Over 1,300 students, faculty urge IISc to cancel India-Israel Business Summit amidst Gaza genocide
New Delhi: More than 1,300 students and faculty members from universities in India and abroad have called on the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, to cancel the “India-Israel Business Summit” scheduled for September 23. The event, is organised by Think India, the Indian Chamber of International Business, and the Mysuru Lancers Heritage Foundation.
In a letter addressed to IISc Director Govindan Rangarajan, the signatories expressed concern that hosting the summit would signal support for Israel's military actions in Gaza, which they described as "genocide" and aggression against neighboring regions.
The letter highlighted the destruction caused by Israel’s offensive on Gaza. Israel’s air and ground strikes on Gaza have reportedly killed over 40,000 people, including 16,500 children.
The students and faculty also pointed out that Israel has devastated Gaza’s infrastructure, including universities and healthcare facilities, leading to a resurgence of diseases like polio. They cited the International Court of Justice’s July ruling, which deemed Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories illegal under international law, and the recent United Nations General Assembly resolution demanding the withdrawal of Israel from the occupied Palestinian territories within 12 months.
The letter urged IISc not to host discussions related to defense and cybersecurity, expressing concern that these areas of collaboration would further legitimize Israel's actions.
The signatories concluded by calling on the institution to withdraw its support for the event and avoid serving as a platform for what they termed "genocide and colonialism."
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BMTC collects over Rs 19 lakh as fine from those travelling without tickets, occupying ladies seat
Bengaluru (PTI): The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has collected over Rs 19 lakh as a penalty from 10,069 passengers who were penalised for travelling without tickets and occupying seats exclusively reserved for ladies in the last three months, officials said on Thursday.
The checking staff of BMTC have intensified checking of buses operated in and around Bengaluru City to detect ticketless travelling by passengers, they said.
According to BMTC, during the months of August, September and October, the checking staff checked 57,219 trips and penalised 8,891 ticketless passengers by collecting Rs 17,96,030 as penalty and 5,268 cases were booked against conductors for their dereliction of duty.
During the same period, they have also penalised 1,178 male passengers for occupying seats exclusively reserved for lady passengers and imposed fines by collecting Rs 1,17,800 in accordance with the KMV (Karnataka Motor Vehicle) Rules of the MV Act of 1988.
"In total, during the months of August, September and October, 10,069 passengers were penalised and Rs 19,13,830 was collected," the BTMC officials stated.
