Mangaluru/Udupi: As another year goes by, leaving with us many fond as well as disturbing memories, we take a look at some of the important events and incidents of the year 2015 in twin districts of coastal Karnataka.
January
New Top Cops for Mangaluru, Udupi
Senior IPS officer S Murugan was transferred from Karnataka State Industrial Security Force and posted as the new Commissioner of Mangaluru City Police Commissionerate on January 1. He replaced R Hithendra, who was posted as Inspector-General of Police (Police Headquarters). Along with Mr. Hithendra, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) K.V. Jagadeesh also was transferred. He was replaced by K. Santosh Babu.
On the other hand K Annamalai, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Karkala Sub Division, was promoted and posted as Superintendent of Police (SP) of Udupi district on January 1.
9-year-old boy killed by 15-year-old neighbour
A Class 4 boy, who went missing after leaving his home at Kota in Kundapur taluk on January 10, was found dead in a well under mysterious circumstances two days later. Police retrieved the body of Sughosh Adiga (9) from a well at Bannadi-Upladi area with the help of local residents and fire personnel and sent it for post mortem. According to police he was accidentally murdered by his 15-year-old neighbour, who later threw the dead body into a well.
Togadia, Kalladka Bhat provoke people
In spite warning by the Dakshina Kannada district administration and the presence of around 1,500 policemen and Rapid Action Force personnel at the venue, speakers at theVirat Hindu Hrudaya Sangama' crossed the limits and apparently mocked and abused non-Hindu Indians.
Thousands of Sangh Parivar activists had gathered at the Mahalingeshwara Temple grounds in Puttur on January 16 to get “guidance” from Vishwa Hindu Parishad's International Working President Dr Praveen Togadia and RSS Kshetreeya Sampark Pramukh Dr Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat.
Padma Shri awards for Heggade, Pai
Shree Kshetra Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari Dr D Veerendra Heggade and IT honcho T V Mohandas Pai are two among the seven persons from Karnataka chosen for the prestigious Padma Awards. Heggade was conferred with Padma Vibhushan while Pai was given Padma Shri in New Delhi on January 26. BJP patriarch L.K. Advani, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and actors Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip Kumar were also among the nine Padma Vibhushan awardees, the second highest civilian award of the country.
February
Christian prayer hall attacked
A day after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat accused Mother Theresa of converting people into Christianity in the pretext of service, miscreants targeted a place of worship belonging to Christians on the outskirts of Mangaluru. St Joseph Vaz worship centre located at Panir near Deralakatte in Mangaluru taluk was attacked by miscreants in the last week of February.
March
Mangaluru gets new Mayor
As expected Jacintha Vijay Alfred of the Congress was elected Mayor of Mangaluru City. Purushottam Chithrapura was elected her deputy.In the mayoral election, held on Corporation on March 12 they defeated the BJP candidates. The post was reserved for woman candidate. The Opposition BJP in the council had fielded Roopa D Bangera as mayoral candidate.
Sexual abuse of nursery girl
A tense situation had prevailed in Thokkottu and Ullal localities of Mangaluru taluk a three-and-half year-old girl was sexually abused by a school van driver on March 13. The girl, a nursery student of Mangalore One School, located near Thokkottu, was allegedly raped inside a school van by the driver, putting the spotlight back on rising incidents of sexual abuse of school-going minors across the country.Widespread protests were held in Mangaluru demanding the closure of school.
Immoral police stop college trip
In mid March a group of hate-mongers belonging to Sangh Parivar pelted stones at a bus and local residents after forcing a degree college at a village in Mangaluru taluk to cancel its scheduled educational tour citing the presence of Muslim boys in the bus. The students and lecturers of Government First Grade College, Mudipu, on the outskirts of Mangaluru, were in for a rude shock evening as a gang owning allegiance to Hindutva outfits waylaid their bus and warned against continuing their journey together.
April
Accident victim's liver taken to Bengaluru
The police in Mangaluru on a busy Monday evening (April 13) stretched themselves to create a traffic-free corridor. For once, it was not for a VVIP but for a harvested organ of an accident victim that had to reach Bengaluru within 45 minutes for transplantation. The efforts proved successful. The box containing the liver of accident victim Jeevan Vijay Fernandez, reached the Mangalore International Airport within the stipulated time. A special flight is airlifting the heart to Bengaluru.
May
First phase of Varahi project launched
The first phase of the Varahi lift irrigation project across Varahi River at Hole Shankaranarayana in Udupi district was formally inaugurated by Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah May 4. The foundation stone for the project was laid 35 years ago by then chief minister Gundu Rao. The entire Varahi Irrigation Project is expected to be completed in next two years.
June
College girl found dead near temple
A college-going minor girl was found dead under suspicious circumstances near a temple in the forest area of Henberu village in Udupi district on Udupi, June 17. The deceased was Akshata Devadiga (17), daughter of Babu and Radha Devadiga residents of Henberu village. She was pursuing her II PU science at a junior college in Byndoor.
July
Mudslide kills three labourers
In a heart-wrenching tragedy, three migrant labourers were buried alive while a fourth was shifted to a hospital in a critical condition after a large chunk of clay fell on them at a construction site at Farangipet in Bantwal taluk on the outskirts of the city on July 14. The victims were identified as Milon, Thorikol and Maiminol, all natives of West Bengal.
Bajrang Dal activists storm mosque
A group of trouble-mongers owing allegiance to Sangh Parivar stormed a mosque on July 17 morning at Kokkada village under the limits of Uppinangady police station in Dakshina Kannada district and assaulted a physically challenged youth before leaving the spot. The attack took place at around 6 a.m. when only Kalanadar (27), a physically challenged local youth and few children were present in the Badria Juma Masjid. Others had left the mosque after praying Fajr namaz in congregation.
August
Don Bannanje brought to Udupi
Underworld don Bannanje Raja, who was extradited to India from Morocco was finally brought to Udupi on August 15 in connection with the murder of Ankola businessman R N?Nayak. He is being tried in only 16 of the 44 cases he is said to be involved in. The Nayak murder case of 2013 formed the basis for the Moroccan government to extradite him. The case is being tried under KCOCA (The Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act, 2000).
Muslim youth stripped, tied and thrashed
In a shocking incident, a few dozens of activists swearing allegiance to a saffron outfit assaulted a Muslim youth in broad daylight in the heart of the city on August 24, for accompanying a woman belonging to Hindu community. 28-year-old Shakir, a manager of a super market had to spend several days on hospital bed after the brutal assault by the goons.
Killer Bhuvith Shetty released within hours
Bhuvith Shetty, a Bajrang Dal leader from Bantwal taluk was arrested by police a day after he openly justified the assassination of a veteran scholar of Karnataka and issued a veiled terror attack threat against another rationalist thinker. He was arrested on charge of posting provocative comments on twitter on August 31. However, he was released after a couple of hours. (Same person murdered a Hindu youth in Bantwal in November)
September
Jokatte activists held for blocking MSEZ work
A group of activists including Democratic Youth Federation of India State president Muneer Katipalla were arrested on September 3 when they staged a protest against Mangalore Special Economic Zone at Jokatte in Mangaluru taluk. In two months this was for the second time anti-pollution activists being arrested by jurisdictional Surathkal police on charge of obstructing the MSEZ authorities from carrying out work on a corridor road in Jokatte.
Mangaluru-Bengaluru highway blocked
For the first time after several years in Dakshina Kannada district, people of all religions and communities on September 15 joined their hands together for a cause and brought the ever-busy Mangaluru-Bengaluru highway to a standstill by holding a massive protest at Uppinangdy. The work on the about Rs 13,000 crore project had started in September at Sakleshpur in Hassan district, which had been opposed by politicians, local people and environmentalists, saying it would dry up the Nethravati river here, the lifeline of Dakshina Kannada district.
The activists who have been opposing the Yettinahole river diversion project held a series of protest in September. Former minister and Chikkaballapur MP M Veerappa Moily was gheraoed by the people several times.
October
Teen raped and murdered by villager
A teenage girl was found raped and murdered at Karikodlu near Kundapur on October 1. The victim was Suchitra Naik (19), daughter of Govind Naik, a local resident. Within hours after the dead body was recovered, police managed to arrest Manikanta (26), who raped and murdered the girl. The arrested thwarted the attempt of saffron outfits to give communal tinge to the incident.
Bajrang Dal activist murdered in Moodbidri
A gang of six miscreants on October 9 brutally murdered a Bajrang Dal activist near his flower shop at Moodbidri on the outskirts of Mangaluru. Massive protests were held by saffron outfits demanding the arrest of killers of Prashant Poojary (29), who had also involved in a few petty cases. Police have registered cases against 17 persons in connection with this murder. Already 10 persons have been arrested.
Manipal gang-rapists sentenced to life
Nearly two–and-a-half-years after a medical student and was abducted in an auto-rickshaw and gang-raped in Manipal, three accused in the case were sentenced to life. The Udupi District and Sessions Court on October 15 convicted the three persons to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 1.10 lakh each. The three convicted persons are Yogish Poojary, Hariprasad Poojary and Ananda.
November
Madoor Isubu, Ganesh Shetty murdered in jail
Madooru Isubu and Ganesh Shetty, the two under-trials lodged in Mangaluru jail were hacked to death by a rival gang on November 2. The incident raised security concerns in the prison and many under trials were shifted to different jails. According to police weapons were thrown over the jail wall by rival gang to execute the murder.
Murder, bandh, violence by Saffron outfits
Saffron outfits forcefully imposed a bandh across Dakshina Kannada district on November 13, a day after a group of miscreants brutally murdered a youth belonging to Hindu community and attempted to murder his Muslim friend when the two were returning from work place in Bantwal taluk.
The Sangh Parivar blamed Muslim outfits for the murder and staged violent protests across the district on the day of bandh violating prohibitory orders.Later it came to light that the murder was committed by Bajrang Dal leader Bhuvith Shetty and his associates in order to disrupt peace in the society.
Naushad Kashimji murders convicted
The third Additional District and Sessions Court, here on November 25 convicted five persons of hatching a murder plot and murdering Mangaluru based reputed city-based advocate in 2009. Two other accused charged with the same offences were acquitted of all charges against them. Naushad Kashimji, who was known as the most successful criminal lawyer human rights advocate in Mangaluru, was shot dead outside his apartment in the city on April 9, 2009.
December
‘Dilwale' stopped; activist threatened
Activists of Bajrang Dal on December 20 evening tried to raid three multiplexes and theaters across Mangaluru to stop the screening of Shah Rukh Khan starrer Dilwale. The reason for the agitation was the statement made by the King Khan against rising 'intolerance' in India last month. Dozens of Bajrang Dal supporters on social media threatened to rape and murder a Mangaluru based woman activist when she raised voice against Bajrang Dal activist for forcefully stopping the screening of the film.
Poojary, Shetty retain MLC seats
Despite facing rebellion within the party, Congress candidate Pratapchandra Shetty has retained his Legislative Council seat along with Bharatiya Janata Party's Kota Srinivas Poojary in Dakshina Kannada local authority constituency which also comprises of Udupi district. While Srinivas, former minister breezed through securing 2,977 first preferential votes out of the 6,534 votes cast, Pratapchandra bagged 2,237 first preferential votes to make it past the post.
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