New Delhi (PTI): Republic Media Network will soon launch a Kannada news channel, following its acquisition of VRL Media that runs the Dighvijay 24x7 news channel.

Republic Media Network chairman and editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami made the announcement of the group's fourth television channel as it sought to break language barriers and reach new audiences.

"We want to break through all language barriers and reach the people of India as widely and as quickly as we can. So, for the very first time, this network has chosen to grow inorganically," he said.

Republic Kannada will have the tagline 'Nimma Dhwani' or 'Your Voice'.

"Republic Kannada will change the news media landscape in Karnataka. We will be as always the voice of the people, 'Nimma Dhwani', and work to represent the aspirations of the people of this great state," Goswami said.

Republic Media Network's entry into the market of Kannada news comes alongside the expansive acquisition of all the television assets of one of the largest news players in Karnataka which runs the popular news channel Dighvijay News, a statement said.

"As Dighvijay 24x7 News channel becomes Republic Kannada, I am happy to hand it over to him and the Republic Media Network," Anand Sankeshwar, MD, VRL Media Pvt Ltd, said.

Republic Media Network now beams news channels in four languages English, Hindi, Bengali and Kannada and has an intricate network of reporters across 28 states and eight Union territories, according to the statement.

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Kotdwar (PTI): A man was arrested here for allegedly raping his 13-year-old stepdaughter, police said on Sunday.

The 32-year-old accused was arrested from Najibabad Road on Saturday and later sent to judicial custody on court orders, they said.

According to police, the minor's mother had lodged a missing person complaint on Friday, stating that her daughter had left home without informing anyone at around 7 am on February 5.

During the investigation, police analysed CCTV camera footage from nearby areas and found that the girl had gone to her grandmother's house.

The grandmother told police that the girl was extremely frightened and did not want to return home due to alleged harassment. She later left the girl with an acquaintance, from where police safely recovered her.

After gaining the girl's confidence, police said she disclosed that her stepfather had raped her on the night of February 4, following which she ran away from home the next morning.

A case has been registered against the accused under Sections 65(1) and 75(2) (rape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 3 and 4 (sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.