Regional

Talking to media persons here, Pawar said that the meeting was planned in Shimla

on July 11-12, but owing to weather and heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh, the venue has

been shifted to Bengaluru.

This will be the second meeting after June 23 when over 15 national opposition parties had met in Patna to chart out the strategy to challenge the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

--IANS

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Mallaradhya works as a teacher in a school run by a famous religious mutt in Tumakuru.

Jurisdictional Kyatasandra police have registered a case under IPC Sections 354 (A) and 506 against the accused.

According to police, the victim’s son is studying at the residential hostel and school. The accused teacher had got the contact number of the victim from the ledger and started a conversation with her.

Initially, he used to discuss about the student's progress but slowly he started sending obscene messages.

The woman has alleged that the teacher had sent her obscene and vulgar messages and threatened that if she does not cooperate with him he would fail her son and destroy his career.

The woman then lodged a complaint with the police.

An investigation into the matter is on.

--IANS

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Nagaraja Ganapathy Gaokar hanged himself from a tree in the outskirts of the village.

According to police, Gaokar had completed graduation a few years ago and was unable to find a job. Due to unemployment, he also failed to get married leading to depression.

After making several unsuccessful attempts to get a job, he took to farming but developed health problems, the preliminary investigations have ascertained.

He went to a hill near the village this morning and ended his life.

Yallapura police visited the spot and taken up the investigation.

--IANS

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Meena, a native of Rajasthan, succeeds V. Iraianbu, who is retiring from service on June 30.

IANS had earlier reported that the state government will be appointing Shiv Das Meena as the new Chief Secretary of the state ahead of Hans Raj Varma who was also in the race for the Chief Secretary post.

Presently, Shiv Raj Meena is the additional chief secretary of the Municipal Administration and water services department and prior to this, he was working in New Delhi with the Union Ministry for Housing and Urban Affairs.

It may be noted that Shiv Das Meena has good rapport in New Delhi and is highly connected. This, according to sources in DMK, was one of the reasons for considering him as the new Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu.

--IANS

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Sources said that the sleuths found Rs 40 lakh cash and Rs 1.90 crore worth valuables. The authorities have also seized documents relating to 100 acres of properties in and around Bengaluru. These properties were purchased in benami names of the accused officers' friends, relatives, sources said.

The Lokayukta had got information about Ajith Rai owning four Fortuner vehicles, four Thar jeeps and a Land Cruiser. The authorities got the purchasing bill of a Land Cruiser worth Rs 2.5 crore. They said that the accused officer was not forthcoming with the information on this luxury vehicle following which details were gathered for seizure of the vehicle.

The sleuths also got the information that the officer was using a Rolls Royce vehicle also. Sources said that he had purchased 95 acres of land in Doddaballapur town located close to Bengaluru. The accused had purchased 35 to 40 acres of farm in his brother's name in Devanahalli, near the Bengaluru International airport, sources said.

The Lokayukta sleuths got information on the accused officer having built a posh house in Eduthore near Bengaluru and owning 10 to 15 flats in Bengaluru. The raiding officers also seized 16.2 litres of foreign brand liquor bottles worth Rs 1.45 lakh.

The raids were carried out for almost 30 hours at his residences and his arrest was made following finding of assets disproportionate to his wealth.

The sleuths are going to present him before the court in 24 hours. Sources said that Ajith Rai was involved in brokering the purchase of land with big real estate companies, MNCs in and around Bengaluru. He maintained cordial relations with all political party leaders. He was alleged to have protected the illegal properties of the rich from demolition drives. He was recently transferred from K.R. Puram from the post of tehsildar without showing any posting.

--IANS

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Siddaramaiah participated in the public Eid prayers organised at the Chamrajpet Idgah Maidan in Bengaluru.

In his speech after the prayers, the Chief Minister said: “There are forces amongst us who create hatred between people. Those forces will indulge in this with the clear intent of spreading hatred. They should not be given importance or encouraged.

"Human beings need to ensure creation of an environment of love and trust for others. Along with the development of the state, the people should also develop. May the god give wisdom to all and enlighten human beings on living as good human beings.

“Though, we belong to different religion, castes, we are all human beings. All should live with love and harmony. I convey my wishes of Bakrid to all my Muslim brothers. The festival of Bakrid is a symbol of sacrifice. I prayed to the god on this auspicious day for the betterment of the human kind."

Grand celebrations took place Kalaburagi and Mangaluru city in Dakshina Kannada district, where Muslims are in sizable numbers.

Meanwhile, no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the state.

--IANS

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Chowdhury is an MLA from the Algapur Assembly seat in Hailakandi.

Ataur Rahman Laskar, a member of the BJP minority cell, alleged that he was attacked by the MLA and three other persons while he was returning home on Tuesday.

After the incident, Laskar filed a complaint at the Panchgram Police Station against four people, including the MLA.

Chowdhury was detained by the police on Wednesday afternoon, and he was later taken into custody after two hours of interrogation.

According the the FIR, Chowdhury and a group of others stopped Laskar’s car near Dhaleswar Point at around 11.30 p.m. on Tuesday.

The complainant said: "They tried to drag me out, broke the windows in my car, and once tried to stab me to death with knives. I took refuge in the Katakhal police outpost after managing to escape somehow.”

Laskar even claimed that Chowdhury and the others attacked him inside the police station as well.

"The police officials saved me from them and they fled seeing the police."

The police said that the four accused have been charged with violating sections of the IPC, including 148 (assembling or rioting with lethal weapons), 149 (unlawful assembly), 427 (causing damage to property), 353 (assaulting on-duty public official), and 307 (attempt to murder).

Hailakandi SP Leena Doley confirmed Chowdhury's arrest and added that a search operation is underway to nab the three others.

The AIUDF MLA was produced before a court on Wednesday evening and the Magistrate issued an order to send him to judicial custody.

However, on emergency medical grounds, he was taken to a local hospital.

Earlier, Chowdhury was charged with raping a woman, and on June 17, he appeared before a Hailakandi district court.

He was however, granted bail.

--IANS

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The accident occured on the National Highway 48 near Motebennur village in Byadagi taluk.

The victims were identified as 22-year-old passenger Rahul and the bus driver, Sadananda Belagavi (50).

The injured persons are currently undergoing treatment at the Haveri district hospital.

According to police, the bus was heading to Meeraj from Bengaluru.

Byadagi police have registered a case in this regard.

--IANS

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Highly placed sources in the Tamil Nadu government told IANS that the senior officer was preferred over Hans Raj Varma, who was senior to Meena, but the excellent contacts the latter has in New Delhi has helped him become the new Chief Secretary of the state.

The incumbent Chief Secretary, V. Iraianbu is slated for retirement on June 30.

Shiv Das Meena is presently the additional chief secretary in-charge of Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department. He was in New Delhi on central deputation for many years and is highly networked in the national capital.

Meena, who hails from Rajasthan, was with the Union Ministry for Housing and Urban Affairs and returned to his mother cadre last year.

Sources in DMK told IANS that Meena had returned to the state service after he was assured of the post of Chief Secretary.

The present Chief Secretary, V. Iraianbu is likely to be posted as the Chief Information Commissioner of the state post-retirement, sources told IANS.

--IANS

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The incident occurred in the Indu Oil Mill Compound, Hansraj Lane, around 2.30 a.m.

The Mumbai Fire Brigade, police and other agencies rushed to the spot and found at least two young men trapped underneath.

While one Rehman Khan, 22 had succumbed, another victim Rizwan Khan, 20, was rushed to the Sir J. J. Hospital nearby and is under treatment.

This the third death owing to tree-collapse in Mumbai in the past 24 hours, with two persons losing their lives in Malad and Goregaon on Wednesday as the city was lashed by torrential rain since Monday.

--IANS

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