16 Muslims dismissed from War Room after MP’s communal stunt yet to regain jobs

Mafazah Sharafuddin
May 26, 2021

Bengaluru, May 26: Weeks after 17 Muslim boys lost their jobs in the South Zone War Room after being falsely accused of being part of a bed allocation scam, only one has been deputed back to work. 

The development occurred after BJP MP LS Tejaswi Surya, along with other BJP leaders on May 4 stormed into the South Zone War Room and read out a list of 16 Muslim boys, and demanded to know why they were appointed. Ayesha Sheikh, a BBMP staffer had out of the war room in solidarity with the 16 victims. 

In fact Surya had read selectively read out the names of 16 Muslims out of the 205 staff in the war room. 

After the accusation, the boys were promptly dismissed from their positions at the War Room. They also faced questioning in the Jayanagar police station. The investigation into the matter showed that none of the boys had any relation with the bed allocation scam. 

However, the whole incident created a social media storm, and the firm that had hired the staff, Crystal Infosystems and Services stated that they would rehire them after they were cleared by the police. 

Despite this, and the fact that the boys have been fully cleared, only one of the 17 has been returned to work at the South Zone War Room. Out of them, six have given in their resignation, feeling like they had been targeted based on their religion and unwilling to continue working there. The rest of them have the intention to continue, but are not being appointed. 

According to the staff at the South Zone War Rooms, there are many reasons why they were not deputed their older positions, none of which have anything to do with the allegations. The positions they vacated when they were dismissed had to be filled at the earliest since the War Room has to be working at full capacity. 

In addition to this, the BBMP is in the process of reducing the number of workers, as a fall in infection and new triage centers lessen the workload of the war room. Further, the downsizing of the staff is also in relation to new systems being put in place for home isolation and discharge, two tasks looked after by the War Room staff.

The war room staff state that they are not withholding the jobs, but appointing them whenever vacancies come in. This includes offers to appoint them in other War Rooms. However, they have declined these offers as the locations are too far away or there is a decrease in the pay they would receive. 

While the young men are unable to earn their bread, the War Room staff insist that they will, eventually, be appointed.

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News Network
January 13,2025

Mangaluru: Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in Singapore remain determined to establish direct air connectivity between Mangaluru and Singapore despite setbacks. This follows Air India Express' (AIE) recent decision to postpone its planned direct flight service on this route, disappointing many expats.

In response, NRIs have proposed an alternative solution: extending IndiGo's existing Singapore-Bengaluru flight to Mangaluru. Currently, the Singapore-Bengaluru flight lands at Kempegowda International Airport at 7:40 AM, but passengers cannot board the 9:00 AM Bengaluru-Mangaluru connection due to insufficient transit time. Extending the Singapore-Bengaluru flight to Mangaluru would address this issue and benefit travelers.

Rajesh H. Acharya, director of HQ Connections in Singapore and coordinator of the Singapore Tuluver community, expressed disappointment over AIE's handling of the situation. "We’ve been advocating for this route since 2017, and it was close to becoming a reality. However, the sudden postponement and lack of stakeholder support have delayed our efforts," he said.

A petition has been submitted to IndiGo Airlines requesting the introduction of a direct Mangaluru-Singapore flight. Alternatively, it suggests extending IndiGo’s existing Singapore-Bengaluru flight to include Mangaluru. Expats have also approached Scoot Airlines in Singapore for direct connectivity. However, the lack of 'Point of Call' status for Mangaluru Airport remains a significant hurdle for international flights.

Despite the challenges, NRIs continue their efforts to make direct air connectivity between Mangaluru and Singapore a reality.

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News Network
January 4,2025

Mangaluru: In a shocking case of fraud, six individuals posing as officials from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) swindled a beedi businessman of Rs 25 to 30 lakh in cash and five mobile phones at Kolnad in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada on Friday night.

The incident came to light after Mohammed Iqbal, 27, lodged a complaint with the police, stating that his father, a beedi trader, was targeted by the imposters.

According to the complaint, the six accused arrived at the businessman’s residence around 8:10 pm in a car with Tamil Nadu registration plates. Claiming to be ED officials, they announced that they had orders to search the house and began confiscating mobile phones from the family members.

The fraudsters reportedly discovered Rs 25 lakh to Rs 30 lakh in cash, which the businessman had kept aside for business purposes. They claimed that keeping such a large amount was illegal and threatened to arrest him unless he complied. By 10:30 pm, the group left the house, instructing the businessman to submit documents at the ED office in Bengaluru to reclaim the money.

Later, upon discussing the incident with his family, Iqbal realized that the individuals were not ED officials but fraudsters who had impersonated authorities to rob them.

A case has been registered at Vittal Police Station under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. An investigation is underway, and the police have promised swift action to apprehend the culprits.

Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police Yathish N, along with senior officers, visited the crime scene and assured the family that the perpetrators would be brought to justice at the earliest.

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News Network
January 4,2025

Mangaluru: In a shocking case of fraud, six individuals posing as officials from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) swindled a beedi businessman of Rs 25 to 30 lakh in cash and five mobile phones at Kolnad in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada on Friday night.

The incident came to light after Mohammed Iqbal, 27, lodged a complaint with the police, stating that his father, a beedi trader, was targeted by the imposters.

According to the complaint, the six accused arrived at the businessman’s residence around 8:10 pm in a car with Tamil Nadu registration plates. Claiming to be ED officials, they announced that they had orders to search the house and began confiscating mobile phones from the family members.

The fraudsters reportedly discovered Rs 25 lakh to Rs 30 lakh in cash, which the businessman had kept aside for business purposes. They claimed that keeping such a large amount was illegal and threatened to arrest him unless he complied. By 10:30 pm, the group left the house, instructing the businessman to submit documents at the ED office in Bengaluru to reclaim the money.

Later, upon discussing the incident with his family, Iqbal realized that the individuals were not ED officials but fraudsters who had impersonated authorities to rob them.

A case has been registered at Vittal Police Station under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. An investigation is underway, and the police have promised swift action to apprehend the culprits.

Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police Yathish N, along with senior officers, visited the crime scene and assured the family that the perpetrators would be brought to justice at the earliest.

Comments

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  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
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