Actor Darshan, “friend” Pavithra sent to 6-day police custody in murder case

Bengaluru, Oct 17: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday announced that all government residential schools in the state will be renamed as Maharishi Valmiki Residential Schools.

He further said that the Raichur University will be renamed as Maharishi Valmiki University, news agency ANI reported.

He made the announcement on the occasion of Valmiki Jayanti, which is celebrated to honor Maharishi Valmiki, the revered author of the Ramayana.

Earlier today, the Karnataka CM paid rich tributes to Valmiki in a series of posts on X.

"Let the life and achievements of Dalit genius, Adi Kavi Valmiki, who wrote the epic Ramayana and showed that talent is not a gift of birth, but an achievement, be an inspiration to all of us," he said.

New Delhi: After the MUDA chairman stepped down from his post on Wednesday, the BJP demanded that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also resign immediately as he is "deeply embroiled" in the land "scam".

Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) chairman K Marigowda resigned from his post amid the row over alleged irregularities in allotment of sites to Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi B M.

"MUDA chairman has tendered his resignation... I call upon Siddaramaiah that if you have the slightest morality left in you, you should step down immediately. You should not wait for today's sunset," BJP national spokesperson and MP Sambit Patra said at a press conference here.

He said Marigowda's resignation and Siddaramaiah's wife "offering" to return the MUDA sites allocated to her make it clear that the chief minister is "deeply involved in the scam from head to toe".

"There is no doubt about it," Patra said.

Earlier in the day, Marigowda submitted his resignation to the Urban Development Department secretary.

"I have resigned following directions from the CM. Also, as I had health issues, I have resigned... there was no pressure on me, as I had health issues I have resigned," Marigowda told reporters in Bengaluru.

Responding to a question, he said, "The investigation is on, and it will continue...it will be known from the probe whether there were any irregularities." Siddaramaiah is facing probes by the Lokayukta and the Enforcement Directorate into alleged irregularities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife by the MUDA.

The chief minister has denied any wrongdoing and rejected the opposition's calls for his resignation.

Mangaluru: Forest officials successfully captured a leopard that strayed into the kitchen of a house in Akkasaligara Keri, Mulki, on the outskirts of Mangaluru, during the early hours of Sunday, October 20.

Following multiple complaints from residents about leopard sightings, forest department officials had placed cages at various locations in Mulki. According to Deputy RFO Manjunath Ganiga, locals had reported spotting a leopard in the area, prompting the department to set up a cage about a kilometer from the affected house.

At approximately 10 p.m., the leopard entered the house and made its way into the kitchen. The family quickly locked the kitchen door and contacted the forest department for assistance. The forest officials, using a cage and a net, managed to trap the leopard around 2:45 a.m. The animal was later examined by veterinarians and released back into the wild.

Locals suspect that up to three leopards may be roaming the area.

The operation to capture the leopard was led by RFO Kiran Kumar, with assistance from Deputy RFOs Nagesh Billava and Manjunath Ganiga, along with forest department staff members Chandrashekar and Shankar.