18 die as van collides with bus in Bijapur

Bijapur, Jul 23: Eighteen people, including a child and four women, were killed and four seriously injured when a Bijapur-bound van in which they were travelling from Gulbarga rammed into a private bus near Mallayyana temple at Chikkasindagi on the outskirts of Sindagi town on NH-218 on Monday.

The injured were admitted to Sindagi Government Hospital. Later, they were shifted to Solapur in Maharashtra. The condition of three, who sustained head injuries, was said to be critical.

There were 22 people in the van.

Bijapur Superintendent of Police (SP) Ajoy Hilori said the identity of the dead had not yet been established. Based on the contact numbers in the mobiles of the dead, some relatives and friends of the victims had been contacted in Maharashtra. Three of the victims belonged to a family.

F A Trasgar, Additional SP of Bijapur, said the victims were from Mangalwadi in Jath taluk in Sangli district of Maharashtra. Most bodies were mutilated beyond recognition. And the injured were not in a position to give details. The people in the van were travelling to Bijapur after visiting Ganagapur, a place of pilgrimage in Gulbarga district.

Trasgar said the accident occurred at a curve on the road. The van was completely destroyed. It appeared that the drivers of the vehicles had lost control while negotiating the curve. The van driver was killed instantly. The bus driver fled from the spot.

There were about 40 passengers in the bus. A few of them sustained minor injuries.

Trasgar said five doctors were conducting the post-mortem of the bodies.

The police had a tough time extricating the bodies from the smashed van. They were helped by the locals.

The accident led to a traffic jam for some time on the highway.

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‘Have letter, next step is...’: MUDA on Siddaramaiah’s wife’s offer to return plots

News Network

October 1,2024

Mysuru: The Mysuru land authority at the centre of a financial and political storm - involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and alleged losses of ₹ 45 crore to the state - has received an offer of restitution from his wife, the urban development body's Commissioner, AN Raghunandan said.

"I am in possession of a letter written by Siddaramaiah's wife regarding her intention to return 14 plots (of land). The Chief Minister's son, Yatindra Siddaramaiah, came to our office and delivered the letter. We will take legal advice for the next step..." he told reporters in Mysuru.

Mr Raghunandan also confirmed anti-corruption officials from the city's Lokayukta branch had written seeking cooperation in its inquiry into the charges against the Chief Minister.

He said the Mysuru Urban Development Authority, or MUDA, "will cooperate with the investigation".

The Enforcement Directorate, however, have not reached out as yet, Mr Raghunandan said. The ED, a federal agency, has filed a money laundering case against Siddaramaiah.

There have also been calls for the CBI, another federal agency, to investigate charges against the Chief Minister, but that appears unlikely now given the Karnataka government has withdrawn general consent for its operations in the state. Law Minister HK Patil made the announcement last week.

He ruled out any link with demands for the Chief Minister to be investigated by the CBI, which reports to the BJP-led central government and the ruling Congress and other opposition parties have claimed is being used by that party to target rival leaders, particularly before elections.

On Monday - three days after the Lokayukta filed a case against the Chief Minister, and hours after the ED launched its probe- Siddaramaiah's wife said she had planned to give up the land earlier but was advised against it the allegations against her husband are "politically motivated".

But now, she said, she had made up her mind as "no house, plot, or wealth is more important than my husband's honor, dignity, and peace of mind". She also said the decision was hers alone; "... I am not aware of my husband's opinion on this matter, nor do I concern myself with what my son thinks".

And, in a comment seen as a calculated swipe at the opposition BJP, which is leading calls for the Chief Minister's resignation, his wife also made an emotional appeal to "all political parties and the media" to "please not drag women of political families into the controversy to settle political scores".

Investigative action against the Chief Minister follows the Karnataka High Court quashing a challenge to Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot's order sanctioning Siddaramaiah's prosecution.

Subsequently a trial court ordered framing of charges and directed the Lokayukta to complete the investigation within three months. The ED case was filed based on the Lokayukta FIR.

Siddaramaiah faces an inquiry into claims Parvathi was allotted 14 plots of land in an upmarket Mysuru area as compensation for land elsewhere - holding a far lower value - taken for infrastructure projects.

The Chief Minister has denied all charges and refused calls to resign.

He has been backed by the Congress and his deputy, DK Shivakumar, who is also the state unit boss, and also by members of his cabinet, including IT Minister Priyank Kharge. However, some within the Congress also want him to quit, such as former Assembly Speaker KB Koliwad.

"I will fight. I am not afraid of anything. We are ready to face the investigation. I will fight this legally," he said last week after the High Court had quashed his challenge to the Governor's sanction.

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