Sudden sluice gate opening at Markonahalli dam claims six lives
Tumakuru (PTI): At least six people drowned after the sluice gate of the Markonahalli dam suddenly opened, sweeping them away on Tuesday afternoon, police said.
The victims, residents of BG Palya in Tumakuru town, were part of a group that had gone to the dam for a picnic when the incident occurred.
According to Tumakuru Superintendent of Police Ashok K V, 15 people had travelled from BG Palya to Madipalya and decided to visit the dam, as Tuesday was a public holiday.
“Seven people had entered the downstream of the dam as the water level was low. Suddenly, the water flow increased, and they were swept away,” Ashok told reporters.
Two bodies have been recovered so far, while four others remain missing, police said, adding that search operations are ongoing.
A man identified as Nawaz was rescued alive but sustained serious injuries and has been admitted to a hospital.
Police, fire, and emergency personnel rushed to the spot upon learning of the incident.
“Because it’s dark now and the water flow is high, we have halted the search. I have already deployed teams to specific points. Except for Nawaz, all others are feared dead. Two young girls are still missing,” Ashok said.
The officer explained that the dam has a natural gravity sluice gate, which opens automatically as the water level rises.
“We will get to know about the sequence of events after the investigation. We have to get details from the engineer on whether someone opened the sluice gate. Since it’s an auto-sluice, it opens when the water level increases,” he said.
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Mangaluru: Teacher booked for allegedly beating student in school
Vittla (Dakshina Kannada): A case has been registered at the Vittla Police Station against a school teacher on charges of seriously assaulting a student with a cane at an English-medium school in Idkidu village here near Vittla in Dakshina Kannada district.
According to the complaint, the student, who attends the school regularly, had gone to school as usual. Around 2 pm, the child’s parents received a call from the school office stating that their child had allegedly disturbed other students. The school informed them that when the teacher scolded the student over the issue, the child became frightened and urinated, and the parents were asked to come and take the child home.
The parents reportedly told the school staff that no one was at home at the time and requested that the child be sent home in an autorickshaw.
After returning home, the student told the parents that a teacher identified as Istikaar had beaten him severely on the hand with a cane. The child also said that he urinated out of fear while the assault was taking place.
When the parents contacted the teacher over the phone to question him about the incident, he allegedly responded in a dismissive manner.
Following this, the parents lodged complaints with the Vittla Police Station and the Child Development Project Office, seeking justice and strict action against the teacher for allegedly assaulting the child without any valid reason.
Police have registered a case against the teacher and have taken up further investigation.
