Bird flu: Culling of birds begins in two districts of Kerala
Alappuzha/Kottayam: Culling of chickens and ducks began on Tuesday in parts of two districts in Kerala to contain H5N8 strain of bird flu there, official sources said.
Rapid response teams, set up by the administration, began culling ducks, hens and other domestic birds in and around a one km radius of the affected areas in Alappuzha and Kottayam districts on Tuesday morning as per the guidelines issued by the government, they said.
The operation was launched a day after results of the samples tested at the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal confirmed the outbreak of the bird flu in the two districts.
Alappuzha district authorities said culling of birds in four panchayats of Nedumudi, Thakazhy, Pallippad and Karuvatta in Kuttanad region, where the outbreak has been reported, was expected to be completed by Wednesday evening.
In Karuvatta panchayat alone, around 12,000 birds will be culled, an official said.
In the affected areas of Neendoor panchayat in Kottayam district, the rapid response teams have culled some 3,000 birds so far, authorities said.
Around 1,700 ducks had died in a farm in Neendoor due to the viral infection.
Officials have said around 40,000 domestic birds, including 34,000 in Kuttanad region alone, will be culled to check the spread of the H5N8 virus.
Although the situation has been brought under control, authorities have sounded a high alert in the districts, considering the potential of the virus to infect humans.
The Alappuzha District Collector has banned the use and trade of meat, eggs and waste of domestic birds, including ducks and chicken, in Kuttanad and Karthikappalli Taluks, officials said.
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Asked if I was gay, hit on head when I didn't respond: B'luru man assaulted in restaurant washroom
Bengaluru: A 23-year-old executive from a private company was allegedly assaulted by an individual at a restaurant in Bengaluru’s Ashoknagar following a minor disagreement.
The man, a resident of Cox Town, alleged that he was assaulted by an unknown person in the restaurant's washroom around 11:00 PM last week, as reported by Deccan Herald on Saturday.
He visited the restaurant with two friends and went to the washroom after the meal.
The man told the police that an unknown individual asked him if he was gay, but he chose not to respond, as mentioned by DH. “He kept asking me. He asked me again when I was heading out and hit me on my head when I didn’t answer,” the man said.
His friend contacted the police helpline, but by the time they arrived, the suspect had already fled, as per the FIR filed with the Cubbon Park police.
The police are currently searching for the individual responsible for the alleged assault. An FIR has been lodged under BNS sections 126(2) (wrongful restraint) and 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt).
