1. I-Day speech: CM Siddaramaiah issues stern warning to those disturbing social and communal harmony
Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah used the occasion of Independence Day to issue a stern warning to those disturbing communal and social harmony in the State. Sending out a strong political message, he warned that his government would not tolerate spreading false news on social media, disturbing social harmony, and acts in the name of moral policing and communal goondaism in Karnataka.
Delivering the I-Day address at the Field Marshal Manekshaw Parade Ground in Bengaluru on August 15, the Chief Minister appealed to people of Karnataka, especially the youth, not to yield to provocation by vested interests, and to uphold the principle of harmonious life. “We follow what Jnanpith awardee Kuvempu propagated in his poetry — Sarva Janangada Shantiya Thota (peaceful garden of all faiths),” he said.
2. Belagavi may be divided into 3 districts, says PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi
Karnataka government is considering a proposal to create Gokak and Chikkodi districts by carving up Belagavi district, PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi, who is also the district in-charge, said in Belagavi on August 15. The demand was put forth by several legislators during Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s recent meeting with MLAs from northern Karnataka.
The demand was first raised in 1997 when some new districts were created. The J.H. Patel government announced the division but did not implement it owing to opposition by local Kannada groups. Belagavi taluk, which has three Assembly seats and a population of around 12 lakh, may also be divided, but no concrete decision has been taken on that yet.
3. Entire Namma Metro Purple Line to be operational in September: Karnataka CM
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that the eagerly anticipated inauguration of the extended Purple Line of Namma Metro in Bengaluru — from Challaghatta to Kadugodi (Whitefield) — will become operational in September 2023.
The Nagasandra-Madavara extension on the Green Line and the new line between R.V. Road and Bommanahalli are expected to be operational by December 2023. By 2026, Namma Metro will have a 175.55-km network in Bengaluru. Today, the metro network in Bengaluru stands second in India, Mr. Siddaramaiah informed.
4. Karnataka HC refuses to quash abetment case against colleagues of queer employee who died by suicide
Observing that the precious life of a 35-year-old man, who belonged to the LGBT community, was lost owing to remarks of his sexual orientation, the High Court of Karnataka refused to quash a criminal case registered against three of his colleagues for alleged abetment of suicide.
The deceased, Vivek Raj, was a Manager (Visual Merchandise) in Lifestyle International. He had ended his life in his apartment in Bengaluru on June 3 after lodging a complaint against the petitioners accusing them of harassing him at the workplace because he belongs to the Dalit community.
5. Private school in Bengaluru shut down for violation
The Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) has shut down a private school in Varthur, Bengaluru after it was found that the management had taken permission to run the school at Koramangala.
Incidentally, the principal of the school was arrested on August 3 for allegedly sexually assaulting a class 2 student.
