Bannanje Raja meets his sick mother
Fugitive don spares time with his family amidst tight police security
Udupi, July 09: Underworld fugitive don Bannanje Raja, who has been in Belagavi jail for the last four years, met his sick mother at his home at Sasithota of Katapadi on Monday following the permission from the Principal District and Sessions Court and spent around 9 hours from morning to evening with his family amidst tight police security.
Bannanje Raja who came from Belagavi on Sunday and stayed in the Udupi city police station lock-up, was taken to his home at Sasithota on Monday at 9 am under the tight police security led by Udupi circle inspector Manjunath and allowed him to stay with his 80-year-old sick mother Vilasini.
During his visit, Raja’s father 81-year-old M Sundar, brother Arun and his wife, children, wife Vasanti and two children of another brother who died a few years ago, and Raja’s wife Sonam and his children who came from Bengaluru were present at the house. Mother of Bannanje Raja was a retired teacher, while his father was a retired revenue inspector.
When Arun brought breakfast, police verified it and allowed him to take it inside the house. For lunch, the family members prepared chicken curry, roti and fish dishes for Bannanje Raja, family sources said.
On Monday morning, SP Lakshman Nimbaragi, ASP Kumarachandra and Udupi DySP Kumaraswamy visited the house of Bannanje Raja and inspected it.
Bannanje Raja, who went underground in 2015, was arrested in Morocco in South Africa and brought him to Bengaluru. Being the accused in several cases including a murder in Karwar, shoot-out in Airodi Jewellers in Udupi and others, he was in Belagavi jail for the last four years.
Night stay in lock-up
The police brought Bannanje Raja from his home of Kalmadi to the city police station at 6 pm and kept him in the lock-up and he would spend his night in the lock-up.
Even in the lock-up, the police set up three CCTV cameras to keep a vigil on his movements. After conducting medical check up on him at the district hospital, he would be taken to the Belagavi jail with tight police security, police sources said.
House was under CCTV surveillance
From Malpe-Udupi main road, tight police security was deployed till his house, which is around 300 mts from the main road. DAR police were deployed on the main road and the interior road leading to his house. Apart from this, barricades were put up around 100 mts away from his house and in front of his house. Four CCTV cameras were installed inside and outside the house. Police security was beefed up around his house. No one including his relatives, neighbours and media persons was allowed inside the house.
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Tharoor crossed 'lakshman rekha' with comments on India-Pak conflict: Congress sources
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress Working Committee made it clear on Wednesday that it is not the time to air individual views but to amplify the party's official stand, with some leaders later asserting that Shashi Tharoor had crossed the "lakshman rekha" with his repeated comments on the India-Pakistan conflict.
There was no immediate reaction from Tharoor on the issue.
The sources made the assertion after a meeting of CWC members and senior leaders, including Tharoor, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretaries K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Sachin Pilot, among others, at its 24, Akbar Road office here.
"We are a democratic party and people keep expressing their opinions, but this time, Tharoor has crossed the lakshman rekha," a senior party leader said after the meeting.
Party sources said, without naming anyone, a clear message was sent during the meeting that this is not a time for airing individual views but for amplifying the party's stand.
A leader said during the meeting, Tharoor toed the party line and gave "constructive suggestions".
A senior leader, without naming anyone, raised the issue of some leaders airing different views and urged the leadership to intervene, the sources said.
Asked about Tharoor's comments in recent interviews being at odds with the party's stand, Ramesh said at a media briefing, "That is his opinion. When Mr. Tharoor speaks, it is his view and it is not the stand of the party."
Tharoor has been making comments on the India-Pakistan conflict that are at variance with the party's stand, which has been questioning the government over US President Donald Trump's claims of mediating a ceasefire between the two countries.
