Was it necessary for you at this age, chief minister?asks Meti

December 15, 2016

Bengaluru, Dec 15: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is learnt to have pulled up H Y Meti, who quit as Excise minister, after his sexually explicit video became public on Wednesday.

siddumet copySoon after TV news channels started airing the video, 71-year-old Meti rushed to the chief minister's official residence “Cauvery” and offered to resign as minister.

He also tried to defend himself saying that it was a conspiracy and he had not done anything wrong, sources in the government said.

An angry Siddaramaiah, the sources said, asked him to shut up. “You have betrayed me. Was it necessary for you at this age?...You should be ashamed of yourself...We used to blame the BJP leaders on such unseemly activities. Now, we have lost the moral right to speak,” the sources quoted the chief minister having told Meti.

Different versions

There are different versions doing the rounds on where Meti's purported sexual escapade took place. According to one version it took place at Meti's residence in his hometown Bagalkot. The other version is that it happened in his ante-chambers in the Vidhana Soudha here.

The woman in the CD made a U-turn on Tuesday stating that it was indeed she in the video. On?Sunday, she had said that she had nothing to do with the video. She has also sought police protection stating that she is getting threat calls.

Meti, a fourth-time MLA from Bagalkot, is one of the close followers of Siddaramaiah. Like Siddaramaiah, Meti too belongs to the Kuruba community. He had served as Forest minister in the H?D?Deve Gowda government between 1994 and 1996 before he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Bagalkot constituency in 1996. Siddaramaiah inducted him into his Cabinet in June this year.

An embarassment

The Meti episode has come as an embarrassment to the government as it comes close on the heels of Primary and Secondary Education Minister Tanveer Sait being caught watching obscene photos on his mobile phone during government-organised Tipu Jayanti in Raichur.

Several ministers in the Siddaramaiah's Cabinet had come to Meti's support stating he should be given the “benefit of doubt” because of his age.

No parallel'

Siddaramaiah, however, said a parallel cannot be drawn between the two incidents. He said Sait was cleared of all charges by the CID. The chief minister also denied that he had prior knowledge of the Meti CD. “I would have taken action immediately, if I had known,” he said.

On RTI activist Rajashekar Mulali telling journalists in New?Delhi on Wednesday that he would release CDs of two more ministers involved in sex scandals, Siddaramaiah said, “Let him release...we will see”.

Third minister to resign

H?Y?Meti is the third minister in the council of ministers headed by Siddaramaiah to resign owing to controversies.

Santosh Lad, who is currently the Labour minister, was the first to resign. He was forced to quit in November 2013 following charges of his reported involvement in illegal mining. However, Siddaramaiah re-inducted him into the ministry in a reshuffle in June this year.

K J George was forced to resign as the Bengaluru Development Minister in July this year in connection with the suicide case of police officer M K Ganapathi. In an interview given to a TV news channel before committing suicide, Ganapathi had reportedly held George responsible for his death. George was re-inducted into the Cabinet within a few months, after the CID gave him a clean chit in the case.

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Mohammed musthafa
 - 
Thursday, 15 Dec 2016

He has a horse power at this age

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News Network
June 26,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 26: A 60-year-old woman, who tested positive for COVID-19 positive and was undergoing treatment, allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself in the restroom of KC General hospital last night.

According to the police, the 60-year-old female COVID-19 patient hung herself in the restroom of KC general hospital in Bengaluru. She was admitted to the hospital on June 18 along with her daughter-in-law and grandson.

"Around 2 am, she went to the washroom. When she did not return back, her daughter-in-law went to check where she found her hanging dead," confirmed Bengaluru police.

An investigation into the matter is underway, police said.

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News Network
February 21,2020

Chikkamagaluru, Feb 21: Alleged Bharatiya Janata Party supporters threw stones at Amulya Leona’s father’s house at Gullagadde near Koppa on Thursday night, after she was charged for making objectionable remarks at a public programme in Bengaluru.

Amulya Leona’s father Wazi said that the incident, which left window panes and doors damaged, took place at around 7.30 p.m. “They are all BJP supporters. They were in a group. I have complained to the police with the names of a few who led the group,” he said.

Three policemen have been deployed at his house since Thursday night.

Amulya Leona, a B.A. student, was charged with sedition after she raised pro-Pakistan slogans at a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Bengaluru.

Mr. Wazi, who owns a two-acre areca plantation and runs a poultry farm, said he condemned the statement made by his daughter and he would not make any attempts to get her bail. “Let the law take its course. I cannot approve of her statement,” he said.

He said he had cautioned his daughter against getting involved in protests. “I told her to complete studies first and later she could fight for poor people. But what she said yesterday is not acceptable. I don’t know what made her so. I hope a probe would bring out who prompted her to make such statements,” he said.

Mr. Wazi said he has been politically active for several years, and had earlier worked for former education minister H.G. Govinde Gowda. He then shifted to the BJP and worked in support of D.N. Jeevaraj, who represented Sringeri constituency last time, and current Udupi-Chickmagaluru MP Shobha Karandlaje. “I have worked for the BJP in the past. As Govinde Gowda’s son contested on JD(S) ticket for Sringeri seat, I supported him”, he said.

Meanwhile, a video clip that went viral on Thursday night showed a group of Bajrang Dal activists compelling Mr. Wazi to shout ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’. “I have no hesitation in raising ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ slogans,” said Mr. Wazi, adding that his statement was taken forcibly. “I am a patriot. Many writers, activists and politicians have come to my place over the years,” he said.

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Agencies
March 1,2020

Kochi, Mar 1:Adheringto a policy of "zero tolerance" towards clergy who sexually exploit minors, Pope Francis has expelled a Kerala priestconvicted of rape from all priestly duties and rights, according to church officials.

Syro-Malabar Church priest Robin Vadakkumchery is currently serving a jail term for impregnating a 16-year-old girl in Mananthavady diocese.

"Vadakkumchery has been dispensed from the exercise of priestly duties and rights. That means he has been reduced to the state of a layman", a Church official told PTI.

He was suspended from priestly duties soon after the news about his crime was reported in early 2017.

A POCSO court in Thalassery last year had sentenced Vadakkumchery to 20 years of Rigorous Imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs three lakh on him.

The priest, 50, was the vicar of the local church in Kottiyur in Kannur district and manager at the school where the victim was studying.

He was arrested two years ago while trying to flee to Canada.

The Vatican's action came two years after Pope Francis made it clear that all bishops should adhere to a policy of "zero tolerance" for clergy who sexually exploit children.

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