Bajpe: BJP worker accused of caste abusing Dalit girl; case filed
Mangaluru: An incident of alleged caste abuse involving a BJP worker and a Dalit girl has come to light in Kandavara village under the jurisdiction of Bajpe police station. The young woman has filed a complaint against the accused, identified as Sudarshan, who was a BJP worker.
Dalit organizations, led by Bhim Sena, expressed their discontent by protesting in front of the police station, claiming that the authorities were hesitant to take action against the accused and had allowed Sudarshan to escape under police protection.
In a bid to seek justice, the leaders of the Dalit organizations started a protest, and were not moving until the accused was arrested. The protest continued until Tuesday morning when the demonstrators met with the Mangaluru city commissioner at the Bajpe police station. Following the meeting, the protesters called off their demonstration as the commissioner assured them that the accused would be arrested within three days.
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According to reports, a young woman from the Dalit community had contacted ward member Savita from the same village regarding a water problem in the Dalit colony of Bajpe, Kandavara Gram Panchayat. Savita not only verbally abused the young woman but also provided her mobile number to Sudarshan, the accused, asking him to contact her.
When Sudarshan called the young woman, he not only spoke disrespectfully but also subjected her to caste-based insults. The protesters alleged that Sudarshan was present at the police station when the victim lodged her complaint, but the police allegedly facilitated his escape.
Charan Kumar, the elder brother of the victim, stated, "Accused Sudarshan is a gram panchayat candidate supported by the BJP. The police came under pressure from the BJP and allowed Sudarshan to leave the police station, despite his presence. The BJP leaders escorted him away. This has deeply hurt us."
Mangaluru City Police Commissioner, Kuldeep Kumar R., held discussions with the victim and her family at the Bajpe Police Station regarding the incident. However, the commissioner declined to provide any details to the media at this time.
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Explosive device kills 13, injures 38 on bus in southwestern Colombia as violence persists
Bogota (Colombia) (PTI): An explosive device killed 13 people travelling on a bus in southwestern Colombia on Saturday, an attack the country's army chief described as a “terrorist act" that also left at least 38 injured as violence linked to drug trafficking in the region escalates.
Octavio Guzman, the governor of the region of Cauca, said on X that the device was set off while the bus was travelling along the Panamerican Highway in the municipality of Cajibio. Five children were among the injured, Cauca Health Secretary Carolina Camargo told Noticias Caracol, a TV news program.
Gen. Hugo Lopez, commander of Colombia's Armed Forces, told a news conference that it was a “terrorist act" and blamed the network of a man known as “Ivan Mordisco” — one of Colombia's most wanted figures — and the Jaime Martínez faction. Both are dissidents of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that operate in the region.
Neither Ivan Mordisco nor the Jaime Martínez faction abide by the peace agreement signed with the state in 2016.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack on X.
“Those who carried out the attack and killed seven civilians — and wounded 17 others — in Cajibío — many of them Indigenous people — are terrorists, fascists, and drug traffickers,” he wrote.
The attack is the latest in a spate of explosions that have attempted to target public infrastructure. At least 26 incidents have taken place in the past two days in southwestern Colombia, which Lopez said have only affected civilians.
They included a shooting at a police station in the rural area of Jamundi, and an attack on a Civil Aviation radar facility in El Tambo, where authorities took down three explosives-laden drones earlier on Saturday. No one was hurt.
On Friday, two vehicles rigged with explosives were detonated near military units in Cali and Palmira, causing material damage.
The escalation of violence in that region — a territory contested by illegal armed groups linked to drug trafficking — prompted the mobilisation of high-ranking officials on Saturday. Led by Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez, the delegation that includes regional governors and local authorities, was meeting in Palmira when the deadly explosion occurred.
“These criminals seek to instil fear, but we will respond with firmness,” Sanchez said on X.
Meanwhile, Francisca Toro, governor of Valle del Cauca, has called upon the national government to provide “immediate support.” In a message on X, Toro called for a reinforcement of public security forces, enhanced intelligence operations and “decisive actions” against crime in the face of a “terrorist-level escalation.”
According to authorities, Cauca and Valle del Cauca serve as a critical hub for illicit activities of illegal armed groups vying for control over sea and river access routes leading to the port of Buenaventura — a key transit point used to traffic drugs to Central America and Europe.
The government has also offered a reward of more than 1 million dollars for information leading to the capture of “Marlon,” who is identified as the leader of the region's dissident group. On Friday, local authorities offered more than USD 14,000 for information leading to the identification and location of those behind the attacks in Cali and Palmira.
