Those behind 3 murders in DK district will be arrested, punished soon: DGP Praveen Sood
Mangaluru, Aug 1: Karnataka Director General of Police Praveen Sood on Monday assured that those involved and behind three murders in Dakshina Kannada district in the last ten days would be arrested and punished soon irrespective of their organisational or ideological background.
The DGP, who reviewed the developments and investigation with top officials, also called on people to cooperate with the police by coming forward and sharing information, if any, regarding the murders.
"Three murders have taken place in ten days: The first is the Masood case in which eight people were arrested and sent to judicial custody. Second, the Praveen murder case in which two were arrested and further inquiry is on. We will nab the killers and strictly punish them. Third is the Fazil case wherein there has been definite progress, a car used for the crime and its owner have been found," Sood said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, based on the arrests made and investigation so far, further arrests, if any, would be made, and also measures would be taken to see to it that such incidents don't get repeated and there is peace in the region.
"...I assure the people that all those behind the three cases, also whichever organisation or ideology is behind them, we will not leave them. We will take strict action against them," he added.
A 32-year old zilla Bharatiya Yuva Morcha committee member Praveen Nettar was hacked to death by unidentified motorbike-borne assailants on the night of July 26 at Bellare in Sullia taluk in Dakshina Kannada district, which had sparked outrage.
Two persons with suspected links with the Popular Front of India (PFI) were arrested by the Karnataka police in connection with the murder on July 28.
Masood (18) was murdered in Bellare before Nettar's killing; Mohammed Fazil (23) was hacked to death at Surathkal Mangaluru city outskirts after it.
At this stage, more than finding a link between cases, the priority of the police is to physically catch hold of the murderers and to interrogate them, Sood said, adding that once the investigation is over, it would be mentioned in the charge sheet whether there were any links to other cases.
"At this preliminary stage, it will be wrong to say there were links based on mere speculation and it is not good for society by unnecessarily linking two deaths, as it will further vitiate the atmosphere. Whether there is link or not murder is a murder...neither police nor the dead body has any religion," he added.
Naturally, there is an atmosphere of fear because of the three murders, the DGP said. Officials have taken several measures in this regard, and that he, too, has held meetings with ADGP, Commissioner, also Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police, Dakshina Kannada, in this regard.
"Increasing patrolling and in border areas, having strong checkpost, and effective human intelligence is important. Also enhancing the police staff in Dakshina Kannada is necessary and steps are being taken in this regard," he said.
Noting that for any incident there would be an eyewitness or someone who is aware of it, Sood urged the citizens to come forward and cooperate with the police with regard to the cases.
"Police have the responsibility to nab the culprits, but it is not the duty of police alone, it should be a combined effort. Irrespective of religious background, we should join hands to maintain peace," he added.
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Single higher education regulator bill tabled in LS; Oppn flags ‘centralisation,' JPC likely
New Delhi: A bill to set up a 13-member body to regulate institutions of higher education was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, which seeks to establish an overarching higher education commission along with three councils for regulation, accreditation, and ensuring academic standards for universities and higher education institutions in India.
Meanwhile, the move drew strong opposition, with members warning that it could weaken institutional autonomy and result in excessive centralisation of higher education in India.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, earlier known as the Higher Education Council of India (HECI) Bill, has been introduced in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The proposed legislation seeks to merge three existing regulatory bodies, the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), into a single unified body called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan.
At present, the UGC regulates non-technical higher education institutions, the AICTE oversees technical education, and the NCTE governs teacher education in India.
Under the proposed framework, the new commission will function through three separate councils responsible for regulation, accreditation, and the maintenance of academic standards across universities and higher education institutions in the country.
According to the Bill, the present challenges faced by higher educational institutions due to the multiplicity of regulators having non-harmonised regulatory approval protocols will be done away with.
The higher education commission, which will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, will cover all central universities and colleges under it, institutes of national importance functioning under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Education, including IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs, and IIITs.
At present, IITs and IIMs are not regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Government to refer bill to JPC; Oppn slams it
The government has expressed its willingness to refer it to a joint committee after several members of the Lok Sabha expressed strong opposition to the Bill, stating that they were not given time to study its provisions.
Responding to the opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government intends to refer the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed examination.
Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari warned that the Bill could result in “excessive centralisation” of higher education. He argued that the proposed law violates the constitutional division of legislative powers between the Union and the states.
According to him, the Bill goes beyond setting academic standards and intrudes into areas such as administration, affiliation, and the establishment and closure of university campuses. These matters, he said, fall under Entry 25 of the Concurrent List and Entry 32 of the State List, which cover the incorporation and regulation of state universities.
Tewari further stated that the Bill suffers from “excessive delegation of legislative power” to the proposed commission. He pointed out that crucial aspects such as accreditation frameworks, degree-granting powers, penalties, institutional autonomy, and even the supersession of institutions are left to be decided through rules, regulations, and executive directions. He argued that this amounts to a violation of established constitutional principles governing delegated legislation.
Under the Bill, the regulatory council will have the power to impose heavy penalties on higher education institutions for violating provisions of the Act or related rules. Penalties range from ₹10 lakh to ₹75 lakh for repeated violations, while establishing an institution without approval from the commission or the state government could attract a fine of up to ₹2 crore.
Concerns were also raised by members from southern states over the Hindi nomenclature of the Bill. N.K. Premachandran, an MP from the Revolutionary Socialist Party representing Kollam in Kerala, said even the name of the Bill was difficult to pronounce.
He pointed out that under Article 348 of the Constitution, the text of any Bill introduced in Parliament must be in English unless Parliament decides otherwise.
DMK MP T.M. Selvaganapathy also criticised the government for naming laws and schemes only in Hindi. He said the Constitution clearly mandates that the nomenclature of a Bill should be in English so that citizens across the country can understand its intent.
Congress MP S. Jothimani from Tamil Nadu’s Karur constituency described the Bill as another attempt to impose Hindi and termed it “an attack on federalism.”
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