Belagavi City Corporation meeting adjourned over language row: Report
Belagavi: A meeting of the Belagavi City Corporation turned chaotic on Thursday as a clash broke out over the language of proceedings, with corporators from the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) demanding that the session be conducted in Marathi.
Independent corporators Ravi Salunke, Shivaji Mandolkar, and Vaishali Bhatkande, who are backed by MES and part of the opposition group, raised the issue, insisting that all civic body proceedings and documents be presented in Marathi. They argued that this was in accordance with the Linguistic Minority Act, as reported by Deccan Herald.
As the house witnessed acrimonious scenes with members from opposition group itself opposing their demands, Mayor Mangesh Pawar adjourned the house for five minutes.
As the house proceedings began, Salunke reportedly demanded that all documents and proceedings of the civic body to be conducted in Marathi. He was supported by Mandolkar and Bhatkande, who echoed the same demand.
Opposition member Ramesh Sontakki, however, disagreed, stressing that all civic body documents should be issued in Kannada.
Ruling group leader Hanumant Kongali and Girish Dhongadi said that the house should function as per agenda and Salunke should speak only when opportunity is given, DH added.
Later, Salunke, Mandolkar and Bhatkande boycotted the house. As chaos continued, Mayor Pawar adjourned the house for five minutes.
Later, MLA Abhay Patil called on MLA Asif Sait to intervene, urging him to rein in the opposition members, whom he accused of creating unnecessary drama to attract media attention.
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Bangladesh court sentences Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in corruption cases
Dhaka (PTI): A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in two separate corruption cases related to alleged irregularities in allocations of land in a government housing project.
Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-4 Judge Rabiul Alam handed down the verdicts, sentencing Hasina to a total of 10 years’ imprisonment — five years in each case, state-run BSS news agency reported.
The court sentenced 78-year-old Hasina, her nephew Radwan Mujib Siddiq, and her nieces, Tulip Rizwana Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq, and others in the cases over alleged irregularities in the allocation of plots under the Rajuk New Town Project in Purbachol.
The judgment was pronounced at around 12.30 pm.
Tulip Siddiq was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment — two years in each case — while Radwan Mujib Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq were each sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment in both cases.
Rajuk member Mohammad Khurshid Alam, the only accused to surrender before the court, was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment in each case, totalling two years.
The court also fined all convicted persons Tk1 lakh each and ordered them to serve an additional six months in prison in default of payment.
Hasina has been living in India since she fled Bangladesh on August 5 last year in the face of the massive protests. She was earlier declared a fugitive by the court.
The cases were filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over alleged abuse of power in the allocation of two 10-katha plots.
According to the prosecution, the accused manipulated the allocation process and violated existing rules and regulations of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk).
