Karnataka Cong President D K Shivakumar demands judicial probe into suicide of retired professor
Bengaluru: Karnataka Congress President D K Shivakumar on Monday demanded a judicial probe by a sitting High Court Judge into the death of retired Bangalore University professor N S Ashok Kumar.
Ashok Kumar (64), who was also former Registrar (Evaluation) of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, was found dead in his house at Mico Layout here on Sunday.
He was found hanging and a purported note said he was responsible for his own death, police said.
Shivakumar on Monday claimed that Kumar had paid Rs 2.5 crore to "influential people" in exchange to get appointed as a vice-chancellor.
"This suicide is shocking and discussions are going on regarding the reason behind it.
On the issue of the appointment of four vice-chancellors there have been some (financial) transactions.
The professor (Kumar) borrowed loans and was made to wait 5-6 months. But he did not get the position nor the money back. Therefore, he took the extreme step," Shivakumar said.
Speaking to reporters here, he alleged that influential people were involved.
"...who took (the money), which official or Minister or middle man.. everything has to be inquired into, there is a need for it (inquiry).
Influential people have taken money, those in government are party to it, this is what we are hearing," he alleged.
On November 7, the state government had appointed vice-chancellors to four new universities - Maharani Cluster University, Raichur University, Nrupathunga University, and Mandya University.
Stating that Kumar was told that there was some problem with his file and his money wasn't returned, Shivakumar alleged that "big people" were involved in the financial transactions and corruption in the appointment of the VCs.
"There are discussions that the vice-chancellor post is for sale under this government...In this background, I want to tell the Chief Minister that those part of your government is trying to malign your name.
....I urge the CM to constitute a judicial commission under a sitting High Court judge to inquire," he added.
According to police, Kumar, who was living with his wife and son, went to his room at midnight on Saturday after speaking to her.
As he did not come out on Sunday morning, the family members went to his room, where they found him hanging.
Police have filed a case of unnatural death and are investigating the case.
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Anbumani asks PM Modi to ban sale of cigarettes for those born after 2009
Chennai (PTI): PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take legislative measures to prohibit smoking and the sale of cigarettes to individuals born on or after January 1, 2009, thereby creating a smoke-free generation.
Anbumani, former Union minister for health and family welfare, said, "Once implemented, it (ban on cigarettes) will ensure that future generations are legally prevented from ever accessing tobacco products", he said in a letter to Modi.
"I write to you with a deep sense of urgency and responsibility, drawing your kind attention to a critical public health issue that continues to endanger the lives of millions of Indians, particularly among the younger generation who are affected by cigarette smoking", he claimed.
Stating that India unfortunately bears a disproportionately high burden of tobacco-related morbidity and mortality, he said, adding that, according to global health estimates, nearly 267 million Indians, approximately one in five citizens, use tobacco.
"Each year, tobacco consumption directly accounts for over 1.35 million deaths, while exposure to second-hand smoke contributes to a total of approximately 2.3 million deaths annually", he said, adding, "these figures are alarming and reflect a public health crisis of immense magnitude".
He pointed out that Scientific evidence unequivocally establishes tobacco use as a leading cause of cancer and numerous non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular ailments, chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD, and multiple forms of malignancies. "In India alone, tobacco is responsible for nearly 40–50 per cent of all cancer cases, with over 4.7 lakh deaths annually attributed to tobacco-induced cancers", he added.
"In this context, I strongly urge the Union government to consider enacting a transformative law similar to that of the United Kingdom, that permanently prohibits the sale and consumption of tobacco products for individuals born on or after a specified year (such as 2009). Such a generational ban would mark a decisive step towards eliminating tobacco use in India over time", he said.
