K'taka Police admits its officers in uniform interrogating Shaheen School students was against rules
Bidar: Karnataka Police on Friday admitted in the court that its officers erred while questioning school students in a case pertaining to a play staged in their school, by wearing the uniform and carrying arms during the questioning.
Nagesh DL, the current Superintendent of Police of Bidar district, filed an affidavit in the Karnataka High Court on Friday stating that the officers were uniformed with armed weapons while questioning students in February 2020 and this was against the rules.
The SP further informed the High Court that he has submitted a report to the Director-General and Inspector General of Police (DG-IGP) he has recommended disciplinary action against the investigating police officers in the case.
"I state that it is the responsibility of the investigating officer (the then Deputy Superintendent of Police Basaveshwara Hira) to ensure that strict compliance of sub-rule (5) of Rule 86 of the Juvenile Justice Model Rules 2016 and in view of the same and keeping in mind the order dated 16-08-2021 passed by the Honourable Court, I have sent a report dated 31-08-2021 to the Director-General and Inspector General of Police (DG-IGP) to take appropriate disciplinary action against the concerned persons," read the affidavit submitted in court.
The affidavit was filed two weeks after the Karnataka High Court pulled up the state police over its interrogation of school children.
The police had last year arrested the mother of a student and a teacher from Shaheen School and charged them under Sedition charges following a play staged in Shaheen School in Bidar.
Police officials led by Basaveshwara turned up at the school five times, including in uniform, to question the students who were in the play. The police asked questions about who scripted the play and chose the dialogues which were in it. In particular, the police officials repeatedly questioned Ayesha*, Nazbunissa's daughter and one of the students involved in the play, for the dialogues uttered in it. The seemingly innocuous play, performed in the Dakkani language, questioned the need for CAA and NRC. It had a line that was allegedly derogatory to the Prime Minister.
"The dialogue in my considered opinion does not go to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection towards the government," the district judge Managoli Premavathi had said while granting bail to the duo on February 14, 2020.
In August 2021, a Karnataka High Court bench of former Chief Justice Abhay Oka and Justice NS Sanjay Gowda heard a petition filed by Nayana Jyothi Jhawar and South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring. The bench stated that the police action was a serious violation of the Juvenile Justice Act. The court noted that the Special Juvenile Police Unit for Children sub-rule 5 stated that police officers shall wear plain clothes when interacting with children and for dealing with a girl child, women police personnel will be engaged.
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18 injured in amusement ride mishap at Jatra Mahotsava in Gadag
Gadag: At least 18 people were injured, four of them critically, after an amusement ride malfunctioned during the Jatra Mahotsava held at the premises of Tontadarya Mutt on Sunday night.
According to Deccan Herald, the incident occurred around 9 pm when the ‘Dancing Play’ ride (also known as Break Dance or Crazy Dance) reportedly developed a mechanical fault, causing three chairs to tilt dangerously while in motion.
The people inside these chairs were injured and rushed to Gadag Institute of Medical Sciences and Karnataka Medical College and Research Institute (KMC-RI) Hubballi.
Police said that among the injured, two are from Koppal district, one from Tumakuru, and the remaining are from Gadag district. The identities of some victims are yet to be confirmed.
The four victims, who are in critical condition, are severely injured in the head and have been shifted to KMC-RI, officials said.
Meanwhile, members of the Hindu Veerashaiva Lingayat Yuva Vedike staged a protest, demanding strict action against the contractor responsible for organizing the amusement rides, as well as the Jatra Mahotsava committee.
