Congress’ first list of candidates: Party has been unjust to Billava applicants, says pontiff
Mangaluru: Pranavananda Swami, the pontiff of the Brahmashri Narayana Guru Shakti Peetha, has said that the Congress, which released its first list of candidates for the 2023 Assembly elections in the state, has been unjust towards Billavas.
Speaking to reporters at a private hotel in Mangaluru, the pontiff said, “We had asked the Congress, the BJP as well as the JD(S) to give tickets to 10 Billavas in the entire state, not only in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. Yet, the Congress, which released its first list, has fielded only six people from the community,” adding that the community hoped the names of the rest four will be added in the second list of the Congress.
“If the community is neglected, if our demands are not met with regard to the election tickets, we will be forced to fight back, regardless of the party,” he warned.
“We find no improvement in the Congress’ treatment of Billavas, as only one Billava candidate in Dakshina Kannada has been given ticket, just as before. We need elected representatives in at least two more constituencies. As many as 11 people of our community had applied for ticket, including a lady. While the lady has striven for the progress of the Billava community, we do not focus on a particular individual but stress that any strong contender from the community may be given ticket,” the pontiff clarified.
It is especially unjust of Congress party, which has been laying stress on social justice, to have sidelined the Billava community, said Pranavananda Swami, adding that ensuring the victory of a candidate is the responsibility of the community members.
The pontiff further warned that state government, led by the BJP, will face problems if it fails to take a firm decision in the next couple of days regarding the fulfillment of demands of Billavas, including funds for the Brahmashri Narayana Nigama.
He, however, refused to comment on whether the community would support a party that fielded the maximum number of Billava candidates. “Hopefuls who lost their money after applying for ticket are terribly disappointed. We will discuss such matters with them too, before taking a decision,” he added.
Billava leaders Jithendra Suvarna, Suresh Chandra Kotian and Lokanath Poojary were also present on the occasion.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
