Activist Dinesh Kallahalli appears before police in sex-for-job scandal case
Bengaluru, Mar 5: A social activist whose complaint of sexual harassment against a Karnataka minister led to his resignation on Friday appeared before the police here, a day after seeking a week's time citing security concerns.
Dinesh Kallahalli appeared before the police and later said he handed over whatever 'evidence' he possessed.
Kallahalli had earlier this week lodged a police complaint alleging that then Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi sexually harassed a woman 'job aspirant', following which the BJP leader resigned from the cabinet.
Supporters of Jarkiholi staged protests in his assembly constituency demanding that he be reinstated as minister.
Dubbing it as 'sex for job' scandal, video clips purportedly showing Jarkiholi getting intimate with an unidentified woman were widely aired by Kannada news channels, but he has rejected the charges and sought a thorough investigation.
Kallahalli was summoned by Police to appear before the investigating officer on Thursday, but he did not turn up saying he needed adequate security as he "faced threat" after he lodged the complaint.
The activist had said he informed the police that he would appear on March 9 "only after proper security is given", but presented himself on Friday itself.
Meanwhile, Jarkiholi's supporters staged a protest in his Gokak assembly constituency in Belagavi district demanding their leader's reinstatement as minister.
All shops and business establishments remained shut and vehicles did not ply due to the agitation.
The protesters raised slogans, burnt tyres on roads and put up posters and banners demanding Jarkiholi's reinstatement.
One of the supporters of Jarkiholi sustained burns when he allegedly attempted self-immolation by jumping into a bunch of burning tyres, but was dragged and rushed to hospital, police said.
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Indian startup's 'Drishti' satellite launched aboard SpaceX rocket
New Delhi (PTI): Bengaluru-based space start-up GalaxEye's Mission Drishti satellite was launched on Sunday aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from California.
Mission Drishti is the world's first OptoSAR satellite, integrating electro-optical (EO) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors into a single operational platform, according to the company.
While EO sensors capture high-resolution images during sunlight and clear skies, SAR sensors provide all-weather and all-time images, using radar pulses.
In a statement, Suyash Singh, founder and CEO of GalaxEye, said, "With the satellite (Mission Drishti) now successfully in orbit, our immediate focus is on completing its commissioning. As we move through this phase, we are already witnessing strong global interest in the differentiated datasets enabled by our OptoSAR payload."
The satellite will help address long-standing limitations of conventional systems and enable more reliable and consistent data acquisition across diverse environmental conditions, the company said.
As a dual-use Earth observation satellite, the mission will support use cases across defence, agriculture, disaster management, maritime monitoring, and infrastructure planning.
The satellite is also expected to complement India's broader initiatives, including the 29 active Earth Observation satellites outlined in ISRO's recent annual report.
The launch came after five years of indigenous research and development, and extensive environmental testing and performance validation of the Mission Drishti.
In a statement, Lt Gen AK Bhatt (Retd), director general of Indian Space Association (ISpA), said, "GalaxEye has achieved what only a few global players have, which is seamlessly combining optical and SAR capabilities on a single platform to enable persistent, all-weather intelligence."
What stands out is not just the technology, but its broader impact on how downstream applications will increasingly define value in the space economy, particularly in Earth observation, where timely, decision-grade insights are critical," he added.
ISpA is the premier industry association of space and satellite companies in the country.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh also took note of the Mission Drishti launch, saying the development marked a significant milestone in India's space journey.
In a post on X, the minister said, "The successful launch of the world's first OptoSAR satellite, and the largest privately-built satellite in the country, reflects the immense potential of our young innovators driving nation-building."
GalaxEye aims to scale up Mission Drishti to a constellation of 10 satellites by 2030, developing a robust and sovereign Earth observation infrastructure for India.
