Feb 16: 1,894 new COVID-19 cases in Karnataka, 24 deaths
Bengaluru, Feb 16: Karnataka on Wednesday clocked 1,894 fresh cases of coronavirus and 24 fatalities, taking the tally to 39,31,536 and toll to 39,715.
There were 5,418 discharges, pushing the total number of recoveries to 38,68,501, a Health bulletin said.
Of the new cases, 835 were from Bengaluru Urban that saw 1,979 people being discharged and 4 virus-related deaths.
The total number of active cases across the state is now 23,284.
While the positivity rate for the day stood at 1.90 per cent, the case fatality rate (CFR) was 1.26 per cent.
Of the 24 deaths, four are from Bengaluru Urban; Ballari 3, Bagalkote, Dharwad, Udupi and Uttara Kannada 2, followed by others.
After Bengaluru Urban, Mysuru recorded the second highest number of cases at 125, Belagavi 87, Udupi 69, Tumakuru 61, Ballari 56, Hassan and Shivamogga 50, followed by others.
Bengaluru Urban district now has a total of 17,73,222 cases, Mysuru 2,28,852 and Tumakuru 1,59,355.
Cumulatively, a total of 6.37 crore samples have been tested, of which 99,516 were on Wednesday alone.
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Bengal: Murder of Suvendu aide sparks political row; BJP, TMC trade barbs
Kolkata (PTI): The murder of a close aide of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari triggered political confrontation in West Bengal on Thursday, with the saffron camp accusing the TMC of fostering "lawlessness" and the Mamata Banerjee-led party rejecting the charge.
In a shocking development within 48 hours of the assembly poll verdict, Chandranath Rath, Adhikari's executive assistant, was shot dead in a brazen attack at Madhyamgram on Wednesday night, escalating tension in the area.
According to preliminary information, motorcycle-borne assailants intercepted Rath's vehicle near Doltala in Madhyamgram around 10.30 pm, forced it to stop and opened fire at point-blank range before fleeing.
Senior BJP leaders on Thursday alleged that the killing reflected the "complete collapse" of law and order in the state under the rule of the TMC government, which was "thrown out of power" in the assembly polls.
"A person closely associated with the leader of the opposition was targeted in a planned manner. This shows how law and order have deteriorated under the Mamata Banerjee government, which the people of Bengal have thrown out of power," a BJP leader said.
Adhikari on Thursday described the gunning down of his close aide as a "cold-blooded murder" and alleged that the killers had carried out a recce before executing the attack in North 24 Parganas district.
The Trinamool Congress dismissed the allegations and accused the BJP of attempting to politicise the incident before the investigation had progressed.
"The TMC has nothing to do with this unfortunate incident. The police are investigating the case professionally. The BJP should refrain from making baseless accusations. We are the ones who demanded a CBI probe of the killing," a senior Trinamool leader said.
The Congress demanded a transparent probe and criticised both the BJP and the TMC for "turning every tragedy into a political battle".
"The focus should remain on arresting the killers and ensuring justice, not on political point-scoring," a state Congress leader said.
The CPI(M) also condemned the killing and expressed concern over the deteriorating political atmosphere in the state.
"Violence and fear have increasingly become part of Bengal's political culture under the TMC rule. The administration must act firmly and impartially. We condemn the killing and demand strict action against those involved in the crime," a senior CPI(M) leader said.
