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A day after a Vokkaliga seer publicly urged Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to step down in favour of his deputy D K Shivakumar, a prominent seer from the dominant Veerashaiva-Lingayat community on Friday called for ministers from his community to be considered if there is a change in the CM post.

Channasiddharam Swamiji of Srishail Peetham stated that if the Congress decides to change the state chief minister or create additional deputy chief minister positions, preference should be given to legislators from the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community.

Speaking to reporters at Yadur village in Chikkodi taluk, the seer emphasized that people from the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community have voted for Congress in large numbers.

"If the Congress wants to change the chief minister or create more deputy chief minister posts, community members like M B Patil, Ishwar Khandre, S S Mallikarjun, and veteran Shamnur Shivashankarappa should be considered. During the government formation, Veerashaiva-Lingayat votes were decisive. Therefore, Veerashaiva-Lingayat ministers should be given priority and their experience utilized. I urge that they be given an opportunity," he said.

Talks in this regard have been held with Kashi, Ujjani, and other seers of Panchapeethas, and there is an understanding about the chief minister's post within the Congress. The grand old party should walk the talk, he added.

On Thursday, Vishwa Vokkaliga Mahasamastana Math seer Kumara Chandrashekaranatha Swamiji had raised the pitch for Shivakumar as CM during the Kempegowda Jayanti event, which commemorates the birth anniversary of Bengaluru's founder, in the presence of both Siddaramaiah and the deputy chief minister on the dais.

Mangaluru, Jul 3: The sixth additional district and sessions court has sentenced five individuals to life imprisonment for the murder of Ismail, a 59-year-old resident of Pavoor under the Konaje police station jurisdiction. Among the convicted is Ismail's wife.

The 2016 incident, driven by an illicit relationship, shocked the local community.

Ismail's wife, Nabeesa (40), was involved in an affair with Jamal Ahmed (38), leading to frequent arguments with her husband. In response to Ismail's objections, Nabeesa devised a plan to have him killed.

The co-conspirators included Abdul Munaf alias Munna (41) and Abdul Rehman (36) from Ullal, and Shabbir (31) from Boliyar, all of whom participated in the murder.

On the evening of February 16, 2016, the accused lured Ismail under the guise of a rental job opportunity and killed him in a remote forest area near Shiradi. They buried his body and abandoned the vehicle to cover up the crime. Nabeesa financed the murder by pawning jewelry and filed a missing person's report to mislead investigators.

Judge Kanta Jaru S V found the accused guilty, sentencing them to life imprisonment with additional fines. The court also imposed rigorous imprisonment terms, underscoring the severity of the crime, and mandated compensation for Ismail's children through the District Legal Services Authority.

Mangaluru: Two auto-rickshaw drivers were electrocuted to death after coming into contact with a live wire near Rosario church on Wednesday night.

The autorickshaw drivers who were electrocuted were identified as Raju (50) of Pallyahobli in Hassan and Devraj (46) from Ramakunja near Kadaba.

Due to heavy rains, the electric wire from an electric pole got snapped and fell on the ground.

Raju, who stepped out of his room, got electrocuted. Hearing Raju's shouts for help, Devraj rushed to his rescue. He was also electrocuted and both died on the spot, Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Anupam Agrawal said.

Police initially suspected that the deaths due to electrocution took place in wee hours on Thursday. But on checking CCTV footage, police realised that the autorickshaw drivers had been electrocuted around 9 pm.

Based on the complaint filed by Raju's brother a case was registered under sections 304A.