1. Stress Effect: Karnataka Lost One Student to Suicide Every Day
The inability to cope with stress, which eventually leads to depression, sees at least one student take her/his life every day in Karnataka. Tamil Nadu topped the chart with most suicide cases followed by Karnataka, Telangana and Kerala.
According to the latest statistics available on student suicides, 540 students from Karnataka took their lives in 2016, at the rate of 1.47 cases per day. In the same year, Tamil Nadu registered 981 cases, at 2.68 cases per day.
Andhra Pradesh recorded the least number of cases (295), while Telangana saw 349 and Kerala 340 cases. Experts point out that apart from sociological, psychological and biological reasons that lead to depression, addiction to drugs and alcohol is also seen as a serious concern.
(Source: The Times of India)
2. From 1 February, Helmets With ISI Mark Mandatory In Bengaluru
From 1 February, wearing a helmet with an ISI mark will be mandatory in Bengaluru. The orders to enforce the rule in Bengaluru city comes days after the Mysuru police’s campaign against poor quality helmets caught the attention of Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy.
Senior police officers said that Bengaluru traffic police will conduct a month long awareness campaign, on the need for a good quality helmet, before beginning the enforcement. From 1 February, two-wheeler riders will be fined Rs 100, if they don’t wear a helmet with an ISI mark, a senior police officer added.
The directive making the decision official was issued by DG and IGP Neelamani Raju on 4 January. Sources said that the Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy, who appreciated the campaign by Mysuru police, asked the DG and IGP to make the rule mandatory for the entire state.
Read the full story here.
3. Drugs Shipped as Sweets Seized
Customs at the Kempegowda International Airport seized 11 kilograms of the drug Ketamine, tucked neatly between sweet boxes and shipped to Kuala Lumpur from Chennai through FedEx. On 2 January, officials picked up 17 packets marked by the exporter as 'Shree Mithai' (assorted Indian sweets) after the scan detected suspicious images in 11 of the boxes.
They had silver grey packets containing smaller sachets. A red powder was smeared over the packets to prevent them from being detected, customs officials said. The white crystalline substance found in the sachets was later confirmed to be narcotics. The seizure is worth Rs 1 crore.
The exporter had shipped the packets from Chennai by FedEx, which collected the consignment to send the shipment to Kuala Lumpur through Bengaluru.
(Source: Deccan Herald)
4. Man Hacked to Death in Broad Daylight
A 28-year-old man said to be a Congress party worker who also has criminal cases against him has been hacked to death in Bannerghatta police station limits on Friday morning at around 9 am. The victim, who was once a pickpocket, is suspected to have been murdered by known people.
The police have identified the victim as Satish Reddy alias Kalkere Satish. The victim, a resident of Kalkere, was going on a bike near Bingipura when the accused, who were hiding behind a tree, blocked him and started attacking him.
When Reddy tried to flee, he was chased and murdered. He managed to run about 100 meters to an open place and later collapsed. Members of the public who saw the victim running and falling in a pool of blood rushed to help him but he had died on the spot.
(Source: Bangalore Mirror)
5. Outrage Forces BBMP to Rethink Skywalk Project
Outrage against the integrated skywalk project at the Mahatma Gandhi Circle near Cubbon Park has forced the government to rethink the project. Bengaluru Development Minister K J George has asked the Bruhath Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to furnish all details of the project for a review.
A spot visit to the site revealed that all the work has been temporarily halted. Brisk activity witnessed until Thursday night was not seen on Friday night. This follows a DH report on Thursday that had exposed the Palike's bid to build a massive structure in one of Bengaluru's most valued heritage spaces.
Work on the project, destined to benefit mainly advertisers, had been inaugurated in secrecy by a local MLA two months ago. BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad confirmed to DH that the Palike has submitted all the documents to the minister.
(Source: Deccan Herald)
6. Helmetless Pillion Rider Dies; Family Donates His Organs
The family of a 21-year-old youth, who was declared brain dead four days after he was involved in a road accident on New Year's Eve, has donated several of his organs. Amith (name changed) was riding pillion when the bike, a Bullet, skid.
While the rider, a friend, is in a coma, Amith was declared brain dead after a four-day battle for life. Amith was riding without a helmet and his father claims he would still be alive had be worn one.
The organs of the diploma holder were harvested on Wednesday at Aster CMI Hospital, where Amith was being treated. Ruing his son's decision not to wear a helmet, B K Ramesh, the youth's father, said: "A split-second decision to wear a helmet, may have saved my son. He usually wore a helmet whenever he was out on a bike. But when he left for a nearby shop with a friend at about 7.30 pm on December 31, he didn't wear one." The bike skidded, throwing both riders to the ground. Amith's friend is 16 and is being treated at a private hospital.
(Source: The Times of India)
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