Universities in Karnataka not ready for regular classes until students get vaccinated

News Network
June 1, 2021

Bengaluru, June 1: Universities in Karnataka have collectively urged the state government to vaccinate college students at the earliest and said that they will be unable to start regular or offline classes for the academic year 2021-22 without students being vaccinated.

The varsities stuck to the online mode of teaching during the previous year. Their demand comes even as students going abroad for higher education have sought vaccination at the earliest in the wake of foreign universities mandating the same. 

Fr V M Abraham, Vice-Chancellor, Christ University said students can be invited to campus only if they had completed both doses of vaccination. “The university is even planning to conduct convocation only after all students are vaccinated. I think it is justified in the interest of everyone’s health and safety. Until then, the institution will stick to online classes,” he said.

M R Doreswamy, Chancellor, PES University had a similar view. Whether a student was from within the state or outside the country, vaccination should be mandatory before starting offline classes, he said. While urging the government to ensure vaccination for all college students at the earliest, Doreswamy said offline classes were necessary for effective learning. “Online classes cannot replace offline classes. It can only be a temporary solution,” he observed. 

Many universities in Karnataka, especially those in Bengaluru, also see a number of foreign students. “Those travelling to India for studies will be required to produce proof of vaccination,” said Dr N V H Krishnan, Registrar, Jain Deemed-to-be University. Once the lockdown is lifted, the university will give an option to students to choose between offline and online classes, he added. 

Government universities have different challenge to face. Many of them cater to a large number of rural students. Since rural Karnataka is now seeing a spike in cases, faculty in these universities have also urged the government to vaccinate students at the earliest. 

“Unless the government takes initiative in vaccinating all these students, it will be a challenge to conduct offline classes,” said University of Mysore Vice-Chancellor G Hemantha Kumar. While the university can comfortably conduct online classes for about eight weeks in a semester, it will have to go for offline classes for the rest. “Since there will be practical work, students need to come to the campus,” he said.

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News Network
January 23,2025

Bengaluru: A suspected case of Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, was reported in Bengaluru late on Wednesday, marking what is likely the first case in Karnataka this year.

A 40-year-old man, who recently traveled to Dubai, has been admitted to Victoria Hospital and is currently receiving treatment, according to well-placed sources. Further investigations are underway to verify additional details of the suspected case.

Mpox raised widespread alarm last year when cases surged in several African countries and began appearing in other nations, including Pakistan and Thailand. In August 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Mpox a 'Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).'

India's first confirmed case of Mpox was reported in September 2024. Last month, Kerala reported two additional cases.

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News Network
January 18,2025

Sullia, Jan 18: In a shocking incident, a man shot his wife dead during a fit of rage over a minor argument and later took his own life by consuming poison. The heartbreaking event unfolded late Friday night in Kodimajalu in Sullia taluk of Dakshina Kannada.

The accused, identified as Ramachandra Gowda alias Chandra (53), used his licensed firearm to commit the crime. His wife, Vinoda (43), tragically lost her life in the incident.

On the fateful night, Ramachandra reportedly started an argument with his family after dinner over a trivial matter. The heated exchange escalated, and in a fit of uncontrollable anger, he allegedly aimed his firearm at his elder son, Prashanth. Vinoda intervened to prevent the attack, attempting to wrest the gun from Ramachandra.

However, enraged by her intervention, Ramachandra turned the gun on Vinoda and shot her, leaving her dead on the spot. Overwhelmed by the gravity of his actions, he consumed acid, commonly used for rubber processing, to end his own life.

Based on Prashanth’s statement, a case has been registered at the Sullia police station. The tragic sequence of events has left the village in shock and mourning, raising concerns about the unchecked escalation of domestic disputes.

This devastating incident underscores the importance of addressing domestic tensions before they spiral into irreversible tragedies.

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News Network
January 15,2025

palestinejournalist.jpg

Another Palestinian journalist has been killed in an Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip, taking the death toll to 205 since early October 2023 when the occupying Tel Aviv regime launched its all-out onslaught against the blockaded coastal sliver.

Local organizations identified the new victim as Ahlam al-Nafed, who recently reported from the besieged Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza for Drop Site News and other media outlets.

She was killed on Tuesday as she was walking to al-Shifa Hospital – the largest medical complex and central hospital in the Gaza Strip, and located in the neighborhood of northern Rimal in Gaza City.

“For the past 100 days, Ahlam chronicled the genocide in northern Gaza, capturing evidence of Israeli war crimes from the besieged Indonesian Hospital.

“Through her words and images, she ensured that atrocities which might have been silenced were brought to light, allowing the world to witness the brutal reality unfolding there,” Drop Site News wrote in a statement published on its X account on Tuesday.

It underlined that Ahlam’s work documenting the attacks on the Indonesian Hospital was irreplaceable.

“She was one of the last remaining voices in northern Gaza — a voice the world desperately needed. Without her, the full extent of Israel’s actions might never have been known,” the statement also read.

For its part, the Indonesian Hospital said, “Ahlam courageously documented the genocide in north Gaza, residing in the medical facility during its siege, taking evidence of war crimes and bearing witness to tell the story with her pictures and her words, many of which we shared with you.”

Journalists working within the Palestinian territory face heightened risks while covering the genocidal war, particularly in light of Israeli ground assaults and airstrikes, as well as challenges such as disrupted communications, shortages of supplies, and power outages.

In the face of these difficulties, Palestinian journalists have continued to document the atrocities of the war, acting as the global community's eyes and ears throughout one of the most deadly wars of the 21st century.

Backed by the United States and its Western allies, Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against the Israeli regime in response to its decades-long campaign of oppression against Palestinians.

The regime’s bloody onslaught on Gaza has so far killed at least 46,645 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 110,012 others. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under rubble.

On November 21 last year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

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