Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan should face trial in graft case: CBI tells SC

Bengaluru, Nov 22: For the second day running, the Karnataka BJP on Friday staged a statewide protest condemning the government’s alleged move to notify land of farmers as Waqf property.

The BJP staged a protest before the offices of Deputy Commissioners at district headquarters.

The BJP leaders are vehemently demanding that the state government cancel a 1974 Gazette notification in this regard.

The agitators are also demanding scrapping of the Waqf Board and the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Minister for Waqf and Housing Zameer Ahmad Khan.

The BJP MLAs, MLCs, MPs gathered in the premises of Freedom Park and staged a protest under the leadership of Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka and slammed the state government.

MLA T.S. Srivatsa led the protest in Mysuru and hundreds of party workers and farmers staged the protest under the leadership of former MP Pratap Simha in Kodagu.

Former MP Sumalatha Ambareesh led the agitation in Mandya.

This was the first time that Sumalatha took part in the party’s programme after the Lok Sabha elections.

State President B.Y. Vijayendra claimed, “The Congress government in Karnataka is issuing notices to farmers claiming the ownership of their lands to the Waqf Board and pushing them on the streets overnight.”

In the first week of December, three teams formed by the BJP will travel across the state and record the grievances of farmers.

“The state government is attempting to snatch away the lands belonging to temples as well,” Vijayendra alleged and added that the teams would comprise all senior leaders of the BJP.

Meanwhile, the police have taken Sri Ram Sena chief Pramod Muthalik into custody while staging a protest march to the office of Zameer Ahmad Khan in Bengaluru.

Muthalik along with Hindutva activists was planning to lay siege to Zameer’s office over the Waqf row.

The police stopped Muthalik and requested him to submit the memorandum by reaching the minister’s office in a vehicle. However, Muthalik refused to go with the police and continued his footmarch. The police took him into custody following arguments.

Mangaluru: The iconic Old DC office, a building steeped in 400 years of history, will be the centerpiece of the Heritage Week celebrations in the city. Once the administrative hub of the erstwhile Canara district during the British era, the building now serves as a symbol of Mangaluru’s rich heritage and cultural significance.

Historic Significance

Initially built during the rule of the Bangas under the Vijayanagara Empire, the structure was later converted into the collector’s office. Following an agreement between Tipu Sultan and the British in 1784, the building came under Tipu’s possession until his death. Subsequently, Major Sir Thomas Munro used it as the office for the first district collector.

The building has also seen historical milestones, including the participation of 88 individuals from the district in World War I (1914–1919), as recorded on a commemorative plaque on its exterior.

Heritage Festival: Echoes

To celebrate the city’s history and tourism potential, the Dakshina Kannada district administration is organizing "Echoes," a heritage festival on November 30 and December 1 at the Old DC office premises. The event will feature:

• A heritage exhibition (open from 10 AM to 6 PM).
• An art contest for school students.
• Guided mini heritage walks open to all.
• An urban sketching contest for college students.
• A panel discussion on sustainability, followed by a prize distribution ceremony.
• A musical evening featuring Sur Safar, a fusion band.

A Gateway to Tourism

The festival aims to draw attention to Mangaluru’s untapped tourism potential by blending art, history, and culture. It invites residents and visitors to rediscover the region’s legacy while fostering a sense of pride in its historical landmarks.

This initiative not only commemorates the past but also looks to inspire future efforts in heritage preservation and sustainable tourism.

The extremist Israeli finance minister has called for the occupation of the Gaza Strip and halving the population of the Palestinian territory that is reeling from almost 14 months of genocide.  

Bezalel Smotrich, who has a history of racist statements against Palestinians, made the controversial remarks during a conference of the Yesha Council settler group on Monday.

“We can occupy Gaza and thin the population by half within two years,” through encouraging the so-called “voluntary emigration," he said.

The racist minister also urged the Tel Aviv regime to use its favorable ties with the incoming administration of US President-elect Donald Trump to implement the plan.

“Occupying Gaza is not a dirty word,” he further claimed.

Once the success of the “voluntary emigration" is proven in the besieged Gaza Strip, it can be replicated in the occupied West Bank, he added.

Last month, Smotrich urged the full annexation of the West Bank and Gaza, asserting that Israel should unequivocally declare there would be no Palestinian state.

Israel launched its brutal Gaza onslaught on October 7, 2023, after the Palestinian Hamas resistance group carried out a historic operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

However, nearly 14 months into the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has failed to achieve its declared objectives of finding captives held in Gaza and eliminating Hamas.

So far, the occupying regime has killed at least 44,235 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 104,638 others, in Gaza. 

It has been committing the war crimes of starvation and of intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population in the besieged territory.