Moodigere: The Police here have arrested the Moodigere town unit BJP Yuva Morcha President M V Anil on the charges of instigating the suicide of Dhanya (20), a first year B.Com student of a first grade college in the town. Dhanya had ended her life on January 6, Saturday. Incidentally, the accused is said to be an influential man who is also known to Mysuru- Kodagu MP Pratap Sinha and MLA C T Ravi.
It is alleged that Anil along with other Sangh Parivar activists had recently been to the residence of the girl at Moodigere Chatra Maidan locality and had pulled her up for allegedly having friendship with a youth from another faith. The deceased girl was the only daughter of Yadava and Saraswathi couple.
It is said that a youth named Santosh of Belthangady had earlier chatted with Dhanya on WhatsApp wherein he had reportedly threatened her against having friendship with a youth of another community. He had taken the screenshot of the WhatsApp chat and had circulated it in the social media while also bringing the same to the notice of the Parivar activists.
It was following this that the latter had visited Dhanya's house and threatened her. Sources said they had told her parents that "their daughter was moving around with a Muslim boy and was a victim of Love Jihad."
It is believed that Dhanya who felt severely offended following this incident had taken the drastic step of ending her life by hanging herself on January 6 afternoon.
Though initially an attempt was made to hush up the incident by trying to state that she ended her life after her father snatched her mobile, later following allegations of shielding the accused, the cops filed FIR against four accused and managed to arrest one of them. The rest three are absconding and search is underway for them.
It is said Dhanya has even left behind a death note. Chikkamagaluru SP Annamalai has said that Police Department has taken this case very seriously.
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New Delhi (PTI): Noted sociologist and writer Andre Beteille died due to age-related illness at a hospital here on Tuesday night. He was 91.
"My father was ailing for some time. He was in the hospital, where he passed away last night," his daughter, Radha Beteille, told PTI.
His last rites were performed on Wednesday. Beteille was a Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Delhi since 2003. He was known for his studies on the caste system and social inequalities in India.
Born in West Bengal to to a French father and an Indian mother, Beteille moved to Delhi after completing his MA from Calcutta University.
Throughout his career, Beteille authored several books covering a wide range of topics from political sociology to the sociology of religion.
His prominent works include 'Caste, Class and Power', 'Society and Politics in India' and 'The Idea of Natural Inequality and Other Essays'. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2005 for his contribution in literature and education.
Historian Ramachandra Guha paid tribute to Beteille, calling him a "moral and intellectual anchor".
"Devastated to hear that the great sociologist Andre Beteille is no more. He was the Indian scholar I most admired, for me (and many others) a moral and intellectual anchor," Guha wrote in a post on X.
Ashoka University, where Beteille served as the chancellor from 2014 to 2017, said in a post on X that he led the University's governing body with "wisdom, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to academic excellence".
"Professor Beteille was associated with Ashoka from its very inception and played a pivotal role in establishing its pre-eminent Academic Council. He also taught at Ashoka’s flagship Young India Fellowship (YIF) programme from its founding years...His passing is a profound loss to the academic community and to the entire Ashoka family. His moral and intellectual legacy will continue to inspire generations to come," the university said.
The University of Hyderabad mourned the passing of Beteille, who was awarded an Honorary Doctorate at the XV Convocation of the university in 2013.
"Prof. Beteille was one of India’s foremost sociologists and social anthropologists who also served as the Chancellor of North Eastern Hill University. Also, Professor Emeritus of Sociology in the University of Delhi, he was known for his works on social inequality and caste in India. His methodology was rigorous and formulated through a dialogue with economics, political science and law. Prof. Beteille’s commitment to cultural pluralism, liberalism and constitutional democracy has imprinted itself in his academic and popular works, as well as his writings on public policy," it posted on X.
Publisher Chiki Sarkar remembered Beteille as "her first friend in Delhi".
"Andre was my first friend in Delhi, a neighbor who I went with for a weekly walk in Lodhi garden. He was of course a great scholar but the opening of his memoirs, my two grandmothers remains one of my favourite essays ever. An extraordinary man," the founder of Juggernaut Books said.
