Kodagu: Jilted groom kills 15-yr-old girl hours after she passes SSLC; Officials had thwarted her wedding

Mangaluru: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched a major membership drive in Dakshina Kannada, targeting the enrolment of 3.5 to 4 lakh members in the district.

DK BJP unit president Satish Kumpala, speaking to reporters on Wednesday, announced that over 2.5 lakh citizens had joined the party in 2019. This year, the goal is to add another 1.5 to 2 lakh members.

New members can enrol by calling the toll-free number 8800002024 to receive a registration link, while existing members are encouraged to renew their membership. Citizens aged 18 and above are eligible to join the party.

The drive was officially launched in Mangaluru by former BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel. Kumpala added that the initiative will cover all 57 Mahashakthi Kendras in the district, with a special focus from September 11 to 17 to coincide with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday celebrations.

The party plans to enrol at least 250 members from each booth, with manual registration options available in rural areas with limited internet access. A district-level workshop will be held later to review the membership enrolments.

Bengaluru: Warning that inequality will increase as society is being divided in the name of religion and caste, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said it is a tragedy that educated people are increasingly becoming casteist.

The Chief Minister was speaking after inaugurating an international symposium "Mahatma Gandhi for the 21st Century" organised at Gandhi Bhavan to commemorate the 75th year of the Gandhi Memorial Fund.

"Due to the caste system, many people were deprived of education, leading to increased inequality. It is a tragedy that educated people are increasingly becoming casteist," Siddaramaiah said.

He alleged that "the nurturers of caste inequality killed Mahatma Gandhi." "Gandhi's ideas and guidance given to society are not limited to the 20th century, they remain relevant even today. Gandhiji celebrated peace, truth, justice, and brotherhood throughout his life. He believed that if the whole world adopts the quality of loving each other, the whole society can be at ease," the CM was quoted as saying by his office in a release.

Pointing out that Gandhi believed that nature fulfills our needs but not our greed, Siddaramaiah said as he attributed human "greed" as the reason for environmental disasters happening in Kerala's Wayanad and other parts of the state.

Noting that many educated people follow superstition and "Karma Siddhanta" due to lack of proper scientific education, he said, 850 years ago Basavanna (12th century spiritual leader and also a social reformer) and his followers outrightly rejected the theory of "Karma" (fate).

The CM lamented that today's educated people still believe in the theory of "Karma".

Jawaharlal Nehru led the country by preparing society in a scientific and rational way, while inclusiveness and non-violence were Gandhi's ways, Siddaramaiah further said and added that work needs to be done to take this to the youth.

Mangaluru: In a tragic case that shocked the city, the principal district and sessions judge Ravindra M Joshi sentenced Sandeep Rathod of Sindagi, Vijayapura, to life imprisonment for the murder of 22-year-old college student Anjana Vashishta.

According to public prosecutor Judith OM Crasta, the gruesome crime occurred on June 7, 2019, when Anjana's body was discovered at Pais Cottage in Attavar. The victim was found with cable wires wrapped around her neck, her head wedged between the cot's rods, painting a chilling picture of her final moments.

Anjana, an MSc student in Ujire, had met Rathod, then 23, through Facebook in July 2018. Rathod, posing as a constable-in-training, developed a relationship with her, even securing a place at the Royal Academy Coaching Centre in Mangaluru. However, things took a dark turn when Anjana informed Rathod that her family had arranged a marriage proposal for her, which she planned to accept.

Devastated by her decision to end their relationship, Rathod called Anjana to his room. In a fit of rage, he strangled her. After the murder, he stole her phone, withdrew Rs 15,000 from her account using her ATM card, and fled to Sindagi, where he stayed at Sangam Lodge.

The Mangaluru South police investigated the case and filed charges under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 380 (theft), and 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property). The court's thorough investigation included testimony from 45 witnesses and the review of 100 documents.

The court ultimately sentenced Rathod to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000. He was also sentenced to three months’ imprisonment for the theft and misappropriation charges, along with fines totaling Rs 1,500. Additionally, the court directed the District Legal Services Authority to provide compensation to Anjana’s parents for their immense loss.