Strict action will be taken against those spreading false information, says DK SP
Puttur: Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police K. Arun has warned that strict legal action will be taken against individuals spreading false or misleading information about police operations. He said that while everyone has the right to comment on issues, spreading unverified information that distorts facts would attract legal consequences.
In a statement issued on Friday, the SP referred to the recent incident at Ishwaramangala, where the police intercepted a truck transporting 12 cattle illegally and arrested one suspect after shooting him in the leg when he tried to escape.
Videos and posts related to the incident including claims that BJP leader Arun Kumar Puthila slashed the truck’s ropes and tarpaulin with a sickle have gone viral on social media.
Clarifying the sequence of events, SP Arun said that locals and Puthila had assisted the police team in unloading the cattle. “The activity was carried out only to rescue the animals and with the permission of the police inspector, not for any religious purpose,” he said, denying any coordination between the police and those who helped.
He explained that Puthila arrived at the spot, found one of the cattle dead, and sought permission to help remove the others from the truck. “A constable contacted the inspector, and after speaking directly to Puthila, the inspector gave him permission to assist,” the SP said.
The SP, however, noted that the incident was misrepresented on social media, distorting the facts and creating unnecessary political tension. “The inspector made an error in judgment by not taking adequate precautions, which allowed the situation to turn into a political platform. A charge memo will be issued against him,” Arun said.
He further stated that the police had acted independently in the case. “The investigation team followed the truck, registered the case, and no organization intervened in the process. The case was later transferred from the Puttur sub-division for a proper investigation,” he added.
The SP confirmed that Bellare Sub-Inspector and personnel were present at the scene, while other officers assisted in handling the injured accused and in the ongoing investigation.
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Illegal sand mining has created environmental crisis in National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary: SC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday said rampant illegal riverbed sand mining has created an "environmental crisis" and wreaked "havoc" in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary, causing a grave risk to the gharial (long-snouted crocodile) preservation project.
Slamming the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh for their utter failure in dealing with the issue, the apex court directed them to install high-resolution Wi-Fi-enabled CCTV cameras along all routes frequently used for illegal sand mining in the area.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta directed that live feed of such surveillance cameras shall be placed under the direct control, supervision and operational oversight of the superintendent of police or the senior superintendent of police of the concerned district and the divisional forest officer.
It said these officers shall ensure continuous and effective monitoring of the CCTV feeds by designating appropriate officers.
"It can't be gainsaid that the issues involved are of great concern in as much as the rampant illegal mining activities in the river bed have created an environmental crisis and havoc in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary causing a grave risk to the very project of gharial preservation of which the state governments themselves were proponents and were under an obligation to foster and promote," Justice Mehta said while pronouncing the order.
The bench directed the authorities in these three states to initiate prompt and necessary action under law if any instance of illegal mining or allied activities comes to light.
It said the authorities shall ensure seizure of vehicles or machinery found involved in illegal sand mining and also initiate prosecution of persons involved in it.
The bench, which passed several other directions, posted the matter for hearing on May 11.
The top court passed the order in a suo motu case titled 'In Re: Illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary and threat to endangered aquatic wildlife'.
The National Chambal Sanctuary, also called the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, is a 5,400-sq km tri-state protected area.
Besides the endangered gharial, it is home to the red-crowned roof turtle and the endangered Ganges river Dolphin.
Located on the Chambal river near the tripoint of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, the sanctuary was first declared a protected area in Madhya Pradesh in 1978 and now constitutes a long and narrow eco-reserve co-administered by the three states.
On March 13, the top court took suo motu cognisance of news reports about rampant illegal sand mining on the banks of the Chambal river.
