Mangaluru: Padma Shri awardee Harekala Hajabba seeks support for new PU College building
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Mangaluru: Padma Shri recipient and ‘Akshara Santa’ Harekala Hajabba has appealed for assistance to build a permanent structure for the newly established Government Pre-University (PU) College in his village. Though classes began a year ago, the college still functions without its own building, forcing students to manage in limited space.
Hajabba, who has dedicated his life to education in his native Harekala, fears that the lack of proper infrastructure may lead to a drop in student enrolment next academic year. Despite personal hardships, including the recent loss of his wife, the 68-year-old is tirelessly meeting government officials, legislators, private institutions, and companies, urging them to help fund the project.
After years of efforts, the government had sanctioned 1.30 acres of land for the college on November 21, 2022, near the Gram Chavadi area in Harekala. Later, on January 9, 2024, the Department of School Education and Literacy officially approved the upgradation of the existing government high school into a PU College. Classes began during the 2024–25 academic year, with the college temporarily functioning from the high school building.
The Public Works Department prepared a blueprint and estimated the construction cost at Rs 5.30 crore in June 2025. Speaker U T Khader also wrote to the Education Minister on July 8, requesting early release of funds. Meanwhile, Hajabba continues to pursue both government and private support.
Local contributions have already started coming in. Belthangady MLA contributed Rs 5 lakh towards the project, and the P.A. Educational Institutions donated furniture worth Rs 6.5 lakh. A borewell has also been installed, and the land has been levelled for construction.
Hajabba said, “We have started the PU College, but without a proper building, it will be hard to sustain student interest. I hope the government and private donors will extend their support so that this college can stand as a lasting symbol of rural education.”
Currently, the college runs Arts and Commerce courses. The first PU batch has 11 students, including two boys and nine girls, while the second-year batch has 13 students, eight boys and five girls. The college functions with guest lecturers and a principal in charge.
Hajabba, who opened his first school in 1999 in a small madrasa building, became a symbol of selfless service to education in rural Karnataka. His determination to provide learning opportunities for children in his village continues to inspire many across the country.
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Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
