Cong candidates from DK district miss Ministerial berth in the first phase of swearing-in ceremony
Mangaluru: The Dakshina Kannada district Congress MLAs were left out of the initial phase of ministerial appointments in the cabinet led by newly appointed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Among those who missed out on the opportunity were former minister and Mangaluru MLA U.T. Khader, MLC B.K. Hariprasad, and Dr. Manjunath Bhandari.
Out of the 8 ministers who were sworn in, none represented Dakshina Kannada district, despite expectations that the district would secure a position. U.T. Khader, who had been widely anticipated to receive a ministerial berth, was not sworn in alongside CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar. There will be 28 new ministers taking oaths in total.
In the state assembly elections, the Congress managed to win only two out of the eight seats in Dakshina Kannada district, one more seat than in the previous election. However, as per reports the defeat of former minister Ramanath Rai resulted in the loss of a potential ministerial post for the district.
Despite missing out initially, U.T. Khader is expected to secure a ministerial position, and there is a possibility of another position being granted. There had been speculation that the MLC from the neighboring Udupi district, where the Congress failed to win any seats, could be appointed as the minister in charge. However, further developments are awaited in the coming days.
During Siddaramaiah's previous cabinet, B Ramanath Rai, Abhayachandra Jain, and U.T. Khader served as a minister.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
