Kalburgi Murder Probe: Killers were given final training in a farm near Mangaluru
In the latest revelation in the probe of murder case of Kannada Scholar M M Kalburgi, an Indian Express report added that the suspected killers were given training in an alleged final training camp held on a rubber estate of a businessman from Mangaluru region.
M M Kalburgi, noted Kannada scholar was shot dead at his residence on August 30, 2015 aged 77.
The Indian Express report claims that the revelation was made during the probe by Special Investigation Team (SIT) in to the matter. According to the report a key suspect of the murder Praveen Prakash Chatur, who was arrested by the SIT in May this year, led the police team to a rubber plantation plot at Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada District last month and identified it as the place where he was allegedly trained days before the murder. Prakash has been identified as the rider of the bike in which the shooter Ganesh Miskin reached Kalburgi’s house.
The report quotes police sources to note that the rubber plantation estate to be belonging to Mangaluru businessman Ananth Kamath, who is known to be associated with the radical Sanatan Sanstha and its affiliate Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS).
Interestingly, Kamath’s name had also popped up in the case of murder of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh when an arrested suspect had indicated that Kamath allegedly provided vehicles to the killers to recce Gauri’s residence. Kamath was then questioned and released after the SIT did not find any incriminating evidence against him in the case.
When contacted by The Indian Express, Kamath said: “I have no information about the estate being used for such things. If I knew I would not allow it. I have not received information about any investigations on the property. The estate has been given on lease to a group from Kerala.” The rubber estate is located about one hour away from Dharamsthala, he said.
Several persons arrested in the Gauri Lankesh case have in statements, which are a part of the chargesheet, described attending a camp at a rubber plantation near Pilathbetta in the Dharamsthala region in August 2015.
“In 2015, in the month of August, a training camp was organized at a rubber plantation at Pilathbetta near Mangalore. Four of us from Belagavi went to Dharamsthala. Amol Kale, Mithun (alias Ganesh Miskin, the alleged shooter in the Kalburgi case), Govinda, Mechanic, Sharad Kalaskar, two Bengali speaking men were present at the camp. We travelled for an hour in a vehicle from Dharamsthala to get to the farm. There were two big godowns and a rubber plantation at the estate,’’ claims a witness in the Gauri Lankesh case in a statement that is part of the chargesheet.
One of the trainers is suspected to be a missing individual from the Ajmer, Mecca Masjid and Malegaon blast cases from the 2006-08 period.
After arresting Chatur in the Kalburgi case, the SIT took him to the site of the camp in the hope of finding bullets or cartridges but failed to find any such material, the report quotes sources
However, the site where the Sanstha members allegedly trained was found to belong to Kamath, and police would be assessing his suspected role in the training, sources said.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
