Tension in parts of Bengaluru as Church attacked by miscreants

Mangalore, Jan 1: Under the aegis of the Dakshina Kannada District Jatyateeya Paksha Sanghatanegala Janti Vedik, Members of Congress, Communist Party of India, CPI (M), Janata Dal (Secular) and other secular organisations will stage a dharna on January 2 here demanding a judicial inquiry into the firing on December 19.

Talking to reporters on Tuesday evening, former Bantwal MLA B Ramanath Rai said the dharna will be held before the statue of B R Ambedkar, near the Town hall, from 1000 hrs to 1600 hrs.

Mr Rai said allegations are being made that the trouble in the city on December 19 was orchestrated by certain political parties and leaders. The city police are also being accused of acting under the influence of the ruling government in invoking prohibitory orders to quell the protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and later firing at the protesters that led to two deaths.

Mangaluru, Jan 16: The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad is holding rallies and meetings and distributing booklets across the country in support of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, said ABVP National Secretary Harsha Narayan here on Thursday.

Speaking to media persons, he said that the CAA, which provides citizenship to Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Parsis, Jains and Christians persecuted in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, was among the things that the ABVP was fighting for.

Bengaluru, Apr 5: Opening of Karnataka's borders to Kerala at this point in time will be like "embracing death," chief minister B S Yediyurappa said on Saturday making clear his government's stand not opening the state border.

The chief minister repeatedly said that for his government interest of the people of the state was supreme.

Yediyurappa made his stand clear in a letter to former prime minister and JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda.

Gowda had recently written to the chief minister on March 31 seeking relaxation of the border restrictions on "humanitarian" grounds.

He had also written to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressing his anguish against Karnataka authorities for imposing restriction and promising to raise the matter with prime minister Narendra Modi.

Stating the decision to close the border was not sudden, Yediyurappa said, it was a conscious decision after analysing the health situation in the area following the spread of COVID-19.

The chief minister cited the Indian Medical Association, Mangaluru branch data regarding the spread of Covid-19 in Kasargod of Kerala and surrounding areas which was alarming.

Noting that the region has nearly 106 positive coronaviruscases, he said, "this is the region with most number of infections in the country."

If this restriction is removed, it puts the health of the people of Karnataka in to risk and create a situation of "embracing death", so we will not be able to open the border, Yediyurappa said.

He also clarified that there was no prejudice behind his government's decision, and the interest of the people of the state was of utmost importance.

"...There is also no political maliciousness. We want to have good and brotherly relationship with neighbouring states," he said, adding that opening the border will open a pandora's box that will be disastrous for the state.

Yediyurappa also thanked opposition parties for their support to his government in its fight against COVID-19.