Beach Utsav turns out be a weekend escapade; Lip-smacking delicacies to jolly competitions on platter for visitors

January 27, 2013

Mangalore, Jan 27: There was something for everyone at the Panambur Beach Utsav jointly organised by the district administration and Panambur Beach Development Authority as part of Karavali Utsav 2012 – 13.

Being a public holiday as well as a Saturday, the second day of the Beach Utsav saw a lot more hustle-bustle than the first day. Several people with families in tow visited the beach to enjoy the cool breeze and indulge in fun-filled activities that had been arranged by the locals.

Several stalls could be seen selling kites in various colours and hues for kite-flying enthusiasts. The skies were dotted with numerous kites staging ballet in the evening, while the extravagant kite displays by Team Mangalore were even better. A special camera brought by Prof Prithviraj from NITK was also mounted on a kite which took aerials shots of the audience and programmes, providing an 'eye in the sky'.

The main attraction of the second day of the Utsav was the 'Beach Baby' competition for kids aged between 2 – 5 years that was held on the main stage set up for the entire festival. As many as 15 kids in smart attires and hairstyles walked the ramp and shyly introduced themselves to the delighted gathering. A 12-year-old Suzzanna said it was admirable how such young kids spoke with confidence in front of the audience. The participating children were given marks based on their attire, hairstyles and way of introduction.

As part of the food festival, a variety of snacks and main course dishes were available at stalls set up on the beach. A trip to the Food Utsav was incomplete without freshly prepared sea-food for foodies in the beach stalls. One stall Rico's advertised fresh tiger prawns, crab masala, seer fish fry and beach special fish fry with dosas. An assortment of fast-food such as Chinese Hakka and Schezwan noodles, Manchurian, Pav bhaji and Tawa Pulav was available apart from chats, churmuri and ice-creams to tease the taste-buds of the large number of visitors, who seemed to be enjoying every bit of it.

A stall-owner Alan said that the number of visitors on the beach was overwhelming, and it became quite a task to manage and serve the customers at the stalls. Also spotted among the throng of families was Commissioner of Police Manish Kharbikar having come to spend an evening at the beach with his family.

Games such as Wheel of fortune and darts for teenagers and a mini-Ferris wheel for children ensured that people of all ages enjoyed themselves at the festival. For those with an adventurous streak, there were water sports such as water jet-ski ride and boat ride, as well as a dune buggy ride on the sandy shores of the beach.

A solo-singing competition on the theme of patriotism was held in which 12 singing finalists competed with each other, which was followed by a musical performance by Nitin Acharya and Rajgopal after dusk.

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SIT raids rape accused BJP MLA Munirathna’s residence, 15 other locations

News Network

September 28,2024

Bengaluru, Sep 28: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing charges against arrested Karnataka BJP MLA N. Munirathna Naidu, including allegations of rape, honey-trapping, and other offences, on Saturday conducted raids at his residence and 15 other locations across the city.

Sources confirmed that the raids were taking place at his Vyalikaval residence and other properties owned by the BJP MLA. The operation is being conducted by the SIT under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) led by ACP Kavitha.

The team is examining documents, electronic devices, and other materials related to the rape and honey-trapping case. The SIT is being supported by experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), with Superintendent of Police (SP) Sowmya Latha also participating in the search and inspection at Munirathna’s Vyalikaval residence.

According to sources, the raids were triggered by information provided by the victim, who alleged that Munirathna recorded footage of sexual assaults and used it to blackmail politicians and public servants, including IAS and IPS officers.

The victim reportedly revealed that she was used to entrap the woman who had lodged a rape case against a senior IFS officer. She was allegedly instructed to frame the rape victim in a drug peddling case.

The complainant told police that she was tasked with capturing compromising videos of the rape victim who had filed the case against the IFS officer. She claimed that, after several failed attempts to obtain the videos, the victim was drugged with sleeping pills, and obscene footage was recorded without her consent. Later, the IFS officer was bailed out from the charges.

Furthermore, the complainant has accused MLA Munirathna of raping her at his office within the state legislature, in his official vehicle, and at his godown. She has alleged that he recorded videos of these assaults.

Police sources also revealed that the victim in the MLA's case provided details of a plot involving sending HIV-infected women to Munirathna's targets in an attempt to ruin them politically and personally. She also disclosed the names of several politicians whom she had entrapped through honey-trapping.

The woman further claimed that Munirathna had threatened to have her son kidnapped and killed if she refused to comply with his demands. According to her, the MLA had a well-organised team dedicated to carrying out these honey-trapping operations, and she provided details about his close associates and relatives involved in the scheme.

Munirathna, who was in judicial custody following his arrest in the rape and honey-trap case, has now been taken into the custody of the SIT.

The MLA was transferred from Bengaluru Central Jail to the CID office on the night of September 24. The BJP legislator, however, has denied all the allegations, claiming they are false.

Karnataka Congress leader D.K. Suresh had alleged that Munirathna was trying to infect his adversaries with HIV and that the government should investigate the matter.

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