PUC lecturer booked for sexual harassment

July 22, 2014

Mangalore, Jul 22: Mangalore Rural have registered a case against a PUC lecturer on the charges of sexual harassment on first year PU student.

The accused has been identified as Harish Acharya, a Kannada lecturer at St. Raymond's College in Vamanjoor on the outskirts of the city and a resident of Bantwal.

The harassment, according to the complainant, had been going on for a few days. She was made to stand in Harish's chamber when he misbehaved with her. He has been asking her to “adjust with him” for getting more marks and accused of threatening to give her fewer marks in the examinations if she refused his overtures.

Police said the complainant, who bore the trauma for a few days, did not tell her family about the incident. It was her eerie silence that alerted her parents that something was amiss and they confronted her. That's when she revealed what had happened. The parents filed a complaint with the jurisdictional Mangalore Rural (Kankanady) police station.

The victim attempted to end her life, police said, adding that it is yet to be independently verified. Harish tried to force her to share her mobile number with him.

Based on the complaint, a case has been registered under sections 354, 509, 116 read with 306 of the Indian Penal Code. Since the victim is a minor, police also slapped sections 11, 12, and 16 of the POCSO Act, police said.

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Concerns raised over Toll Plaza construction near Sooralpady Masjid

News Network

September 9,2024

Mangaluru, Sept 9: An action committee has voiced concerns about the construction of a new toll plaza near Sooralpady Masjid on the Mangaluru-Moodbidri-Karkala National Highway 169, 17 km from Nanthoor. Amidst ongoing construction, the Action Committee Against Surathkal Toll Gate claims irregularities and poor site selection.

Committee convener Muneer Katipalla noted that only 50% of the Nanthoor-Moodbidri-Karkala highway upgrade is complete after seven to eight years. The Nanthoor-Vamanjoor stretch remains unfinished, causing traffic issues, while dangerous hillside cutting near Kettikal has forced residents to relocate. Additionally, a flyover near Kaikamba threatens a local market.

Katipalla also criticized the construction of a bypass road, alleging it benefits real estate investors and inflates the project cost, which could increase toll fees. The proposed toll plaza, situated 36 km from Talapady toll gate and 35 km from Brahmarakotlu toll gate, violates distance regulations and is too close to local amenities, raising public objections.

There is growing concern that toll collection might begin before the project's completion, with locals frustrated by unaddressed grievances. Social activist Bava Padarangi, DYFI leader Srinath Kulal, and other community leaders attended the site visit.

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