Siddaramaiah announces five acres of land for Shivagiri Mutt branch in coastal Karnataka
Mangaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced that the State Government is ready to provide five acres of land to establish a branch of Kerala’s Shivagiri Mutt in either Udupi or Mangaluru.
Speaking at the inauguration of the 100th year celebrations of the Mahasamadhi of Shri Narayana Guru, organised jointly by Shivagiri Mutt, Varkala and the Brahmashree Narayana Guru Study Chair of Mangalore University at the Mangalagangothri Campus in Konaje, the Chief Minister said that leaders including B.K. Hariprasad have been directed to identify suitable land.
Sharing the keynote message on the historic dialogue between Narayana Guru and Mahatma Gandhi, Lok Sabha Public Accounts Committee Chairman K.C. Venugopal said that the ideologies of Basavanna, Mahatma Gandhi, and Narayana Guru are embedded in the Indian Constitution. He expressed concern that the very Constitution built upon their principles is now under threat, much like the threats these reformers faced in their times. He urged society to uphold their teachings to advance social justice.
He also recalled the 1925 meeting between Gandhi and Narayana Guru, describing it as a landmark event during a time when the struggle for independence and the fight against untouchability were both at their peak. The dialogue laid the foundation for the long Vaikom Satyagraha, he noted.
Presiding over the event, Assembly Speaker U.T. Khader said that the grounds hosting this historic event will be named “Guru-Gandhi Maidan,” and funds would be sanctioned for the development of a park and playground there. He emphasised that true development is not limited to infrastructure but lies in fostering harmony and unity among people of all communities.
Highlighting the background of the Study Chair, senior Congress leader B.K. Hariprasad stated that the proposal for the Narayana Guru Study Chair began in 2013 with contributions of ₹35 lakh from his MLC funds. Further support of ₹10 lakh each from MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and MLC Harish Kumar was also provided. Recently, an additional ₹2 crore grant was sanctioned by the Chief Minister. Hariprasad requested further support for establishing the Shivagiri Mutt branch, following which Siddaramaiah assured the allocation of five acres of land.
Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara, District In-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, Women and Child Welfare Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar, PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi, Housing and Waqf Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, former Union Minister Janardhan Poojary, several MLAs, MLCs, and local leaders were present.
Earlier, Shivagiri Mutt Secretary Shubha Ganananda Swamiji submitted an official request to the Chief Minister through K.C. Venugopal, seeking land allocation and government support for the Mutt’s Karnataka unit.
Mangalore University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Subrahmanya Yadapadithaya welcomed the dignitaries and participants.
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Three arrested in Gurugram for aiding Chinese cyber fraud syndicate
Gurugram (PTI): The Gurugram Cyber Police has arrested three men for allegedly providing calling support to a Chinese fraud syndicate, officials said on Wednesday.
According to the officials, a 20-port physical SIM box and a laptop were seized from them. These arrests come after a woman from Nagaland was held in connection with the same case.
The arrested accused have been identified as Karma (32) from Nagaland, and Lobsang Tsultim (33) and Ngawang Gyaltsen (35), both from Himachal Pradesh. Karma and Tsultim were arrested on February 14. Gyaltsen was intercepted on February 16 near Majnu Ka Tila in Delhi while attempting to flee to Nepal.
Police said the accused, during questioning, revealed that they were using SIM boxes to facilitate fraudulent calls targeting Indian citizens.
Karma and Lobsang Tsultim admitted to installing virtual SIM boxes in Gurugram on the instructions of a Chinese national named Tsega, they said.
These setups, which included 20 mobile phones, were capable of making over 20,000 calls a day. Tsega, allegedly used an application to contact Indian citizens for various crimes, including gaming and investment fraud, they said.
Tsultim and Gyaltsen were born in China and have lived in India as refugees for 15 years. Fluent in Chinese and Taiwanese, they communicated with Tsega via WeChat, a platform banned in India since 2020, they added.
ACP Cyber Priyanshu Dewan said the three accused were produced in court on Wednesday and have been sent to judicial custody.
"We are working to identify others involved in the network," he added.
