DKS mentions religion of Siddaganga seer’s doctor, later says sorry

TNN
December 11, 2018

Bengaluru, Dec 11: Water resources and medical education minister DK Shivakumar has raked up a controversy, stating the religion of the doctor who is treating Siddaganga mutt pontiff Shivakumara Swami in Chennai.

“I’m very happy that Shivakumara Swami is fast recovering. It’s all because of the expertise and effort of Dr Mohammed Rela, a Muslim, who runs the world-class Dr Rela Institute and Medical Centre. Therefore, we all should keep one thing in mind that there is no point in playing politics in the name of caste or religion,” Shivakumar said, soon after he arrived at Sambra airport in Belagavi to attend the winter session of the legislature.

His statement, an apparent move to appease minorities, triggered angry reactions from the junior pontiff of the mutt and the BJP leaders who accused him of playing politics in the name of religion.

On Saturday, Shivakumar had called on the 111-year-old seer in the hospital. On Friday, the pontiff was airlifted to the Chennai hospital where he underwent an operation to treat his liver and bile duct infection.

Junior pontiff Siddalinga Swami said: “There is no caste in noble professions like doctors and teachers. The minister’s statement is in bad taste. Our society considers doctors as equivalent to God. For them, there is no caste or creed.”

BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa and former deputy CM R Ashoka hit out at Shivakumar for “playing politics in the name of the Walking God.”

“As a senior minister, he should not stoop to such a level. He is free to play politics in Vidhana Soudha or on the streets but not in hospitals and mutts,’’ they added.

‘No intention to hurt anyone’

If my statement has hurt the mutt or anyone, I tender an apology. I had no intention of playing politics, as is being alleged by the BJP. After visiting the hospital, I was impressed with the expertise and dedication of the doctor.

So I made that statement DK Shivakumar, medical education minister Pontiff recovering Shivakumara Swami is recovering after the surgery at the Chennai hospital. In a statement on Monday, the hospital’s CMD Dr Mohamed Rela said: “He is beginning to mobilise in the intensive care unit and his vitals are stable.”

Comments

KAMAL
 - 
Wednesday, 12 Dec 2018

DKS should not have commented on religion of the Doctor.  He should have just praised the good job being done by Doctor.   BJP is on watch of any error from its opponents.   Statement from DKS was in error and he apologised for it.  However, BJP is misusing it and trying to gain political benefit out of it.   They should know that people cant be foold always and latest election result is the example.   I hope people will reject BJP completely in MP election.

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News Network
May 18,2020

Mangaluru, May 18: A boat which was engaged in an operation to fix the pipe relating to the reverse osmosis plant of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) at Tannibavi turned turtle due to strong wind.

Two workers had gone missing in the incident that occurred on Sunday late evening, and one of them was rescued shortly thereafter.

The person who has not yet been found happens to be Pandu Pist from Mumbai. The person who was rescued was Santosh from Dakshina Kannada.

Three workers from West Bengal who were facing danger were also rescued.

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News Network
March 6,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 6: All the arrested in a case of sedition filed over a school play in Karnataka's Bidar have been granted anticipatory bail by a court that said the case lacked enough basis.

The play, themed on protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), "has not caused any disharmony in the society", said the district and sessions court in Bidar.

The play, performed in January by the children of prestigious Shaheen School, landed in trouble when a sedition complaint was filed over an 11-year-old girl's lines - enacting an elderly woman, she said if anyone asked for documents she would hit them with slippers.

That led to a sedition case and the police questioning children, teachers and the school management over many rounds.

"The drama has not caused any disharmony in the society. Considering all the circumstances, I am of the opinion that the ingredients of Section 124A of IPC (Sedition) are prima facie lacking," said the court.

Five members of the school management team have been granted protection from arrest. Earlier, the head teacher and the mother of the student who spoke the dialogue were sent to custody, but on other charges including the abetment of an offence. They were not accused of sedition. They were later granted bail.

The repeated questioning of young students and the arrest of the widowed mother of a student caused a huge uproar in the town.

An order is expected soon on the bail application in another sedition case in Karnataka, against three Kashmiri students. The students, who were studying in Hubbali in north Karnataka, are facing charges for reportedly using pro-Pakistani slogans in an online post. The Hubbali Bar Association had asked its members not to represent the students. Lawyers from Bengaluru who went to Hubbali represent the students were heckled.

On Thursday, a team of lawyers from different districts again went to Hubballi and were provided police protection. BT Venkatesh, one of the lawyers, said he had a meeting with bar association members and that the matter was sorted out. The students have applied for bail and an order is expected next week.

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News Network
June 29,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 29: Bengaluru continued to see a sharp spike in covid- 19 cases as 738 more people tested positive on Monday that took the city's tally to 4052 of which 3427 is active.

The surge in Bengaluru pushed up the number of positive cases to 1105 across Karnataka. The total number of cases in Karnataka now stands at 14,295 of which 6382 are active.

The death toll stood at 230 as 19 more people died in the 24 hours till 5 pm on Monday.

Karnataka, particularly Bengaluru, has seen a sharp rise in cases over the last two weeks indicating the possibility of community transmission and further rise in cases.

Estimates by government authorities project that Karnataka will have around 25,000 cases by mid-August.

R.Ashok, the revenue minister incharge of covid- 19 in Bengaluru on Monday told doctors that they would have to dedicate another six months to contain the virus indicating that authorities were expecting the case count to rise in subsequent days and months.

The city reported over 3,200 cases since 19 June as against 844 cases between 8 March and 18 June.

There are around 500 containment zones in Bengaluru that is likely to have an impact of business and activities in the state's growth capital and its efforts to revive the economy.

The state government on Monday held meetings with private hospitals to increase the number of beds available for treatment of covid- 19.

The number of people in intensive careunits (ICU) jumped to 268.

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