Underworld dons hand in glove with local Sangh Parivar groups: Advocate

Mangalore, December 21: Similar and continuous threat calls from both local communal elements and underworld dons to a popular city based advocate are exposing the possible nexus between underworld and communal parties.

Advocate Dinesh Hegde Ulepady told “Coastaldigest.com” that he has been receiving several threat calls since Saturday, December 18, from an underworld gang headed by Ravi Poojary and a local group controlled by communal elements.

He said that both are similar groups and threats received from both sides are similar and against the constitution of India.

“The underworld gang headed by Ravi Poojary is 'a self declared pro Hindu force' and the local communal elements like RSS and Bajarang Dal are also 'self declared saviours of Hinduism'. Both work in the name of 'Hindu Dharm' and now both are threatening me in a similar way and simultaneously,” Ulepady said.

As a professional lawyer, Ulepady has taken up many criminal cases including sensitive cases of Madur Isubu and Kamalaksha Purusha, who was recently arrested by the police on the charges of killing a three and half year old child at Yeyyadi.

On Saturday, at around 3:30 pm, Advocate Dinesh Hegde Ulepady, received a threat call from an international telephone number claimed to be the aid of Ravi Poojary. “The strange voice demanded me to drop the case of Madur Isubu, who was arrested by Dakshina Kannada police earlier this month. The caller also threatened me that if I failed to withdraw the case, I would face a similar consequence of Naushad Kashimji, who was brutally murdered in April 2009,” said Ulepady.

He said that later he received another threat call from a local, who claimed to be a Hindu leader, asking him not to fight for Kamalaksha Purusha and to withdraw the case within two days.

“After these calls, I received many calls from same number but I did not pick them,” he said.

Ulepady said that though he had filed two separate complaints in Barke and Bunder Police Stations on December 18 and 19 respectively, he has not got any security from the police department so far.

“They have given protection to communal advocates without any reason and are asking me to ignore the threat calls. How can I ignore a threat call from an underworld gang, while the picture of Advocate Kashimji's murder is still fresh in my memory?” he questioned.

The advocate said that they are not threatening him out of their concern towards the victim's family in child murder case. Pointing out the double standard policy of communal forces, he questioned as to why they are not threatening another advocate, (who has a close association with communal groups) who is arguing on behalf of Madhava, another accused in the child murder case?

Ulepady also said that the local communal groups went on to the extent of threatening his father-in-law to face dire consequences, if he did not persuade his son in law to withdraw from the above cases.

Will never stoop!

Ulepady clarified that he would not stoop or yield to any pressure from anybody and will continue pursuing his duty. “As a lawer, I have the right to fight for my client. Nobody can dictate which case I should take and which I should drop. I am not ready to consult any organisation or communal elements before taking up any case,” he said.

Contempt of Court

He also said that he will also wage a legal battle against those who threatened him and are violating his constitutional rights. “Threatening a lawyer to drop any case is not only a crime but comes under “contempt of court” as well. I will file a petition in this regard in the concerned court,” said the advocate.

PUCL backs Advocate

Meanwhile, People's Union for Civil Liberties has considered the life threat against Ulepady a serious issue.

An official release issued by the PUCL stated that the popular advocate has been receiving life threats from underworld mafia which is supporting Sangh Parivar, just because he has accepted the brief of Madur Isubu, against whom certain criminal cases have been filed by the police.

“Professional ethics of advocates do not give them the liberty to refuse a brief from any client, and the Government provides an advocate as and when an accused cannot afford to engage a lawyer”, the release said.

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Harekala Hajabba’s school introduces bilingual education

News Network

December 16,2024

In a significant milestone, the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat Higher Primary School in Newpadpu, Harekala, has introduced a bilingual Kannada-English medium this academic year, a move spearheaded by Padma Shri awardee Harekala Hajabba. The school has so far received 13 admissions for its Class 1 bilingual program.

This initiative is part of a broader effort by the state government, which approved 38 schools across the district to launch bilingual mediums. Expressing his delight, Hajabba shared that he had been advocating for a bilingual school for years. "The bilingual medium will greatly benefit students in this region who otherwise rely on private schools. However, we currently face a shortage of classrooms. Construction of two additional classrooms is underway, and once completed, we expect higher admissions," he said.

The school had previously been permitted to introduce LKG and UKG classes in the last academic year. According to the school’s headmistress, Rajeshwari, while the pre-primary sections have seen good enrolment, the bilingual Class 1 faced challenges, securing only 13 students. She attributed this to the late notification of permission, which arrived a month after the academic year began, leading many children to enroll elsewhere.

Rajeshwari remains optimistic about the future. "We expect better admissions next academic year as awareness about bilingual education at this government school grows," she said, adding that the classroom shortage will soon be addressed.

Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) Venkatesha Subraya Patagara noted that bilingual schools across Dakshina Kannada have generally received a positive response, with some schools enrolling more than 100 students. The effort to offer bilingual education in government schools marks a step forward in providing affordable, quality education to underserved regions.

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