"Not invited" to protest rally: Kumaraswamy strikes a discordant note
Bengaluru, Sep 11: Former Karnataka Chief Minister and JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy on Wednesday cited "no invitation" as the reason for his absence from the protest rally organised here by several Vokkaliga outfits against the arrest of senior Congress leader D K Shivakumar.
Thousands of people, mostly from the Vokkaliga community, thronged the state capital to express solidarity with Shivakumar, an influential senior Karnataka Congress leader and former Minister.
Kumaraswamy, who also hails from the community, was conspicuous by his absence at the protest that was largely seen as as a show of strength of the community, dominant in old Mysuru or southern Karnataka region.
"We have asked our people to extend support (for the protest), our party (JDS) workers have also participated," Kumaraswamy said in response to a question about his absence.
Speaking to reporters in Channapatna, he, however, struck a discordant note.
"I had no invitation. I have already said this programme (at Channapatna) was pre-scheduled. They have conducted it (protest) in a hurry, without bringing to my notice. If I was informed I would also have participated," Kumaraswamy said.
Shivakumar was arrested on September 3 by the Enforcement Directorate in a case of alleged money laundering and has been in the custody of the agency since then.
Shivakumar was a key minister in the Congress-JDS coalition government headed by Kumaraswamy that collapsed after losing majority in July, paving the way for the installation of the BJP regime.
Stating that he had seen an advertisement stating that attempts were being made to fix Kumaraswamy also, the former Chief Minister said, no one can fix him, as he has not committed any such mistake.
"I want to tell the person who has given the advertisement also. They (BJP or central government) cannot fix me. I have not given any opportunity for such mistakes in my life," Kumaraswamy said.
The Vokkaliga community is considered to be the strong vote bank of Kumaraswamy's JDS in its bastion of old Mysuru region, where Congress is its arch-rival.
The BJP considers the other dominant community Lingayats as its strong support base.
Lingayats, the community to which Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa belongs to, are predominantly present in northern and central parts of the state.
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Indian visa application centre suspended indefinitely in Bangladesh's Chattogram
Dhaka (PTI): India on Sunday suspended visa operations at its mission in Bangladeshi port city of Chattogram until further notice, according to media reports.
The move comes in the wake of a fresh wave of unrest witnessed in the country following the death of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi.
His death triggered attacks and vandalism across Bangladesh, including stone-hurling at the Assistant Indian High Commissioner's residence in Chattogram on Thursday.
Hadi, a prominent leader of the student-led protests last year that led to the ouster of the prime minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, was a candidate for the scheduled February 12 general elections.
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He was shot in the head on December 12 by masked gunmen at an election campaign in central Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area and died while undergoing treatment in Singapore on December 18.
“Due to the recent security incident at Assistant High Commission of India (AHCI) Chittagong, Indian visa operations at IVAC Chittagong (Chattogram) will remain suspended from 21/12/2025 until further notice,” the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) said in a brief statement.
The announcement for reopening the visa centre will be made after reviewing the situation, the statement added. The decision came into effect on Sunday.
There are five IVAC facilities across Bangladesh at Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Chattogram and Sylhet. An IVAC official told PTI that the other four offices have remained operational as of Sunday.
India on Thursday resumed operations at its visa application centre in Dhaka, a day after closing it over escalated security concerns, but closed for a brief period two other identical facilities in Rajshahi and Khulna as anti-India protestors tried to march towards the Indian missions there.
On Saturday, security was strengthened at the Indian Assistant High Commission office and the visa application centre in Bangladesh's Sylhet city.
The enhanced security measures were put in place to ensure that “no third party can exploit the situation,” Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) of the Sylhet Metropolitan Police Saiful Islam was quoted as saying by The Dhaka Tribune newspaper on Saturday.
Hadi, 32, was laid to rest on Saturday amid extra-tight security beside the grave of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam near the Dhaka University mosque.
Tens of thousands of people attended the funeral prayers, and ahead of the ritual, chanted anti-India slogans like “Delhi or Dhaka - Dhaka, Dhaka” and “brother Hadi’s blood will not be allowed to go in vain.”
Earlier on December 17, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Bangladesh envoy Riaz Hamidullah and conveyed its strong concern over certain extremist elements announcing plans to create a security situation around the Indian mission in Dhaka.
“We expect the interim government to ensure the safety of Missions and Posts in Bangladesh in keeping with its diplomatic obligations,” it said.
The envoy was apprised of India's strong concerns about the deteriorating security environment in Bangladesh, it added.
