1. 'Bullied' Student Kills Self in Bengaluru
An 18-year-old undergraduate engineering student hanged herself from a ceiling fan at her home near Rajarajeshwari Nagar, off Mysuru Road, southwest Bengaluru, on Tuesday afternoon. She didn't leave a suicide note. Her parents alleged she had been bullied by her classmates for losing in the class representative elections.
Meghana C was a first-semester civil engineering student at Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, Kumaraswamy Layout. She is survived by her banker-parents, Chandrashekar and Lata, and elder sister Bhavana, an engineer.
(Source: The Times of India)
2. Bescom to Launch Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles
If switching over to an electric vehicle (EV) has been on your mind, but reservations about supporting infrastructure has been a concern, the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) has good news.
The power utility will launch fast-charging stations for electric vehicles from this month, and Bescom claims to be the first government power utility in the country to do so.
On Wednesday, Energy Minister DK Shivakumar announced that the first such station will be opened in the Bescom office at KR Circle, and Bengaluru will get 11 stations overall. The first station is likely to be launched on 15 February.
(Source: The Hindu)
3. Karnataka to Go MP Way, Considers Gallows for Rapists of Children Below 12 Years
Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Tuesday said the Karnataka government is considering the Madhya Pradesh legislation of awarding the death sentence to rapists of children who are below the age of 12 years.
During a debate on the law and order situation in the state at the legislative council, Reddy said there has been an increase in the reportage of cases of rape under the protection of children from sexual offences act (POCSO).
"But these cases range from molestation to rapes, all of which are clubbed under the same act. We are considering stringent punishments for the serious nature of cases under POCSO," he said.
(Source: The Times of India)
4. BJP Corporator's Husband Hacked to Death in City
A history-sheeter (a person with criminal records), who is also the husband of a sitting BBMP corporator, was murdered in broad daylight on Wednesday, 7 February.
Kadiresh S, 47, was the husband of BJP corporator Rekha R (Chalavadipalya ward in Chamarajpet). He was killed by a gang of four near Muneshwara Temple in Chalavadipalya.
He was attacked while he was preparing for Shivarathri celebrations at Muneshwara Temple in Anjanappa Garden, ward no. 138 in Chalavadipalya in Chamarajpet Assembly Constituency.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) M N Anucheth said the incident happened around 3.45 pm and an old rivalry is said to be the reason behind the hacking.
(Source: Deccan Herald)
5. Just Rs 1 crore Allocated for Suburban Rail Project
Days after the central government announced an allocation of Rs 17,000 crore for the suburban rail network, the Railways’ ‘Pink Book’, which elaborates on the sanctioned and allocated amount for works to be taken up, has mentioned a measly Rs 1 crore allocation in the next financial year for the project.
The Work, Machinery and Rolling Stock Programme of Railways for 2018-19, which was released on Tuesday, records an entry for Bengaluru Suburban for the first time. The sanctioned cost for ‘construction of elevated/at grade corridors for augmentation of line capacity’ is Rs 12,061.1 crore.
However, the sum allocated for 2018-19 is Rs 1 crore. “This is only the budget grant as the project is in the initial stage. There are detailed studies to be done, and over the course of implementation, more money can be released,” said a railways official.
(Source: The Hindu)
6.How BS Yeddyurappa Emerged as Karnataka’s Lingayat Strongman
Despite corruption charges – of which he was later absolved – a rebellion which led him to float a rebel party in turn, causing a serious dent in BJP’s performance and making room for Congress’ victory last election, Yedyurappa was relaunched by Modi, appeased and promoted to the Centre and now, he’s back where he belongs – in the state political arena.
So why is Yeddyurappa important to the BJP and why is he powerful? The answer lies in is his caste politics.
There could be other BJP leaders who are popular among the party workers, but it is Yeddyurappa who is the mass leader. He is the tallest leader for the Lingayat community, which is the largest vote bank in the state. And his rise to the position of a formidable Lingayat leader in Karnataka is result of the several decades of political events in the state’s history.
(Source: The Quint)
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