Kasargod: In a devastating incident, five individuals lost their lives in a collision between a school bus and an auto-rickshaw at Pallathadka near Badiyadka on Monday evening.

The accident occurred at approximately 5:45 PM, resulting in the tragic demise of all five occupants of the auto-rickshaw, including the driver. The victims were identified as residents of Mogral Puttur.

The collision transpired when a school bus, which was returning after dropping off students, collided with the auto-rickshaw. The impact of the collision left the auto-rickshaw severely damaged. The bodies of the deceased were transported to Kasaragod General Hospital.

The Badiyadka station police arrived at the scene to initiate further proceedings. Detailed information about the deceased individuals is yet to be disclosed.

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Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.

Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.

He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.

Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.

He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.

Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.

He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.