Belagavi: Poison mixed in school water tank to target Muslim headmaster; Three arrested
Belagavi: Three individuals have been arrested for allegedly mixing pesticide into the drinking water tank of a government primary school in Hulikatti village, Savadatti taluk, reportedly with the intention of defaming and transferring the school’s Muslim headmaster.
The arrested have been identified as Sagar Patil, Nagangouda Patil, and Krishna Madar.
Speaking to the media, Belagavi District Superintendent of Police Dr. Bheemashankar S Guled stated that Sagar Patil, who is allegedly associated with the Shri Rama organization, had orchestrated the act with the intent of tarnishing the image of Suleman Gorenayak, the headmaster who had served at the government school for 13 years, and to push for his transfer.
Investigation has revealed that all three accused were known to each other, Nagangouda is a relative of Sagar, and Krishna had previously worked with Sagar as driver. Krishna was in a relationship with a girl from another community, and Sagar allegedly blackmailed him by threatening to expose the relationship unless he helped execute the plot. The accused even used a student by luring him with incentives to carry out the act.
The incident took place on July 14, when pesticide was mixed into the school’s drinking water tank. After consuming the water following their mid-day meal, eleven students fell ill and showed symptoms of poisoning.
A case was registered, and the Savadatti police launched an investigation, leading to the arrests.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Rupee rises 42 paise to close at 91.51 against US dollar
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee gained 42 paise to close at 91.51 (provisional) against the US dollar on Monday, a day after the Union Budget 2026-27 was presented, largely as crude oil prices retreated from their elevated levels.
Forex traders said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) seemed to be defending the 92 per dollar level with a lot of resolve.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 91.95 against the US dollar, then gained some ground to touch an intraday high of 91.45 and a low of 91.95 against the greenback.
At the end of the trading session on Monday, the rupee was quoted at 91.51 (provisional) against the greenback, registering a gain of 42 paise from its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee hit a record low of 92.02 before ending 6 paise higher at 91.93 against the US dollar.
For the rupee, the Budget offered reassurance, not relief, and the government's high borrowing plan is likely to weigh on investor sentiments going ahead.
The government is likely to borrow Rs 17.2 lakh crore in the next financial year to fund its fiscal deficit projected at 4.3 per cent of the GDP.
"Overall, it looks like a prudent budget, focusing on continuity. Given the geopolitical uncertainties and challenges, it seems the government it seems has chosen to go a bit slow on fiscal consolidation," IFA Global said in a research note.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.09 per cent higher at 97.07.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 4.46 per cent lower at USD 66.23 per barrel in futures trade, as the US and Iran were talking about avoiding US strikes on Iranian soil.
The oil prices had touched USD 72 per barrel after traders expected a US strike on Iran during the weekend.
"As the Budget volatility subsides, the Indian rupee and domestic equities have emerged as regional outperformers. A combination of cooling commodity prices, enhanced fiscal control, large forex reserves and suspected corporate dollar selling has provided a tailwind for the local currency," Dilip Parmar, Research Analyst, HDFC Securities, said.
In the near term, the USD-INR spot is likely to consolidate within a tight range, finding support at 91.10 and facing resistance near 91.85, Parmar added.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex jumped 943.52 points to settle at 81,666.46, while the Nifty surged 262.95 points to 25,088.40.
On Sunday, equity markets reacted negatively to the FY27 Budget as it proposed a higher securities transaction tax on derivatives and changes to buyback taxation, raising concerns over increased costs for investors.
Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth Rs 588.34 crore on Sunday, according to exchange data.
_vb_66.jpeg)
