Malpe: Dalit Samiti condemns Pramod Madhwaraj, Raghupathi Bhat for justifying assault on dalit woman
Udupi: Karnataka Dalit Sangharsh Samiti Ambedkar Vad District General Convener Manjunath Gilliyaru has criticized former minister Pramod Madhwaraj and former MLA Raghupathi Bhat for exposing their 'regressive mentality' by justifying the heinous act of tying a Dalit woman to a tree and assaulting her in Malpe.
He was speaking after presiding over an emergency meeting of the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti Ambedkar Vad District Committee in Udupi on Sunday regarding the Malpe incident.
These politicians, who appear to be in a competition to gain political mileage, have made provocative statements to incite the Mogaveera community against Dalits. Furthermore, they are also issuing threats to the marginalized community, he alleged.
State Organizing Coordinator Sundar Master stated that the Dalit community working in the port will not remain silent if they are harassed. The issue of the Lambani community being driven out of the port and threatened has already come to the committee's attention. He urged the district administration and police department to take immediate and appropriate action.
"Instead of shouting and naming the office bearers of the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti during the protest in Malpe, let them come forward for a discussion. We are ready to respond appropriately. As a progressive organization, it is our primary duty to fight against atrocities committed against the oppressed in any part of the country," he asserted.
Mysuru Divisional Organizing Coordinator Shyamaraj Birti emphasized that Malpe port is government property and not the private possession of any individual.
"Everyone has the right to work and earn a livelihood there. This is not Uttar Pradesh or Bihar, where slum-like conditions prevail. Such hooliganism should be completely eradicated in Udupi, a district known for its intelligence and harmony," he said.
The meeting was attended by District Organizing Coordinators Shyamsunder Thekkatte, Rajendra Master Belle, Manjunath Naguru, Suresh Hakladi, Bhaskar Master, Sridhara Kunjibettu, Annappa Nakre, as well as Taluk Coordinators Raju Bettinamane, Manjunath Balkudru, Raghava Belle, Harishchandra Birti, Shivaram Kapu, Kusuma Hangarakatte, Sivananda Birti, Ramesh Maravante, Krishna, Suresh Barkur, Shivraj Bynduru, and Ratnakara Kunjibettu.
The Dalit Sangharsh Samiti has commended the police department for filing a suo moto case against former minister Pramod Madhwaraj over his provocative speech during the Malpe protest.
Superintendent of Police Dr. Arun Kumar has made the right decision at the right time in the Malpe incident. The Karnataka Dalit Sangharsh Samiti stands in support of him on the Ambedkar principle and will continue to back the Superintendent of Police in this just struggle, said Shyamaraj Birti.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Army showcases several AI-driven applications at AI Summit, Rajnath visits pavillion
New Delhi (PTI): From a climatology and diaster prediction system to a device that detects driver's fatigue to avert accidents, the India Army has showcased a slew of artificial intelligence-based applications at the AI Impact Summit here, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visiting the Army pavilion on Friday.
The Indian Navy has also put up a pavilion as part of the summit expo.
The AI Impact Summit is being held from February 16-20 at Bharat Mandapam, in which several heads of state, many global AI leaders, academicians and researchers, and heads of global tech giants, and philanthropists have taken part.
The Army has showcased several AI-based applications at its pavilion in Hall no. 4, and Defence Minister Singh interacted with military officials who gave him a tour of the pavilion, which has attracted both young and old-age visitors.
"Delighted to visit the AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam today. India is rapidly emerging as a global leader in Artificial Intelligence and advanced technologies. The Summit showcases the immense talent of our innovators, researchers, startups, armed forces and industry leaders. India's AI vision MANAV, articulated by PM Shri @narendramodi at #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026, sets humanity’s direction towards a secure and future-ready world," Singh later posted on X.
"Guided by principles of morality, accountability, national data sovereignty, accessibility and robust systems, India is helping shape the next civilisational leap through responsible AI.
"AI is not just a driver of economic growth, but also a force multiplier for national security and good governance. I thank PM Modi for hosting the AI Summit in India. Compliments to the organising Teams and all participants for making this Summit a grand success," he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the summit on Thursday and unveiled the 'MANAV' vision for a human-centric approach and use of AI with a strong accent on sovereignty and inclusivity.
"Army officers and personnel, researchers and scholars, of course have come to our pavillion in the past few days, but youths too are showing keen interest in AI-based military applications. And, today the honourable defence minister visited and showed keen interest in knowing more about these applications," a senior Army official told PTI.
Some of the AI-based applications which have been showcased include 'Prakshepan' a military climatology and diaster prediction system; Xface -- a facial recognition system for rapid image and video-based verification in boosting security and surveillance mechanism; Nabhdrishti -- a telemetry reporting system which can capture positional data, imagery and orientation, "even based on images of an unidentified drone in flight"; and an AI-based device that detects driver's fatigue and alerts the person behind the wheels to avert accidents.
Lt Col A R Packianathan said 'Prakshepan' was launched by the defence minister last November.
The name draws from Sanskrit word 'Prakshepan', which means projection, he said.
At the Army pavilion, a dashboard has been displayed showcasing how the system works, with "near-live data".
"This application is a cutting edge military climatology application developed in-house by the Army's Directorate General of Information Systems. It has been powered by scientific and technical collaboration from several ministries with agencies like India Meteorological Department, National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting, Central Water Commission, North East Space Application Centre, Geological Survey of India and Defence Geospatial Research Organisation," Lt Col Packianathan told PTI at the pavilion.
It has three prediction modules -- prediction of flood, of landslide and of an avalanche.
"This is India's first hybrid military climatology system capable of predicting landslides and avalanches 3-7 days in advance using multi-agency scientific datasets, terrain intelligence, and AI/ML (AI/machine learning) modelling," another Army official said.
The Indian Army in January had declared 2026 as the 'Year of Networking & Data Centricity' and said that this initiative will enhance connectivity, real-time decision-making and combat effectiveness, thereby strengthening resilience and agility for a future-ready force.
In line with the vision, the pavilion also showcases visual representations of Army assets and weaponry using holographic projections.
The Army has said that beyond military use, man of these application can have dual-use and help civilian administration and the masses as well,
So, 'Prakshepan' can provide early warnings to civil administration in remote areas, contributing to national disaster resilience and capacity building, Lt Col Packianathan said.
Similarly, the AI-based device that detects driver's fatigue and alerts the person behind the wheels can help avert accidents on highways for civilian drivers too, another official said.
