Chikmagaluru, July 26: A Mangaluru-based youth who came to the city for a tour along with his friends slipped into the Bhadra River and washed away at Ambathirtha in Kalasa police station limits on Thursday.

The victim is identified as Kiran Kotian (26) of Tumbe village in Mangaluru. He was working as an engineer in a private company in Mangaluru.

It is said that Kiran Kumar has come with his 12 friends to Kudremukh for a trip. After completing their trip to Kudremukh, they have reached Kalasa via Samse and later, they have been to Ambathirtha tourist spot on Horanadu road in Kalasa town. They have gone to Ambuthirtha in a car. But some of them have taken photos from a distance fearing the gushing water in the river. But some others attempted to climb the rocks near the river and tried to get selfies. Among them, Kiran Kumar tried to climb the rock adjacent to the river and slipped into the river. But as soon as he fell into the river, he was washed away in the water, informed other students to the police.

Though people working in nearby fields tried to rescue him, he swept away in the river. Though the people and the police searched for the youth, he was not traced in the river. Later, fire brigade, divers, police personnel and local people continued their search operation in the river near Hebbal, Vashishta Thirtha and other places along the river bank and he was not traced.

Is Kiran Kumar loses life for Selfie mania?

Because of the heavy rains lashing the region for the last two months, the rocks along the Bhadra river developed algae and are slipping. The youth tried to take selfie standing on dangerous rocks and this time, he slipped into the river, said eye witnesses.

Ambuthirtha tour is not safe during rainy season

Ambuthirtha place is an attractive tourist place because of rocks which seem as if they were sculpted by the sculptors. People would easily attract to their natural beauty. As a result, shooting of lot of films were being taken place every year. But the local people would not dare to go there and those who knew the place would prefer summer season to visit it. As the youth from Mangaluru did not have any precautions about the place, they ventured into the place. The local people urged the authorities to put up some hoardings warning against venturing into the river and climbing the rocks.

 

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New Delhi: Opposition MPs have urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to extend the tenure of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. They argued that a mere three-month period to finalise the report is insufficient given the legislation's broad implications.

The MPs highlighted that the bill proposes extensive changes to existing laws, impacting a significant portion of the population. “Rushing the report could lead to improper recommendations,” the opposition members stated in their letter to the Speaker.

Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee noted after a meeting with Birla that the Speaker had assured them of an extension to allow more stakeholders to present their views.

The letter also criticised the inclusion of “irrelevant organisations and individuals” in the JPC’s discussions and pointed out that several state governments, including Bihar, New Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh, have yet to appear before the committee.

The Winter Session of Parliament, which begins today, includes the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, among the bills set for consideration. The bill aims to digitise records, introduce stricter audits, enhance transparency, and reclaim illegally occupied properties.

The JPC has conducted 25 sittings so far, engaging with government officials, legal experts, Waqf Board members, and community representatives across states and Union Territories. However, opposition MPs stressed that hastily finalising the report could undermine the legislative process and diminish Parliament’s credibility.