Maharashtra varsity sends sole survivor of bus accident on long leave
Pune, Aug 30 : A month after 30 staffers of BSKK University were killed when their bus plunged into a 600-feet deep gorge, the sole survivor of the tragedy has been sent on 'long leave' for an indefinite period, a top official said on Thursday.
"The decision has been taken by the university administration. This is pending the submission of a report of the enquiry instituted by us into the incident," Deputy Registrar A.S. Pawar of Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth told IANS.
The only person who emerged unscathed from the accident on the early morning of July 28 was Prakash Sawant-Desai, an Assistant Director with the university.
On Tuesday, around 250 angry relatives of the other deceased staffers staged a noisy protest in the university campus at Dapoli, demanding dismissal or suspension of Sawant-Desai.
Sensing their aggressive mood, the university sent Sawant-Desai on long leave till the outcome of the internal probe into the tragedy. Police have already questioned the survivor but have not unearthed anything suspicious.
Some relatives told mediapersons that Sawant-Desai was allegedly driving the bus when it was crossing the treacherous Ambenali Ghats at Poladpur, en route to the famed Mahabaleshwar hill-station where the staffers were proceeding for their annual picnic.
Suddenly, the bus slipped off the ghat roads and plunged into the gorge, killing 30 - barring Sawant-Desai.
The official later said that he climbed up the hills taking support of small trees and bushes, reached the top and then informed the university authorities of the disaster.
Sawant-Desai also said he managed to survive by jumping out of the falling bus, grabbed a tree branch to which he hung on before clambering up to the road, more than three hours after the plunge.
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
