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.

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Rajouri/Jammu (PTI): One person died while seven others, mostly children, were hospitalised after allegedly consuming a wild vegetable in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, officials said on Saturday.

The incident was reported from Mohra village in the Kotranka subdivision, where members of two families consumed a wild vegetable following which they started showing symptoms of food poisoning on Friday evening, they said.

The affected persons were initially shifted to the Community Health Centre in Kandi and later referred to the Government Medical College Hospital Rajouri for specialised treatment.

Officials said an elderly man, identified as Mohammad Hussain (60), died during treatment, while seven other members of the two families are undergoing treatment at the hospital.

“Prima facie, it is a case of food poisoning, but the matter is still under investigation,” a doctor said.

Officials said an investigation into the incident has been initiated to determine the exact cause of the poisoning.