Will decide based on SIT report: CM Siddaramaiah on BJP's demand to sack Minister Nagendra
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said he has not sought resignation of Minister B Nagendra, who is facing allegations over illegal money transfer from a state-run corporation, and any decision in this regard will be taken based on the probe report of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to investigate it.
He also questioned the opposition BJP, asking as to who were they to fix a deadline for the government to remove Nagendra, the Minister for Scheduled Tribes Welfare, from the post.
BJP has sought a CBI probe into the alleged illegal money transfer case involving the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Ltd, and also demanded immediate dismissal of Nagendra from the Ministry.
"There is no threat or anything, I have not sought resignation (of Nagendra)... SIT report has not yet come, it has been constituted only a couple of days ago. Let's see what they will give in their report. Once they submit their report we will take a decision," Siddaramaiah told reporters in response to a question.
Asked whether he has sought any explanation from Nagendra, he said: "I have not yet asked. I will have to go through the preliminary report. After going through the report, we will decide."
On BJP demanding the Minister's resignation and giving an ultimatum to the government till June 6 for the same or else threatening a state-wide protest, the Chief Minister said: "Who are they to give us an ultimatum? Opposition party is to protest against injustice, but they (BJP) won't protest against injustice, they protest by speaking lies."
Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday said the government will not protect anyone in the case and will take action in accordance with law, irrespective of whoever is involved.
The illegal money transfer came to light after accounts superintendent at the Corporation, Chandrashekhar P, died by suicide on May 26, leaving behind a death note.
It revealed an unauthorised transfer of Rs 187 crore belonging to the corporation from its bank account, and from that, Rs 88.62 crore was illegally moved to various accounts allegedly belonging to "well-known" IT companies and a Hyderabad-based cooperative bank.
Chandrashekhar has allegedly named the corporation's now suspended Managing Director J G Padmanabh, accounts officer Parashuram G Durugannavar, and Union Bank of India Chief Manager Suchismita Rawal in the note, while also stating that the "Minister" had issued oral orders for transferring the funds.
The state government on Friday constituted an SIT team headed by Manish Kharbikar, Additional Director General of Police, Economic Offences, at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Bengaluru, to conduct the probe.
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19-yr-old woman found hanging from tree in UP village; juvenile held
Lucknow/Pratapgarh (UP) (PTI): Police have apprehended a 16-year-old boy for his alleged involvement in the rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman whose body was found hanging from a tree in a village here, officials said on Monday.
Additional Superintendent of Police (West), Brijnandan Rai, said that the body of a 19-year-old woman was found hanging from a tree in an orchard in the Manikpur police station area on Sunday morning. A post-mortem examination subsequently confirmed that she had been raped.
Police registered a case against unidentified persons under sections 103(1) (punishment for murder) and 70(1) (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and initiated an investigation.
During the course of the investigation, the police found that the deceased was in contact with a juvenile who was also her relative.
Acting on this information, during a joint checking operation, sub-inspector Amit Kumar Singh of Manikpur police station and SOG In-charge Amit Kumar Chaurasia, along with their team, apprehended the 16-year-old near the Lehdari Ganga River bridge.
The search for other accused persons is ongoing, police said.
According to the police, the woman had gone to sleep after dinner on Saturday night but was found hanging in an orchard nearly 400 metres away from her home the following morning.
Additional Superintendent of Police (West), Brijnandan Rai, had earlier said that the circumstances suggest foul play.
"The victim's slippers and undergarments were recovered 50 metres away from the spot where the body was found. There are visible injury marks on her body," Rai said.
While locals have alleged that the woman was murdered after being raped, the ASP said that it is "prima facie a case of murder."
"Based on the complaint filed by the victim's brother, a case of murder has been registered against unidentified persons," the officer added.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, in a post on X in Hindi on Monday, said, "The news of the heinous murder of a Dalit daughter in Pratapgarh is deeply tragic and condemnable."
"The question remains: why does the spate of murders of 'PDA daughters' continue unabated in Uttar Pradesh? Are the BJP government's claims regarding women's safety merely hollow rhetoric, or is there, in fact, discrimination even in the provision of security for women?" he said.
"Whenever the 'wandering Honourable (ghumantu maananiye)' finds a moment of respite from election campaigning, he should cast a glance at the plight of the daughters of his own Uttar Pradesh. In any case, apart from injustice and oppression, no sister, daughter, or mother of this state holds any hope from you," Yadav added.
