Karnataka govt withdraws request to run special trains for migrant labourers
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has withdrawn its request to the railways to run special trains to ferry migrant labourers to their home states, hours after builders met Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to apprise him of the problems to the construction sector in case they left.
The Principal Secretary in the Revenue Department N Manjunatha Prasad, who is the nodal officer for migrants, had requested the South Western Railways on Tuesday to run two train services a day for five days except Wednesday, when the state government wanted services thrice a day to Danapur in Bihar.
However, later, Prasad wrote another letter within a few hours that the special trains were not required. Several migrants in the city were desperate to return home as they were out of job and money.
"Since the train services are not required from tomorrow, the letter cited under reference above is withdrawn," Prasad wrote to the SW Railway General Manager on Tuesday.
The Railway officials said they have received the letter seeking withdrawal of the previous one for running special trains. However, Prasad was not available for comments.
The builders had apprised the CM about the shortage of labourers if they were allowed to go back home, said a source privy to the issue.
While the supply of construction material was not a major issue with the relaxation in lockdown norms, the city would witness labour problem if the migrant workers were allowed to go back to their home states, the builders said.
After the meeting, the Chief Minister urged the labourers to stay back and assured them of every assistance.
The migrant labourers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal had created a ruckus in the city on Monday demanding that they be sent home.
They went on rampage and attacked police personnel too. After much efforts, the situation was brought under control.
On Tuesday, Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka met the migrant labourers at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre, where they have been accommodated.
Most of the migrant labourers were afraid of staying here for the fear of getting COVID-19.
Their another apprehension was that if any untoward happens to them or their family members they won't be able to go back to their home town.
Shailesh, a painter from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh told PTI that all the money he had is exhausted now.
"My elder brother is stuck in Hyderabad whereas I am held up in Bengaluru. Both of us are now jobless for the past one-and-half months," Shailesh said.
He also said the money lender who had lent Rs 40,000 to his parents, was pestering them for the past one week.
A few migrant labourers stuck in the slums near Subramanyapura in the state capital said they are out of cash to purchase grocery items.
Crammed in four small rooms in a suffocating atmosphere, thes 14 labourers said arranging meals was a big challenge.
"We are getting Khichri, but how long can one eat this alone," they said.
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Accused gunman at correspondents' dinner was believed to be targeting top officials, Blanche says
Washington (AP): The accused gunman who tried to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with guns and knives travelled across the country before the event and is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday.
Blanche also said officials believe the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where in recent days he checked in as a guest to the hotel where one of Washington's glitziest events was being held Saturday night.
Investigators have not publicly named the suspect, but two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter have identified him to The Associated Press as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
Law enforcement officials who have examined the gunman's electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner. He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a chaotic scene that resulted in shots being fired, President Donald Trump being hurried off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC's “Meet the Press.”
The suspect is believed to have purchased the firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
“He failed,” Blanche said on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “Law enforcement did their jobs.”
Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
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