Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, R. Ashoka, has accused the Congress government of misappropriating funds belonging to the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation. Ashoka has demanded the resignation of Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister B. Nagendra by June 6, threatening state-wide protests if the minister does not step down.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru on Thursday, Ashoka declared that the BJP would initiate state-wide protests with banners stating “Congress swallowed the money of Dalits” if Minister Nagendra fails to resign. He emphasized that the Congress government, which he accused of looting Dalit funds, would soon be removed from power.

Ashoka's allegations stem from a suicide note left by Chandrashekhar, an officer of the Valmiki Development Corporation, who recently died by suicide. In his note, Chandrashekhar allegedly claimed that Minister Nagendra had verbally instructed him to transfer the corporation's funds. The note also named other officials, including G. Padmanabh and Suja, and provided details about the alleged scam.

ALSO READ: Illegal money transfer case: Sack Minister Nagendra, handover probe to CBI, says K'taka BJP chief

During the press conference, Ashoka also criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's promise of quick monetary deposits into women's accounts. Instead, Ashoka claimed, funds were rapidly transferred to accounts controlled by Congress members, resulting in a loss of Rs 25,000 crore meant for Dalits. He further accused the Congress of encouraging terrorism and highlighted the lack of safety for officials and women in the state.

Ashoka also referenced previous incidents involving BJP leaders, noting that the Congress had demanded severe actions, including murder charges, against BJP leaders such as K.S. Eshwarappa when allegations were made against them. He called for similar strict actions against Minister Nagendra, including the filing of a murder case, as his name was mentioned in Chandrashekhar’s death note.

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Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.

According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.

He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.

Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.

He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.

His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.

The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.

The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.

Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.

Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.