Mangaluru Airport hoax bomb threat call was publicity stunt by accused: Police Commissioner
Mangaluru: City Police Commissioner Vikash Kumar on Friday said the accused arrested in the Mangaluru Airport hoax bomb threat call wanted publicity and his actions were a publicity stunt.
Giving out more details about the accused, the top cop said the 33-year-old Vasanth is a resident of Mudrady in Karkala Taluk. He added that he had worked in a hotel in Bengaluru and was working in a hotel in Udupi until the COVID lockdown, after which he was staying at his house in Karkala.
Adding that Vasanth was an active mobile internet user, Vikash Kumar said that the accused found the number of former director of the airport on internet and called him informing about the bomb at the airport. He also added that the actions of the accused were inspired the incident that took place in January and to gather attention of people, he called the former director of the airport.
Answering a question over the mental health status of the accused, the commissioner added that he would not comment on the matter before having a medical certification and clarification for the same.
He added that Vasanth was booked under various sections of the IPC and UAPA after his arrests which were non-bailable in nature.
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BJP's Lok Sabha candidate list reveals significant defection trend, nearly 25% candidates are defect
New Delhi: Out of the total 435 candidates that BJP has finalised for Lok Sabha polls, 106 candidates are those who have switched allegiances in the last 10 years. This is particularly seen in states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana, Punjab, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh, reflecting a significant trend of political defections across multiple states.
While it's not uncommon for leaders to switch allegiances in Indian politics, the scale at which this has occurred within the BJP's candidate list is striking. Out of the 435 candidates fielded by the BJP, a staggering 106 have joined the party from other political entities in the last decade, with 90 of them making the switch within the last five years alone.
Andhra Pradesh stands out with six BJP candidates originating from other parties since 2019, including unexpected shifts from Congress, YSRCP, and even the BJP's current ally, TDP. Similarly, in Telangana, almost two-thirds of the BJP's 17 candidates are defectors, primarily from BRS and Congress, with six joining the party just ahead of the elections.
While Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are states where BJP has had at best a limited presence in the past, even in Haryana, where it has been helping the state govt for a decade, six of its 10 candidates are those who have switched sides from 2014 onwards. Two of them — Naveen Jindal and Ashok Tanwar — joined in the run-up to Lok Sabha polls.
Punjab is also not far behind with over half the party’s 13 candidates having been drawn from those who were in other parties till not too long back. Some of them were in Congress but quit along with Amarinder Singh and became part of BJP when he merged his fledgling outfit with the saffron party.
Surprisingly, Uttar Pradesh, traditionally a stronghold for the BJP, also reflects a high proportion of defectors among its candidates, constituting 31% of the party's nominees in the state.
In Jharkhand, seven out of thirteen candidates have a history of membership in other political parties, dating back a decade or less. These candidates have defected from parties such as JMM, Congress, and the former Jharkhand Vikas Morcha. Notably, among them is Sita Soren, sister-in-law of the state's former chief minister, Hemant Soren.
The prevalence of such defectors in Odisha (29%) and Tamil Nadu (26%) is unsurprising, considering that these states have not traditionally been strongholds of the BJP. In Maharashtra, where a quarter of the candidates have switched sides, this trend reflects the significant political upheaval witnessed in the state, particularly in recent years.
West Bengal shares a similar proportion of such candidates with Maharashtra, while all other states have lower proportions. Even in Gujarat, widely regarded as the BJP's stronghold, two candidates have shifted to the party since 2014.
This analysis does not factor in allies contesting on BJP tickets. However, it does account for five instances of what could be termed as "gharwapsi" - BJP members who had previously switched to other parties but have returned to their original party fold. Notable examples include Jagdish Shettar in Karnataka, Udayanraje Bhonsale in Maharashtra, and Sakshi Maharaj in Uttar Pradesh.
