Actor Chrisann Pereira, held in Sharjah in drugs case, returns to Mumbai after release
Mumbai (PTI): Actor Chrisann Pereira, who was released by Sharjah authorities after being implicated in a drugs case, has returned to Mumbai, an official said on Thursday.
She will meet Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar and other senior police officials later in the day, he said.
Pereira (27), who acted in Mahesh Bhatt-directed Bollywood movie "Sadak 2", was apprehended at the Sharjah airport on April 1 after drugs were found inside a memento which some persons had asked her to hand over to someone in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
She spent nearly a month in a prison in Sharjah.
During the probe into the case, it came to light she was framed by some persons, later arrested by the Mumbai crime branch, the official said.
The authorities in Sharjah had released her after the probe into the case, but she could not return here immediately due to some legal formalities.
After completion of the legal formalities, authorities in the UAE allowed the actor to leave for India.
Accordingly, the actor has returned to Mumbai, the official said.
After Pereira's arrest in the UAE, two of the accused, Anthony Paul and his friend Rajesh alias Ravi Bobhate, allegedly demanded Rs 80 lakh from her mother to arrange for her release.
The actor was released after the Mumbai Police sent case-related documents to authorities in the UAE.
The Mumbai Police in June filed a chargesheet against Paul, Bobhate and another person for allegedly framing Pereira in the drugs case.
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Siddaramaiah tells Centre not to punish Karnataka for being progressive
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday underlined the need for justice in the devolution of taxes.
He said no one should milk a milch cow completely, or else the calf would be malnourished.
Addressing people on the occasion of the 69th state formation day at Sree Kanteerava Stadium here, Siddaramaiah said there is injustice happening to Karnataka.
The state is contributing more than Rs four lakh crore as revenue to the Centre and it is the second largest contributor to the Central tax revenue after Maharashtra, he pointed out.
"Even though we give more than Rs four lakh crore, we are only getting Rs 55,000 crore to Rs 60,000 crore. Kannadigas should know this. We are getting 14 to 15 per cent only of our contribution," the chief minister said.
Under the federal system, there should not be any injustice just because Karnataka is a progressive state, he observed.
"Just because a milch cow is giving milk, we should not milk it completely. We should leave some milk for the calf too or else it will malnourish. This no one should ever forget," Siddaramaiah said.
The chief minister emphasised taking pride in Kannada and bringing it in daily use as much as possible.
Stating that Karnataka has people speaking more than 200 languages, Siddaramaiah said, whatever language people speak here or whichever caste or religion they belong to, they all are Kannadigas. Those who consume the air, water and food are Kannadigas, he told the gathering.
He said Kannada is a very old language with a history of 7,000 years. Hence, the Centre too recognised it as a classical language.
Siddaramaiah appealed to the people that they should never sacrifice Kannada language.
"I don't oppose being liberal. I in fact endorse being liberal but not at the cost of sacrificing our language," the chief minister noted.
"Our affection for our language should not be extreme, but we should never give up our pride for our language. We all should be Kannada lover," he added.
For Kannada to grow, people living here must become Kannadigas, Siddaramaiah said.
"I will never say not to learn any other language. Keep enhancing your linguistic wealth but never forget speaking in Kannada," he told people.
He reminded people that November 1 is not only the state formation day but also the anniversary of Mysore state getting the name of Karnataka by the then chief minister, late D Devaraj Urs.
A cultural programme themed around 'Hesarayithu Karnataka, Usiragali Kannada' (the state got the name Karnataka, now Kannada should become the breath) was held on the occasion.
