Chamarajanagar: Leopard carcass found near Karikallu quarry, poisoning suspected
Chamarajanagar: Even before the district could recover from the shocking incident of five tigers allegedly poisoned in the Meenyam forest area of Malemahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary in Hanur taluk, another suspicious wildlife death has come to light, this time of a leopard.
The carcass of a 5 to 6-year-old male leopard was discovered on a rock near the Karikallu quarry in Kothalawadi, Chamarajanagar taluk. Officials believe the leopard may have died two to three days ago.
Adding to the suspicion, carcasses of a calf and a dog were also found nearby, raising suspicions of poisoning. Locals who came across the scene alerted the forest department.
According to sources a team of officials arrived and conducted an initial inspection.
The Bandipur dog squad was brought in for further examination. A post-mortem was carried out by veterinarians Dr. Wasim and Dr. Murthy, after which the leopard’s carcass was cremated. The forest department has registered a case and initiated an investigation.
Notably, in December 2023, two tigers were found dead under mysterious circumstances near the same Karikallu quarry.
Their decomposed remains were discovered several days later, and the exact cause of death was never determined. The latest incident involving the leopard has now reignited suspicions surrounding wildlife deaths in the area.
Top forest officials, including Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) Hiralal, BRT Tiger Project Director Sripathy, Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Manjunath, RFO Sandeep, DRFOs Amarnath and Suresh, and others visited the spot and conducted an on-ground investigation into the matter.
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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).
