UAE, February 24: In order to promote and spread the message of tolerance and to commemorate the UAE government’s ‘Year of Tolerance-2019’, the Karnataka Cultural Foundation’s UAE Publication Division, organized an international level essay contest to mark the third anniversary of Gulf Ishara, a monthly magazine.

KCF is a socio-cultural organization of Kannadigas, known for its tireless social welfare works. It aims to make a difference in the life of people in Karnataka through educational, humanitarian and healthcare projects.  The KCF announced the winners at Sharjah on February 15. The KCF event was presided over by president Sheik Abdul Hameed Saadi Ishwaramangala and UAE national secretary Iqbal Kajoor announced the names of the winners in the presence of Thajul Fukahah Sheik Ibrahim Musliyar Bekal.

Masitha P, a second-year B-Sc student of Uppinangady got the first prize, while BM Ziyad who is working as an administrator in a prestigious company in Saudi Arabia, got the second prize. Ayesha Shameema who is the second year BDS student in KVG Dental College got the third place.

On December 15, 2018, HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed declared 2019 as the Year of Tolerance aiming at highlighting UAE as a global capital for tolerance and its approach, since its establishment, to be a bridge of communication between people of different cultures in a respectful environment that rejects extremism and emphasizes on the acceptance of the other. This reflects tolerance as a fundamental value in UAE community where people from over 200 countries live in harmony without racism, discrimination or intolerance.

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Hyderabad, May 3: Police have filed a closure report before a local court in its probe into the death of Rohith Vemula, a student of University of Hyderabad, claiming he was not a Dalit and died by suicide as he feared that his "real identity" would be discovered.

The Cyberabad police that investigated the case informed the court that Rohith Vemula did not belong to Scheduled Caste and that he was aware of it.

Vemula died by suicide in 2016. "The deceased had multiple issues worrying him which could have driven him to commit suicide," the report said.

"In addition to this, the deceased himself was aware that he did not belong to Scheduled Caste and that his mother got him a SC certificate. This could be one of the constant fears as the exposure of the same would result in a loss of his academic degrees that he earned over the years and be compelled to face prosecution."

Further, the report said, "Despite best efforts, no evidence could be found to establish that the actions of the accused have driven the deceased to commit suicide."

The then UoH vice-chancellor Appa Rao Podile and incumbent Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya were among the accused.

Vemula's death snowballed into a political controversy with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi taking on the Central government in Parliament and the then Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani slamming alleged attempts to project it as a caste battle.