Satish Acharya accuses Mumbai police of forcing him to remove Pawar cartoon

[email protected] (CD Network)
October 8, 2011

Mangalore, October 8: A Kundapur based cartoonist has claimed that he was forced to remove a cartoon satirising Nationalist Congress Party Chief Sharad Pawar from his blog by the Cyber Cell of Mumbai police.

Satish Acharya's controversial cartoon had first appeared in Mid Day tabloid on September 5, in the wake of asset declaration of Union ministers.

In his typical way, Mr Acharya had satirised the Maharashtra politician's declaration of wealth at just Rs 12 crore, by depicting him as a pole dancer, teasing the audience with a red dress that reveals Rs 12 crore written over his calf.

Pawar, who heads the Nationalist Congress Party, is believed to be far wealthier than his mandatory official declaration suggests. He is also a cricket administrator. Pawar and his family have been linked to major scandals, including those relating to Adarsh Housing Society, Lavasa, and 2G spectrum allocation.

satish

The controversial cartoon

Although, no objections were raised when the cartoon was published in the daily tabloid, Mr Acharya, said that he received a call from a senior police inspector, after he posted the cartoon on his blog.

Acharya said that Inspector Mukund Pawar of Cyber Cell of Mumbai police called from his cell phone on September 21, initially wanted him to visit the crime branch office in Mumbai for “violating cyber law”.

"He said that a person by the name of Abdul Rehman Anjaria, chairman of the advisory council of Delhi's Jama Masjid had sought for removal of the cartoon from his blog”, Acharya said adding that same Anjaria had registered his comment on the blog by asking him to apologise and have the cartoon removed.

“The inspector talked about Section 69 of the IT Act. Since I wasn't aware of the details of the act, I consulted my journalist-friends. They suggested I remove the cartoon as the police could ask me to visit their office in Mumbai every now and then”, he said.

However, he said that he wanted to republish the same cartoon once he got more information about the IT Act. “Once the police had the cartoon taken off, they were satisfied. Meanwhile I shared this bitter experience with my friends on Facebook and Twitter. I was overwhelmed with the response I received there”, he said.

On the other hand, Inspector Pawar has denied that he or his officers called Acharya for removing the 'obscene' cartoon.

The development comes in the sideline of the arrest of Harish Yadav by Madhya Pradesh police for featuring a cartoon lampooning Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, which had recently appeared in a leading Indore based eveninger.

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News Network
September 20,2024

Udupi: A vigilant Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable, Aparna K T, demonstrated remarkable presence of mind when she rescued a student who slipped while trying to board a moving train at Udupi Railway Station on Friday morning.

The incident occurred as passenger train number 06602 arrived at the station around 7:30 AM. The student, traveling from Mangaluru to Gokarna, had briefly alighted to purchase snacks. However, as the train began moving, she hurried back towards the carriage with the snacks in hand. In her rush, she lost her footing, slipping dangerously between the platform and the moving train.

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Woman constable Aparna K T was given a cash reward of Rs 5000.

 

Constable Aparna, who had been closely monitoring the passengers, immediately sprang into action. “I saw her running towards the train and alerted everyone by blowing my whistle. She slipped, and her legs were caught between the platform and the train. Without hesitation, I pulled her out with the help of others nearby,” she recalled.

Thanks to Aparna’s quick thinking and the swift response of the railway staff, the train was stopped in time. Railway personnel, including the guard and loco pilot, were immediately informed, and they acted promptly to halt the train using both flag signals and a walkie-talkie.

RPF Inspector Madhusoodhanan PV arrived at the scene shortly after to check on the passenger's condition. The shaken but uninjured student was given water and helped back onto the train to safely continue her journey.

In an added measure of care, the RPF post at Bhatkal was notified to follow up on the passenger’s well-being during her journey. The student, fortunately, reached her destination without further incident.

The heroic rescue was captured on CCTV and has since gone viral on social media, earning widespread praise. In recognition of her bravery, Regional Railway Manager (RRM) Karwar awarded Constable Aparna a cash reward of ₹5,000, commending her quick action that averted a potentially tragic accident.

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News Network
September 24,2024

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The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday dismissed the petition filed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah against Governor Thawarchand Gehlot's decision to sanction the complaint and investigation against him in the alleged Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam case.

Justice M Nagaprasanna said the facts narrated in the petition would undoubtedly require an investigation.

The court has also said that the Governor's order approving sanction to investigate against Siddaramaiah under section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act does not suffer from application of mind, instead has abundance of application of mind.

Meanwhile, the court rejected the request made by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi to stay the order of the court. The court has vacated the interim order passed on August 19. In the interim order the trial court was directed not to take any precipitative action against Siddaramaiah. On August 17, Governor had approved sanction under section 17 A  of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 218 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita ( BNSS), citing three applications.

The court said the private complainants were justified in registering the complaint and seeking approval from the governor.

Insofar as private complainants seeking sanction under section 17A, the court said the provision nowhere requires only a police officer to seek sanction from a competent authority. The court further said it is in fact the duty of the private complainants to seek such approval.

Earlier, The High Court had completed its hearing in the case on September 12, and reserved its orders. It had also directed a special court in Bengaluru to defer further proceedings and not to take any precipitative action against the Chief Minister.

The case pertains to allegations that compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife B M Parvathi in an upmarket area in Mysuru that had higher property value as compared to the location of her land that had been "acquired" by MUDA.

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News Network
September 14,2024

Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Saturday said the situation in violence-hit Nagamangala town in Mandya district is peaceful now, and steps have been taken to ensure that no untoward incidents take place.

Clashes had broken out between two groups during the Ganesh idol procession in the town, following which mobs went on a rampage with stone pelting and targeting several shops and vehicles leading to tension on Wednesday night.

"Situation in Nagamangala is now peaceful and there is no problem there. I have also instructed officials to hold a peace meeting there. We have instructed officers to ensure that no untoward incidents take place, enough police force is also stationed there," Parameshwara told reporters here.

About 55 people have been arrested in connection with the incident and they have been sent to judicial custody, according to police sources.

Responding to a question on opposition parties including JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy raising doubts about the FIR, he said, "The police will do what has to be done in accordance with law..."

Asked about BJP sending a fact finding team to Nagamangala, the Home Minister said, "Let them find the facts and inform us, and if there is any fact from their fact finding, we will look into it. It will make our work a bit easier." The BJP panel consisting of MLA C N Ashwath Narayan, former Minister Byrathi Basavaraj, former Minister K C Narayana Gowda, state secretary Lakshmi Ashwin Gowda, and former IPS officer Bhaskar Rao, will visit the spot and submit a comprehensive report to the party in a week.

According to police, an argument had broken out between two groups, when the Ganesh idol procession by devotees from Badri Koppalu village reached a place of worship on Wednesday, and some miscreants hurled stones, which escalated the situation.

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