Bengaluru rains: Woman killed in wall collapse, opposition tears into Congress over city infra
Bengaluru, May 19 (PTI): A 35-year-old woman was killed in a wall collapse on Monday in this city being battered by heavy downpour, even as the opposition BJP targeted the Congress government over the city's infrastructure in the wake of the rains and resultant civic issues.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the woes faced by the IT capital during rains was not new, but that the government was now working to fix them with a long-term solution.
The city received about 104 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, inundating many low-lying areas and leading to traffic pile-up, prompting the BJP to launch a scathing attack on the ruling Congress.
Former Deputy Chief Minister and MLA of Malleswaram, CN Ashwath Narayan criticised Shivakumar, saying, "Crores spent. Zero results."
Taking to 'X' he said: "Last night's rains didn't expose Bengaluru's infrastructure — they exposed @DKShivakumar's track record of the last two years of doing nothing."
Karnataka BJP General Secretary and MLA of Karkala, Sunil Kumar Karkala hallenged the government on 'X' to release a white paper on how much has actually been spent on Bengaluru's infrastructure in the last two years.
"Visit Silk Board once — you'll see your real contribution," he said.
Speaking at a press conference, BJP spokesperson Ashwath Narayan Gowda said that "despite the weatherman predicting heavy rainfall almost a week ago, there were no efforts made to meet any monsoon-related exigency. The deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar is directly responsible for the rain havoc in the city".
He alleged that the deputy CM kept repeating 'Brand Bengaluru' and in the last assembly session, Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill was passed.
"From Brand Bengaluru to Greater Bengaluru, and now from Greater Bengaluru, it has now become Submerged Bengaluru. This is the achievement of the state government," Gowda charged.
The BJP leader alleged no development work took place in the city in the past two years, which finally culminated in rain havoc.
"Maximum taxes in Karnataka are collected from Bengaluru, but the investment required on the basic infrastructure here is not being done," the party spokesperson said.
Shivakumar, also in charge of Bengaluru, said he was in touch with officials concerned and was "closely monitoring the situation".
In his 'X' post, he said that he is deeply concerned by the havoc caused by relentless rains in Bengaluru.
"I've been in continuous touch with the concerned officers, and I'm closely monitoring the situation. As always, I remain committed to Bengaluru - working round the clock to address challenges and ensure relief. I will be visiting the BBMP War Room and flood-affected areas personally to take stock on the ground."
He agreed that the issues Bengaluru faces are not new.
"Let us be clear: the issues we face today are not new. They have been ignored for years, across governments and administrations. The only difference now is - we are working to solve them. Not with temporary fixes, but with long-term, sustainable solutions," he said further in his post on 'X'.
Shivakumar further reiterated that he stands with Bengalureans.
"To my fellow Bengalureans - I am one among you. I understand your concerns, I share your frustration, and I assure you of my commitment to resolving them. I stand with you," he wrote.
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Harsh Mander: Multiple Cases Used to Intimidate Rights Defenders, Silence Dissent
New Delhi: Rights activist Harsh Mander has described Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s reported threat to file “at least 100 cases” against him as an attempt to intimidate human rights defenders and suppress dissent, following Mander’s police complaint accusing the Chief Minister of hate speech against Bengali-origin Muslims in Assam.
Mander said threats and intimidation would not deter him from pursuing the issue, adding that the Chief Minister’s response itself highlighted the gravity of the complaint. Speaking to Maktoob Media, he said that when a sitting Chief Minister reacts to a legal complaint by threatening mass litigation, it reflects an effort to browbeat and intimidate rather than offer a reasoned legal defence.
Earlier this week, Mander approached the Delhi Police’s Hauz Khas police station seeking registration of an FIR against Sarma under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to promoting enmity, making assertions prejudicial to national integration, issuing statements conducive to public mischief, and outraging religious feelings. The Delhi Police have said the complaint is under examination and that no FIR has been registered so far.
The complaint cites a series of public statements by the Assam Chief Minister in which he allegedly urged people to “trouble Miyas”, a derogatory term used for Bengali-origin Muslims in the state, and claimed that four to five lakh “Miya” voters would be removed from electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision process.
Mander said such remarks were neither casual nor abstract, but targeted a specific religious and linguistic community, dehumanised them, and openly called for their suffering and political exclusion. He warned that when language of hatred is combined with state power and allowed administrative impunity, it becomes dangerous.
He further said statements made by constitutional authorities have direct consequences on the ground, legitimising harassment, emboldening violence and creating fear among already marginalised communities. According to him, the rhetoric risked normalising collective punishment of Muslims in Assam, citing instances where people have allegedly begun echoing the Chief Minister’s words, including videos showing refusal to pay rickshaw pullers fair wages.
Questioning the Chief Minister’s remarks, Mander asked whether it was the role of a Chief Minister to “make people suffer”, as allegedly stated by Sarma. On claims that large numbers of “Miya” voters would be removed from electoral rolls, he said such assertions amounted to an attack on the constitutional right to vote and struck at the core of democracy. He cautioned that electoral verification exercises must not be turned into communal exercises.
Mander also expressed concern over the lack of institutional response, stating that neither authorities nor the Election Commission appeared to be reacting to what he described as open threats. He termed the situation deeply troubling from a constitutional perspective.
Mander told Maktoob Media, even if individuals were suspected to be foreign nationals, due legal process and inter-governmental coordination were mandatory, warning that any other approach amounted to extrajudicial action against civilians.
He also cautioned that the Special Intensive Revision process could be misused, saying there was a real danger of administrative procedures being selectively deployed to disenfranchise Bengali Muslims, drawing attention to Assam’s recent history of exclusionary exercises.
Responding to Sarma’s allegation that he had undermined the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Mander rejected the charge, stating that he had no role in implementing the NRC and was only involved in raising concerns about due process, humanitarian safeguards and the rights of vulnerable people. He said criticism of the NRC arose from its impact on ordinary residents, pointing out that around 19 lakh people were excluded, many of them poor and long-settled residents.
Mander said his involvement during the NRC process was in assisting those most affected, particularly the poor and those intimidated by the state. He added that he was appointed by the National Human Rights Commission to facilitate legal aid, assist affected people and work inside a detention centre, which he described as a “jail within a jail”.
He said the conditions he witnessed there were shocking and that families were being separated. After submitting a report to the NHRC and receiving no response, he resigned and continued his work independently under Karwan-e-Mohabbat to document and highlight the situation.
On what he expects from the Delhi Police, Mander said the matter involved constitutional accountability and that the law should take its course through impartial investigation. He added that if the police failed to act, the issue warranted judicial scrutiny, including possible suo motu cognisance by the courts, and said he was prepared to pursue legal remedies up to the Supreme Court.
Addressing Muslim communities in Assam, Mander said they were not alone and that the Constitution remained on their side, adding that while regimes of hate may not endure, resistance to injustice does.
