Probe into drug mafia will cover coastal districts: DGP Praveen Sood
Mangaluru: The ongoing investigation into the drug dealings by a mafia gang in the state will not be confined to Bengaluru and will be extended to coastal districts, Karnataka Director General of Police Praveen Sood said on Tuesday.
Addressing reporters at Udupi after a meeting on drug menace at the office of the police superintendent, he said the probe is also covering districts including Belagavi, Hubballi and Chitradurga.
Sood said the state will be adopting a zero tolerance in drug-related cases. The probe conducted in Bengaluru pointed to links of the mafia in other parts of the state. Police officials have been instructed to take stringent action against drug abuse cases, he said.
On the link between celebrities and the drug mafia, he said the Bengaluru police is handling the case well.
The probe is being conducted on the strict instructions of Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and the government has given the police a free hand to the police to deal with the drug mafia, he said. He said besides Bengaluru, Mangaluru is also turning out to be a hub for drug peddling.
The toll number 112 will be introduced in district headquarters for people to provide information in case of any grievance relating to drugs, Sood said.
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Sena (UBT)-MNS alliance announcement for civic polls likely next week
Mumbai (PTI): The Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) are likely to announce next week their alliance for the upcoming municipal corporation elections in Maharashtra, with seat-sharing for all the civic bodies, except Mumbai, almost complete, leaders of both the parties said.
Elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the all-important Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), will be held on January 15, and the counting of votes will take place the next day.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS will forge an alliance for the polls in municipal corporations of Mumbai, Thane, Mira-Bhayandar, Kalyan-Dombivli, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune and Nashik, among others.
The Sena (UBT) is headed by former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, while his once-estranged cousin Raj is the president of the MNS.
"Talks for all civic bodies, except Mumbai, are complete. The sticking point is about the seats that we are demanding in Marathi-dominated areas. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is not still not agreeing to it which has delayed the seat-sharing. But the talks have to be over soon since the date of filing nominations starts next week (December 23 to December 30)," an MNS leader said.
Talking to reporters, MNS leader and former MLA Nitin Sardesai said, "It is appropriate to say that the talks are in final stages but it is difficult to say when it will be officially announced. I can only say that all sides are putting efforts to complete the talks and they are working towards it."
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Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab met Raj Thackeray to discuss seat-sharing.
A Sena (UBT) leader said talks are in final stages and there is no hurdle in the seat-sharing agreement.
"The two brothers are expected to officially announce the alliance between the two parties on Monday in a public event or through a press conference that will set the tone for the civic body polls," he said.
Raj Thackeray quit the undivided Shiv Sena blaming Uddhav for his exit in 2005 and floated the MNS in 2006. They had been political rivals since then.
However, after the drubbing of their parties in the Maharashtra assembly polls in 2024 - the Sena (UBT) won 20 seats, while MNS drew a blank - both leaders decided to put behind their political acrimony and find a common ground for survival.
Over the past few months, the two cousins shared the stage or were spotted at public forums together multiple times for various reasons.
The cousins publicly ended their two-decade-long estrangement in July, where they addressed a joint rally. At the event, Uddhav said they have come together to stay together.
