Mangaluru: The Kasaragod District Kannada Journalists' Welfare Association has announced the recipients of its annual Endowment Fund Awards. This year, 21 journalists have been selected for recognition, including Vartha Bharathi Mangaluru Bureau's senior reporter Satyavati, and Kodagu special correspondent Kandakere Ismail Kodagu.

The award ceremony will take place on May 3 at the Seethangoli Alliance Hall in Kasaragod district. Each endowment award comprises a cash prize, an award certificate, and a memento.

The names of the awardees according to a press release issued by the association are as follows,

Satyavati will be honoured with the Lawyer Muhammad Ibrahim Pare Memorial Award, while Kandakere Ismail Kodagu will receive the Mogarodi Gopalakrishna Melanta Endowment Award. Srinivasa Jokatte from Mumbai, who will receive the Brahmakya Edneer Sri Keshavananda Bharathi Swamiji Memorial Award, and Ganesh Kasaragodu, who will be awarded the Journalist Ravi Belagere Memorial Endowment Award.

Srinivasa Nayak Indaje will be awarded with the Avva Trust Hubballi Endowment, Mallikarjuna Reddy Gondi of Belagavi with Retired senior IAS officer Dr. C. Somashekara Endowment, N. Ravikumar with Hawva Hasan Foundation Kudkoli Endowment, Nagaraja Y. Koppala with Non-resident businessman and art patron Joseph Mathias Dubai Endowment, Iswara Alevoor from Mumbai with KVR Tagore Memorial Award, and Muhammad Ansar Inoli with Freedom Fighter and Former Minister Bhimanna Khandre Endowment.

Others receiving awards include C.J. Puneeth of Mysuru (Economist Sudhir Kumar Shetty Enmakaje Endowment), Venu Vinod of Mangaluru (Somanna Bevinamarad Endowment), Maulana Saab Bidar (Kuluru Kanyana Sadashiva Shetty Endowment), Steven Rego of Mangaluru (Mahabaleshwar Bhat Edakkana Endowment), and KG Nagalakshmi Bai of Bengaluru (Sivashankar Nekraje Endowment).

Also recognized are Iqbal Kuthar (James Mendonsa Endowment), Rama Ajekar (Ashraf Shah Manthur Endowment), Ganesh Kasaragod (KWJ State Committee Endowment), Bhaskar K. Kasaragod (KWJ State Committee Endowment), Ajith Swarga (KWJ Endowment), and Mattikere Jayaram of Mandya, who will be awarded the K.K. Shetty Kuttikar Endowment.

The Kasaragod District Kannada Journalists' Welfare Association, active for over two decades, works in collaboration with pro-Kannada organizations to promote and preserve Kannada language, culture, and art. The association also acts as a cultural bridge between Kannada and Malayalam-speaking journalists.

The May 3 ceremony will be chaired by the reception committee head K.K. Shetty Kuttikar.

The event will be graced by dignitaries including Karnataka Legislative Council Speaker Basavaraj Horatti, Agriculture Minister Chaluvaraya Swamy, Forest Minister Eshwara Khandre, Karnataka Border Area Development Authority Chairman Somanna Bevinamarada, Chief Minister’s Media Advisor K.V. Prabhakar, Karnataka Working Journalists' Association President Shivananda Tagadoor, and Kasaragod District Kannada Development Authority President Ravi Naikap, read an official statement.

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Karwar: Uttara Kannada police have cracked a murder case in which a Belagavi youth was killed and his body burnt inside a car to make it appear like a road accident.

Addressing a press meet in the city, Superintendent of Police Deepan M.N. said three accused from Old Hubballi have been arrested in connection with the case. The crime was a pre-planned act driven by personal enmity, he said.

The case came to light on April 8 morning when a car (KA-04/MJ-8996) was found completely burnt in a roadside ditch near Talekumbri bus stand in Yellapur. Only charred human remains were found inside the vehicle. Initially, it was suspected to be an accident caused by overspeeding, and a case was registered at Yellapur police station based on a complaint filed by the deceased’s father, Jagannath Dhapale.

However, the father later expressed suspicion that his son’s death was not accidental, prompting a detailed investigation.

Taking the matter seriously, two special teams were formed under the leadership of Yellapur Inspector Ramesh Hanapur. On analysing technical evidence and CCTV footage, police found that it was a planned murder.

The accused have been identified as Abdul Raheem Basheer Ahmed Mujawar (32), Maulasab Bavahan Wada (36) and Dadapeer alias Aftab Mehboob Saab Balasangi (22), all chicken traders from Old Hubballi.

Police have seized the car used in the crime along with two scooters. The accused have been remanded to judicial custody.

Investigations revealed that the accused killed Nitesh Dhapale due to personal enmity and later set the car on fire along with the body to project it as an accident.

SP Deepan M.N. appreciated the efforts of Inspector Ramesh Hanapur, PSIs Rajashekhar Vandali and Siddappa Gudi, and the entire team for solving the complex case.