CET begins in 16 centres across DK

New Delhi, Feb 3: BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde's swipe at Mahatma Gandhi has irked the top party leadership and he may be forced to apologise, party sources said on Monday.

A senior BJP leader said the Karnataka leader's comments were "condemnable" and the party leadership is upset with him.

"The party has conveyed its displeasure to him and asked him to take remedial measure. Any insult to Mahatma Gandhi is unacceptable," he said.

Hegde, a former Union minister, reportedly claimed at an event in Bangaluru that the entire freedom movement was staged with the consent and support of the British, and the independence movement led by Gandhi was a "drama".

He also wondered why the Father of the Nation was called 'Mahatma' (a great soul).

The party leader said the Lok Sabha MP is a "disciplined" member of the party and will do what he has been asked to.

Hegde, known for hardline Hindutva leanings, has a history of making controversial remarks.

Mangaluru, Feb 25: Notorious gangster Ravi Poojary,

who has been extradited to India from Senegal, has 34 cases registered against him within the city police commissionerate.

Now in Bengaluru police custody for interrogation in connection with several cases there, Poojary faces cases relating to murder, murder attempt, extortion and threat calls in the city, police sources said.

Sources said the city police are trying to get Pujari for interrogation though it would take a while as the court has allowed Bengaluru police to keep him in custody for questioning and evidence taking for 15 days.

Most of the cases in the city against him, 28 of them, are in connection with threat calls.

He had allegedly made threat calls in 2015 to the then state ministers B Ramanath Rai and Abhayachandra Jain, demanding immediate arrest of the accused in the murder of Bajrang Dal worker Prashanth Poojary.

All the cases against Poojary in the city were registered between 2007 and 2018.

Cases involving murder, death threats and shootouts are among the cases to be investigated, the sources said.

A total of 28 cases of death threat calls, one of murder, three of shootouts, one of abduction and a case of funding his associates lodged in prison are the crimes being probed by the city police.

The cases are now pending in courts at different stages of trial.

Cases of making threat calls to businessmen using his associates demanding protection money have been registered at Moodbidri, Kavoor, Kadri, Konaje, Barke and Urwa police stations.

Some of his associates were imprisoned in 2012 in connection with threat calls to a businessman from Kinnigoli.

The case relating to providing them money while in prison was also registered in the same year.

Pujari, wanted in many cases including extortion and murder in different parts of the country, including Karnataka and who had been on the run for over 15 years, was deported to Senegal following his arrest and later extradited

He had jumped bail in Senegal last year after being arrested there.

Udupi, Jul 16: With two deaths in a single day, and receiving coronavirus positive report of a person who died two days ago, Udupi district’s covid-19 death toll today mounted to eight. 

A-49-year-old resident of Udupi, was admitted to Ajjarkad government hospital for other ailments. He was suffering from multiple health issues like diabetes and respiratory problems.

Last night he was tested positive for coronavirus and hence he was shifted to Dr TMA Pai COVID hospital in Udupi where he breathed his last today. 

A 54-year-old man from Maravanthe in Byndoor taluk, who was suffering from asthma, today died while being taken from one hospital to the other.

He was admitted to a private hospital in Kundapur on the evening of Wednesday. Today he was being shifted to Manipal hospital. However he breathed his last half way through.  

His body was taken back to Kundapur and throat swab of the deceased was sent for testing. As the sample of the deceased person was taken using rapid test kit, his report was available within half an hour and it showed positive for covid-19. 

Meanwhile, throat swabs of a man from Ankola in Uttar Kannada district, who passed away in Manipal Hospital on July 14, were tested positive today. His funeral was held at the Beedinagudde crematorium as per the COVID norms.