Attack on Dalit woman in Manipal for feeding stray dogs: Accused sent to judicial custody
Udupi: Chandrakanth Bhat, who was arrested under charge of brutally assaulting a 50-year-old Dalit woman recently for feeding stray dogs near his house at Indrali in Hayagriva Nagar, has been remanded in 14 days of judicial custody.
The Dalit woman, Baby, a resident of Kunjibettu Budnar was grievously injured in the attack and is being treated at the Ajjarakadu Hospital.
Bhat was reportedly angered that Baby, who is learned to have been acquainted with Bhat, was feeding the stray dogs near his house. Taking an objection to this, Bhat not only abused the woman verbally but also reportedly hit her on the head with a wooden rod.
A case was booked against Bhat at the Manipal Police Station under Indian Penal Code (IPC) 1860 and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Bhat was arrested by Manipal Police on March 21 and, when he was presented before the court, the bench ordered that he be sent to judicial custody for 14 days.
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The Udupi District Committee of the Karnataka Dalita Sangharsha Samiti (Ambedkar faction) has alleged that the authorities, under pressure from the local legislator, admitted the arrested accused to the Udupi District Hospital on the same night, claiming ill-health. The panel has also said that the accused has been receiving 'royal treatment' at the hospital.
The Committee office-bearers, who spoke to Udupi Superintendent of Police Dr. Arun K, have urged the senior police officer to take strict action and ensure that there is no violation of the law in handling the case. They have also asked the SP to continue the investigation after adding the IPC Sections that were excluded in the FIR.
The panel members also met the attack victim Baby at the District Hospital with the permission of the Udupi Deputy SP, who is the investigation officer.
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Fascism will not be allowed to enter through the back door of vote rigging: CM Siddaramaiah
New Delhi: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday asserted that fascism would not be allowed to enter India “through the back door of vote rigging” and called upon citizens to collectively defend the country’s democratic foundations.
Speaking after participating in an anti–vote rigging protest organised in New Delhi, Siddaramaiah said the gathering was not merely a political demonstration but a stand to protect Indian democracy. “We have come to the heart of our republic not as Congress workers or voters, but as protectors of Indian democracy,” he said.
Emphasising the importance of the right to vote, Siddaramaiah said it was the most sacred right guaranteed by the Constitution and the very foundation of democracy.
“Through voting, a farmer shapes the future of his children, a worker safeguards his dignity, a youth realises dreams, and a nation expresses its collective will,” he said.
He accused the BJP-led Union government of attempting to undermine this right through what he termed systematic vote rigging, including the alleged misuse of the special revision of electoral rolls. “This power is being stolen repeatedly,” he alleged.
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Warning against authoritarian tendencies, Siddaramaiah said history had shown that dictatorship does not begin with violence but with the misuse of institutions and manipulation of democratic systems.
“Across the world, authoritarian regimes pretend to protect democracy while quietly subverting it. This is what the BJP is doing today,” he charged.
He alleged that the ruling party was controlling institutions, intimidating electoral machinery, distorting voter lists, suppressing voter turnout in opposition strongholds, and misusing money and power. “This is not mere maladministration. Vote rigging is an attack on the very idea of India,” he said.
Siddaramaiah further claimed that governments formed through “stolen votes” could not be considered democratic.
“Such regimes survive through fear, fraud and distortion of the people’s mandate,” he said, adding that vote rigging posed the biggest threat to the republic since Independence.
Praising Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Siddaramaiah said he had shown exceptional courage in exposing alleged irregularities in voter lists, booth-level manipulation and “systematic, organised vote rigging” across several states, including Karnataka, Haryana and Bihar.
Referring to Karnataka, Siddaramaiah cited Mahadevpura and Aland constituencies as examples highlighted by Gandhi. In Mahadevpura, he said, thousands of allegedly fake and fraudulent voter entries and discrepancies in electoral rolls pointed to a narrow BJP victory. In Aland, he said, attempts were made to remove the names of legitimate voters ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections.
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He noted that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had recently filed a chargesheet accusing seven persons, including a former BJP MLA and his son, of attempting to delete the names of around 6,000 voters in Aland.
“This is a significant legal step in the fight against vote rigging,” he said.
Siddaramaiah concluded by stating that the fight against vote rigging was rooted in constitutional morality, Ambedkarite thought and the core principle of democracy. “Sovereignty belongs to the people, not to any party, regime or those who seek to steal elections,” he said.
