Ankola: Fishermen jump into sea protesting against commercial port in Keni
Ankola: Hundreds of fishermen in Keni village, most of whom were found to be women, protested on Monday, and also attempted to commit suicide by jumping into the sea, opposing the construction of a commercial port in Keni.
Three women who fell ill during the protest were shifted to a government hospital in a police ambulance.
Uttara Kannada Deputy Commissioner Lakshmipriya K had denied permission to stage a protest in village under Bavikeri Gram Panchayat in Ankola taluk and Keni village from Monday 6 am to Tuesday 6 am as precautionary measure.
The fishermen, who held the protest in spite of the prohibitory orders by the DC, have warned to continue the stir until the survey of the area for the port, ‘Keni Greenfield’ by JSW, continues. “We will stage the protest again and also commit suicide if the authorities go ahead with the construction of a commercial port in Keni,” they have added.
“Since we are dependent only on the sea for our livelihood, we will continue our protest intensely. Women too are ready to sacrifice their lives if the work on the commercial protest continues. Any such port can only be constructed on our graves,” Shrikanth Durgekar, leader of the fishermen has hit out at the authorities concerned, also asking that fishermen be permitted to continue their work at sea at peace.
Uttara Kannada Superintendent of Police M Narayana, Deputy SP Girish and Inspector Chandrashekhar Mathapathi arrived at Keni and pacified the fishermen, who continued to demand that the survey be halted.
Several leaders of the fishermen, including Durgekar, Sanjeeva Balegara, Shankar Balegar, Hoova Khandekar, Umakantha Hoskota, Chandrakantha Pirankar, Rajeshwari Kenikar, Suraj Harikanthra, participated in the protest.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Former minister C M Ibrahim announces to launch new regional party for Karnataka
Kalaburagi: Two years after being expelled from the Janata Dal (Secular), former minister C.M. Ibrahim has announced that he will launch a new regional political party in Karnataka on January 24, reported Deccan Herald.
Speaking at a meeting organised by the Nava Karnataka Nirmana Andolana in Kalaburagi on Sunday, Ibrahim confirmed the birth of the new party.
The 77-year-old politician stated he would soon be meeting with other like-minded individuals to choose a symbol for the party.
ALSO READ: Veteran Congress leader Shamanuru Shivashankarappa laid to rest with full state honours
Ibrahim emphasised that the organisation would be guided by the principles of 12th-century social reformer Basavanna and the architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.
A veteran politician, Ibrahim served as Union Civil Aviation Minister during the tenure of H.D. Deve Gowda as Prime Minister and later headed the Karnataka unit of the Janata Dal (Secular). He was expelled from the JD(S) in 2023 on charges of anti-party activities.
His exit from the party followed sharp differences over the JD(S) decision to ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). As the then state president of the JD(S), Ibrahim had publicly criticised the alliance, claiming it was finalised without his knowledge. He had also reportedly convened meetings of his supporters and expressed support for the INDIA bloc.
