Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah slams RSS for its divisive politics
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday slammed the RSS for its divisive ideology.
He said he always stood by the Kuruba community, to which he belongs, and toiled for the Kuruba Sangha to establish Kaginele Peetha.
"I established the Kaginele Peetha as the voice of all oppressed communities. I have always opposed the Sanatanist RSS, caste hierarchy, and superstition," Siddaramaiah said.
He was speaking after laying the foundation stone for the new building of the Karnataka Kuruba Sangha and student hostel at Gandhinagar.
"My clear objective was to ensure education and hostel facilities for children of the Kuruba community. The ideology of the RSS divides society and sustains the caste system. It is an ideology that opposes the working classes. That is precisely why I have opposed the RSS from the beginning. It was with this conviction that I proposed that the Kaginele Peetha should become a centre for all oppressed communities," he said.
He recalled that the Kuruba Sangha had for long demanded the demolition of the 100-year-old structure and construction of a new building.
"After consulting everyone, the old structure was demolished, and the foundation for the new building has been laid. The construction will be completed within 18 months without compromising on quality," the chief minister said.
According to Siddaramaiah, many who studied in the old hostel have gone on to become officers and even judges.
"I became an MLA in 1983 and a minister in 1984. As transport minister, I organised the 500th birth anniversary of saint and poet, Kanakadasa in 1988. It was then that I decided the community should have a Gurapeetha. The association was then burdened with a loan of Rs three crore, which we cleared. That is history, and everyone should understand it," he stated.
The new building will also include a hostel, the CM said.
Recalling the challenges around Kuruba Sangha, Siddaramaiah said he had not entered politics, the Kuruba Sangha building would not have survived, the Kaginele Peetha would not have existed, and it would have been impossible to protect Byrappa’s temple and community lands from "real estate goons."
The CM told the gathering that the government is facilitating the construction of 600 community halls for the Kuruba community and has secured land and buildings for the Sangha in places such as Mysuru, Hubballi, Shivamogga, and Davanagere.
He said he worked not only for the Kuruba community but for the upliftment of all oppressed communities, including the backward classes, Dalits, and minorities.
"The Bhagya schemes introduced during my first tenure as chief minister and the Guarantee programmes launched in my second term are meant for the poor across all castes. My goal is to build an inclusive society that ensures development for all," the chief minister said.
Siddaramaiah also recalled the death threats he received for saving the Kuruba Sangha.
"In the past, I faced death threats from Puttaswamy, who was associated with rowdy Kotwal Ramachandra. I was threatened not to involve myself in Kuruba Sangha affairs, but I was not afraid," the CM said.
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Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
