Cong opposes decision to install Chhatrapati Shivaji statue in Mangaluru
Mangaluru (PTI): Congress members in the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) council have raised objections against the proposal to install a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the city.
The MCC at its meeting on October 29 approved an agenda for installing a statue of Shivaji at Mahaveer circle (Pumpwell circle) in the city, considering a demand from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maratha Association.
When the council met on Wednesday, Opposition leader Naveen D'Souza opposed the move pointing out the position of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) against Karnataka.
He said it is improper to install Shivaji statue in the city at a time when the MES is trying to disrupt peace on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border. He suggested that a statue of Koti-Chennaya, the twin warriors of Tulunadu, could be installed instead of the Shivaji statue.
Congress member Shashidhar Hegde also said statue of one of the freedom fighters and achievers from the coastal region should be considered.
BJP members countered the criticism, saying the Congress has made it a habit to oppose Hindu leaders. The party's corporators said the name of Shivaji should not be limited to Maharashtra.
As the verbal duel between the corporators continued, the council chief whip Premananda Shetty said the proposal had already been approved in the last meeting and the opposition's objections were recorded.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
