Regional

Chennai, Sep 3 (IANS) Director Aishwarya Rajinikanth, who is busy penning the script of her next project, seems to be relishing the task. Taking to Instagram, the director wrote at length about the process of creating a script.

She said: "The evolution of a script is true magic. From the time the pen touches the paper...the first draft, then the second, the third."

"When you think it's ready to be typed, then additions and changes, you think you are ready to print the typed version, when you see the first spiral version of it! "How through time you see the shades of paper and yet you don't feel like throwing a single sheet away. Every time you read it, your work feels new and you want to improve.

"The journey is worth it when you think it's ready to be read...yet the writing never ends and a script can never be stopped writing until the day of shoot! #writerslife #lovemyjob #fridaymood"

Aishwarya, who earlier this year had announced that she parted ways with her husband Dhanush, will be making a return to direction with her maiden Hindi film, 'Oh Saathi Chal'.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Sep 3 (IANS) Two cab drivers have been arrested for gang-raping a woman on the pretext of dropping her to a church in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

The arrested have been identified as 25-year-old G Akshilesh from Ballary and 21-year-old J L Deepu from Hassan.

In her complaint to police, the 25-year-old victim said that on Thursday, she was walking towards church in Ejipura when the accused offered her lift to the place of worship.

However, instead of church, they took her to an isolated place near Huskur, stripped her and gang-raped her. The accused also kept her in captivity. The victim somehow managed to escape from there in the darkness and took shelter behind the bushes for entire night, police said.

Early on Friday morning, the victim managed to reach a nearby house and requested for clothes. After managing to get them, she reached straight to Viveknagar police station where police lodged an FIR and arrested the accused.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Sep 2 (IANS) Noted journalist and founder-editor of the People's Archive of Rural India, P. Sainath, has decided to return the award and cash prize given to him by rape accused Lingayat seer Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru on Friday.

Sainath's announcement came after a court in Karnataka on Friday sent the Chitradurga mutt seer accused of raping minor girls to police custody till September 5.

Sainath has written a letter in this regard to the Chitradurga mutt and appreciated the efforts of 'Odanadi', an NGO which exposed the scandal by supporting the minor victims.

"I am most disturbed to learn from media reports of the appalling developments involving the pontiff of the Shri Murughamath in Chitradurga, Shri Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru.

"He now faces a case and charges under the POCSO and SC/ST Act for alleged sexual abuse of children, specifically high school girls. No words are strong enough to condemn any such offences against children," Sainath wrote in the letter.

"In solidarity with the survivors and with the cause of justice in this case, I hereby return the Basavashree award (and the Rs 5 lakh prize money that came with it, by cheque) conferred on me by the Math in 2017.

"I would like to record my appreciation of the efforts of the Mysuru-based NGO 'Odanadi' to bring the awful incidents to light and their decades-long fight against social evils.

"I appeal to the Karnataka government to pursue the investigation into the scandal vigorously and not allow that to be compromised on any grounds whatsoever," Sainath added.

The letter has gone viral on social media with netizens appreciating Sainath's decision.

--IANS
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Chitradurga, (Karnataka) Sep 2 (IANS) A local court here on Friday hauled up the police for shifting Lingayat seer Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, accused of raping minor girls,
to hospital without its permission.

The II Additional District and Sessions' court in Chitradurga also asked the jailer to immediately produce the accused. Following the orders, the authorities are preparing to produce the accused seer before the judge from the hospital.

Sharanaru is being treated for developing heart complications in the ICU of Chitradurga District Hospital. The doctors said that he will be shifted to a Bengaluru hospital for additional treatment.

While looking into the police's petition seeking five-day custody of the seer for investigation, the court asked why the accused was not presented before the court.

At this, the prosecution maintained that the accused seer is in the hospital. Objecting to this, the court questioned why did the prosecution not seek the it's permission in this regard. Though the prosecution sought permission for presenting the accused through video conferencing, the court refused.

With this development, chances of accused seer being shifted to Bengaluru hospital have become bleak, say sources.

The accused seer was arrested on Thursday night and he is being handed over to judicial custody by the local court. He faces charges under the POCSO and SC, ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. The Bengaluru court has issued an arrest warrant against him in a misappropriation of property case.

--IANS
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Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 2 (IANS) Hundreds of newly-hatched Indian Cormorant chicks were killed and numerous eggs destroyed when a tree was felled for widening of the National Highway in Kerala's Malappuram district.

The Kerala Forest Department has initiated a legal action against the "guilty" contractor.

Indian Cormorant (known as Neerkaka in Malayalam) comes under Schedule 4 of Indian Wildlife Protection Act.

Expressing their ire, scores of locals gathered at the location where the chicks were lying dead.

"The Forest department officials owe us an answer on how this happened. The breeding season of these birds takes place between June and November and it is rather unfortunate that at the peak of the breeding season, this happened," the angry locals said. Better sense should have prevailed, they added.

Directing strict action against the guilty, State Public Works Minister P.A.Mohammed Riyas has sought an explanation from the National Highway Authority of India officials on the incident.

--IANS
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Chennai, Sep 2 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will be meeting his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday in Thiruvananthapuram.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister is reaching Kerala to participate in the South Indian Chief Ministers' conference, also being attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The discussions between the two Chief Ministers will be mainly centred around Siruvani and Mullaperiyar water sharing issues.

Located inside deep forests in Palakkad district of Kerala, the Siruvani dam is a major source of drinking water for the people of Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu.

Notably, after the 2019 floods in Kerala, the state water resources department has been maintaining water levels below the Full Reservoir Level (FRL). The Kerala irrigation department has been maintaining the water level of Siruvani dam at 44 ft since 2019 instead of 49.5 ft which is the water level agreed between Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Lowering of water level by five feet will lead to a shortage of 122.05 mcft (million cubic feet) which is 19 per cent of the storage capacity of the dam.

The Water level in Siruvani dam has gone up following incessant rains in the catchment areas of the dam and on Thursday the water level touched 43.5 ft and Coimbatore receives 101.4 MLD of water from Siruvani. However once the water level touches 44 ft, the water will be discharged.

Sources in the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department told IANS that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister will take this matter up with his Kerala counterpart and try to convince him of the necessity of maintaining the FRL of Siruvani dam so that drinking water for Coimbatore is not affected.

Mullaperiyar dam issue which is again a contentious one between Kerala and Tamil Nadu will also come for discussion during the meeting between the two Chief Ministers.

--IANS
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Chitradurga (Karnataka), Sep 2 (IANS) Lingayat seer Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru who has been arrested for sexually assaulting minor girls, was on Friday shifted from the jail to a hospital in Karnataka's Chitradurga district after developing chest pain and breathlessness.

Police sources said that the accused seer who was lodged in prison following his arrest on Thursday night, collapsed complaining of chest pain and breathlessness.

He is presently being treated at the emergency ward of the hospital, where doctors are conducting ECG, echo tests and chest scan.

The sources added that he might be shifted to the Jayadeva hospital or the Apollo hospital in Bengaluru for additional treatment.

They further said that due to the development, the investigation might be hampered as they were preparing to take him into custody.

The seer is facing charges under the Prevention of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. He is alleged raping girls aged 15 and 16, with help of a lady warden, junior pontiff and other staff.

Earlier in the day, a district and sessions court sent him to a 14-day judicial custody.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Sep 1 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday flagged-off the campaign to collect sacred mud and water to be used in the Kempegowda Theme Park which will be developed at Bangalore International Airport (BIAL).

The event organised at BIA premises also coincided with the ground breaking ceremony of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Theme Park which will be developed.

Speaking on the occasion, Bommai said the state government will take measures to install a Kempegowda statue on the premises of Vidhansoudha and added that a statue of Nadaprabhu will be installed at Lalbagh as well.

The government would spend Rs 84 crore to erect Kempegowda statue and develop a Theme Park at BIA.

The statue has been named as the 'Statue of Prosperity' to symbolise Kempegowda's vision of development, the Chief Minister said.

This campaign will include all the sections of society and it will be a big step towards building 'Nava Karnataka', he said, adding this symbolises the commitment of the government towards inclusive development.

Karnataka Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan who is the vice president of Kempegowda Heritage Places Development Authority, said: "Today, the city of Bengaluru has attained global fame due to the great vision that Kempegowda had."

The campaign will be held for 45 days prior to the dedication of the statue.

During the campaign, the sacred mud and water will be collected from villages in all the 31 districts, especially from lakes, ponds and rivers.

The government is expected to unveil the statue on November 1. However, the date will be finalised depending on the schedule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Narayan said.

As part of the campaign a vehicle mounted with an LED screen will travel in each district of the state. This will air the messages of great personalities and a documentary on Kempegowda will be played, he said.

The theme park at BIA spreading across 23 acres will be developed in two phases and the first phase will be completed in 9 months' time. For this purpose Rs 20 crore has been sanctioned, Ashwath Narayan, stated.

He added that Kempegowda Study Centre will be established in Bangalore University at a cost of Rs 50 crore.

The theme park which will be developed in two phases at a cost of Rs 30 crore will be developed as a world class tourism spot, Narayan said.

In the first phase, the park will be developed at an area of 3.35 acres at a cost of Rs 20 crore. In the second phase, the remaining Rs 10 crore will be used, he said.

Theme Park will consist of an amphitheatre, pathway, subway, A.V. exhibition system, 3D projection, fountain, flower garden, VIP lounge, restrooms, kiosks, modern tiles, pavilions, concrete walls etc.

--IANS
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Chitradurga, Sep 1 (IANS) Six days after a FIR was lodged under the POCSO Act and the SC, ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, the Karnataka police finally swung into action on Thursday in connection with the sex scandal involving the Lingayat seer in Chitradurga district of Karnataka.

Chitradurga Superintendent of Police Parashuram on Thursday stated that accused number 2, women's hostel warden Rashmi is being questioned in the case of sexual assault on minor girls. "We have started investigating the accused persons in the case one after the other," he said.

There is no rule as such that the accused should be arrested, if it is necessary the accused seer will be questioned, he maintained. The NCPCR has sought a report from Parashuram on the incident.

Meanwhile, a local court in Chitradurga has granted bail to former MLA S K Basavarajan and his wife Soubhagya in connection with the attempt to rape case and the sexual harassment case filed by the women's hostel warden Rashmi in the Chitradurga Rural police station.

Rashmi, who is an accused in the POCSO case, has alleged kidnapping of two minor girls, sexual assault on her. She lodged her complaint after the FIR against the Lingayat seer.

S K Basavarajan stated after obtaining bail that he is not conspiring against the mutt. "I only protected children. After coming to know that the minor girls are in Bengaluru I, my wife and son went to Bengaluru and tried to bring back the girls to Chitradurga Mutt. But they refused to stay and later they were sent with their family members," he said.

"The minor victims were in a bad condition and I gave them shelter. If the minor girls are truthful they will get justice, if they are not, they will be exposed," Basavarajan stated.

Meanwhile, Dalit organizations laid siege to the vehicle of the district commissioner of Chitradurga and demanded the arrest of the seer. They warned that if the seer is not arrested, they would give a call to their workers from all over the state to come to Chitradurga and protest against the accused seer.

The court has adjourned the bail petition of the seer to Friday.

--IANS
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Chennai, Sep 1 (IANS) Heavy rainfall lashed Chennai and its surrounding areas on Thursday leaving several low-lying areas in the state capital inundated.

The rainfall, which commenced at 12 p.m., is continuing unabated and has thrown normal life out of gear.

The IMD has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in many parts of Tamil Nadu for the next four to five days. It has also predicted heavy rainfall in Tamil Nadu and parts of Puducherry including Mahe.

The district administrations of Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Myladuthurai and Tanjavur have declared holidays for all educational institutions following heavy to very heavy rainfall.

The Greater Chennai Police and the State Disaster Response Force are geared up for any eventuality.

--IANS
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