along with some locals started protesting, officials said.

Further actions are being taken, police said.