Should we hang Modi now, asks K'taka Cong leader

A 32-year-old Dalit man was allegedly stripped and assaulted by a group of 13 youth in Karnataka's Vijayapura for reportedly touching a motorbike of an upper caste owner, police said on Monday.

"On a complaint by the Dalit victim (Kashinath Talwar), we have booked the 13 accused and investigating the incident, which occurred at Minajgi village near Talikoti on July 18," Vijayapura district Superintendent of Police Anupam Agarwal told reporters here.

"Though Talwar claimed that he touched the bike by mistake and pleaded for mercy, he said the accused severely thrashed him with sticks and footwear and took off his pants while he lay on the road haplessly," Agarwal said, citing from the victim's 2-page complaint in Kannada.

A video clip of the assault went viral on the social media and triggered outrage in the district against the upper caste accused, as the intervention by the victim's parents did not stop them from carrying the assault. Vijayapura is 524km northwest of Bengaluru.

Dalit man stripped, thrashed in Karnataka village just for ‘touching’ bike pic.twitter.com/pMLSnaVcTp

— coastaldigest.com (@coastaldigest) July 20, 2020

Talwar's father Yankappa also alleged that he, his wife and their daughter were also attacked by the accused when they tried to rescue him from being brutally assaulted.

In a related development, two-three women in the village also filed a complaint with the police against Talwar for allegedly eve-teasing and 'flashing' before them.

"We have summoned Talwar to inquire about his conduct as the women alleged that he teased them, touched them inappropriately and exposed his private parts while they were washing clothes outside their houses," Agarwal said.

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Here is the FIR and complaint copy pic.twitter.com/mKmJ2NC5bR

— Kiran Parashar (@KiranParashar21) July 19, 2020

Bengaluru, Apr 21: Karnataka cabinet on Monday decided to continue the COVID-19 lockdown measures currently in force in the state till May 3 without any relaxation, Law and Parliamentary Affairs minister J C Madhuswamy said.

However, leaving a window open, it authorised chief minister B S Yediyurappa and the COVID-19 Task Force to meet in three or four days to review and take further decision about any relaxation, he told reporters.

"Today cabinet has decided it (the norms) will be extended up to May 3... there will be no relaxation and the situation that that exists as of today will continue," he said.

Pending the cabinet decision, chief secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar had on Sunday issued fresh orders directing the continuation of the stringent lockdown measures issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs till the midnight of April 21.

Meanwhile, five new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Karnataka, taking the total number of infections in the state to 395, the Health department said on Monday.

"Five new positive cases have been reported from last evening to this noon... Till date 395 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed. This includes 16 deaths and 111 discharges," the department said in its mid-day situation update.

All the five fresh cases are from Kalaburagi and contacts of patients who have already tested positive.

Four of them are men of age 17, 13, 50 and 19, and one woman aged 30.

Bengaluru, Jul 13:  Karnataka Deputy chief minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan on Monday urged chief minister BS Yediyurappa to cancel the license of private hospitals and private medical colleges which did not hand over their 50 per cent beds, to the government, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister's Office said.

On June 26, the Karnataka government reserved about 50 per cent for COVID-19 patients in some private hospitals in Bengaluru.

Earlier in the day, former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said that the state government should provide vitamin C drug, Ayush Ministry-certified immunity boosters and sanitisers to every household in the wake of the coronavirus spread.

According to the Union Health Ministry, Karnataka has recorded 38,843 cases of COVID-19 to date.