Karnataka govt holds striking RTC employees responsible for driver Rabeed Rasool’s murder

coastaldigest.com news network
April 17, 2021

Bengaluru, Apr 17: Even as the tussle between the Karnataka government and striking workers of the state road transport corporations (RTC) led to the death of a driver who had reported to work, Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi held the agitators responsible for the unfortunate incident. 

Rabeed Rasool Avati, a driver working with the North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) succumbed to his injuries after stones were pelted at the bus he was driving on Friday. 

Mr. Avati, 56, was taking the bus on the Vijayapura-Jamkhandi route when unidentified persons pelted stones at the windshield. The broken pieces of glass caused a gash on the driver’s neck. Mr. Avati, who was bleeding heavily, was immediately rushed to Jamkhandi Taluk Hospital, but could not be saved.

"The striking workers said it will be a peaceful protest but have claimed the life of their colleague now. The government will not forgive this. Those on strike are not allowing workers to return to duty and think they can deter the loyal workers through criminal acts," Mr Savadi said in a statement.

The DyCM announced a compensation of R 30 lakh and a job on compassionate grounds to a family member of the deceased. Soon after the announcement, NWKRTC managing director Krishna Bajpai visited the family of the deceased and handed over a cheque for Rs 30 lakh.

The KSRTC State Road Transport Corporation Employee League, the organisation observing the indefinite strike, also condemned the incident. “Our organisation is in no way linked to the incident. We have been asking employees not to resort to any kind of violence,” said R. Chandrashekar, president of the league.

Though the office-bearers of the league have been reiterating that the indefinite strike will continue till the State government meets their demands, the number of employees reporting back to duty has also been gradually increasing by the day.

On Friday, which was the tenth day of the strike, RTCs managed to run more than 5,500 buses, of which Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation operated more than 2,500. On Thursday, the corporations operated over 4,000 buses.

On the other hand, the number of incidents of stone pelting on moving buses also increased. Till Friday, 80 buses had been damaged by miscreants. Officials claimed that because of the ongoing strike, RTCs had suffered a revenue loss of Rs 187 crore so far.

On RTCs operating more buses daily, Mr. Chandrashekar said, “The corporations are giving distorted figures. Officials are resorting to various tactics and pressuring the bus crew to report to work. No one is voluntarily reporting back to duty.”

Sacking spree

The four RTCs on Friday sacked 254 employees, taking the total number of such workers to 1,054. In addition, 489 employees remain suspended from service.

The murder of employee is expected to bring more edge to the government's stern action starting Saturday, when the polling in the byelections are set to be completed.

Meanwhile, more employees reported to duty on Friday, helping the four RTCs to run more buses instead of depending on private players. By 9 pm, 5,639 buses were operated from the four corporations.

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News Network
January 7,2025

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New Delhi, Jan 7: Fifty-three people were killed after an earthquake of magnitude 7.1 hit Tibet near the Nepalese border today, news agency AFP said quoting Chinese media Xinhua. The tremors of the earthquake were felt in several parts of India, including Bihar, Assam and West Bengal.

The epicentre of the earthquake was in Tingri county in Shigatse city. Tingri is about 400 km southwest of Tibet's capital Lhasa and is on the border with Nepal. It is a tourism hub for those visiting Mount Everest. 

According to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the earthquake was recorded at 6:35 am. NCS data reveals that two more earthquakes hit the region shortly after the first one. 

The second earthquake of magnitude 4.7 was recorded at 7:02 am at a depth of 10 km and the third earthquake of magnitude 4.9 at 7:07 am at a depth of 30 km. 

Nepal is nestled in a geologically active region, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide, forming the Himalayas and making earthquakes a frequent occurrence. In 2015, nearly 9,000 people died and more than 22,000 were injured when a 7.8-magnitude quake struck Nepal, destroying more than half a million homes.

The tremors were particularly felt in Bihar where people were seen outside their houses and apartments. There have been no reports of any damage to property because of the earthquake.

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News Network
January 17,2025

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Mangaluru: In a brazen daylight robbery, a group of five to six armed individuals stormed into the Kotekar Vyavasaya Sahakara Seva Sangha branch at KC Road, Ullal taluk, and escaped with valuables estimated at ₹10-12 crore.

The incident occurred between 11:30 am and 12:30 pm, according to Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal. The masked robbers, aged between 25-35, were armed with a pistol, talwar, and knife. They threatened the four to five employees present, forcing them to open the vault containing jewellery and other valuables.

The suspects spoke in Hindi and Kannada and fled the scene in a black Fiat car. Commissioner Agrawal confirmed that multiple police teams have been formed, and efforts are underway to track the culprits using technical surveillance and other leads.

CM Siddaramaiah Holds Emergency Meeting

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah convened a high-level meeting with senior police officials, including IGP Amit Singh, Commissioner Anupam Agrawal, SP Yathish N, and DySP, following the robbery.

Expressing dissatisfaction over security lapses, Siddaramaiah questioned, "How did this happen despite officials being present? Why were toll gates not secured?"

Officials reported that the bank had no security personnel and only five to six staff members on duty during the heist. The Chief Minister has directed authorities to enhance security across four districts, intensify checks at toll gates, and arrest the accused swiftly to ensure stringent legal action.

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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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