Vartha Bharati Journalist Shamsuddin Enmuru confered BG Mohandas Award
Mangaluru: Vartha Bharati Journalist Shamsuddin Enmuru was on Sunday conferred the BG Mohan Das Award for Best Report on Digital Media for the year 2022. The award is presented collaboratively by Gulfkannada.com and Nirat Sahitya Sampad in honor of senior journalist BG Mohan Das.
The award was conferred during a ceremony held at Kannada Bhavan here in the city’s BC road.
Speaking after receiving the award, Shamsuddin said said that the Koraga community, the original inhabitants of the country, are still struggling to live up to their self-esteem and to come into the mainstream of society.
“Deprived of basic amenities, human rights, owing to superstition, bigotry, untouchability. An entire community is on the brink of extinction. My report was a small attempt to bring their plight to the notice of the government. I am glad that people took note of it and it was selected for this prestigious award.” Shamsuddin said.
“I am Thankful to Niratha Sahitya Sampada and Gulf Kannadiga.com team for selecting my report for the award. I am also thankful to the Vartha Bharati team for supporting and encouraging me in my career. With this award I feel I have increased responsibilities now,” he added.
G. Mohan Das' brother, Udupi District Chamber of Commerce and Industry Joint Secretary B. G. Laxmikant Beskur said that B. N. Mohan Das was very concerned about those who were neglected in society, who were in social distress, and those who were away from the mainstream society.
Brijesh Anchan, president of Niratha Sahitya Sampad, presided over the event. Advocate Sukesh Kumar Shetty read out the introduction of BG Mohan Das.
Lecturer Abdul Majeed introduced the awardee Samshuddin. President of Kannada Sahitya Parishad Bantwala Taluk Vishwanath Bantwala was present.
Sudha Nagesh, of Sharda High School, Panemangalore presented welcome note. Karunakar Maripalla presented vote of thanks while BM Rafique compered the event.
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Explosive device kills 13, injures 38 on bus in southwestern Colombia as violence persists
Bogota (Colombia) (PTI): An explosive device killed 13 people travelling on a bus in southwestern Colombia on Saturday, an attack the country's army chief described as a “terrorist act" that also left at least 38 injured as violence linked to drug trafficking in the region escalates.
Octavio Guzman, the governor of the region of Cauca, said on X that the device was set off while the bus was travelling along the Panamerican Highway in the municipality of Cajibio. Five children were among the injured, Cauca Health Secretary Carolina Camargo told Noticias Caracol, a TV news program.
Gen. Hugo Lopez, commander of Colombia's Armed Forces, told a news conference that it was a “terrorist act" and blamed the network of a man known as “Ivan Mordisco” — one of Colombia's most wanted figures — and the Jaime Martínez faction. Both are dissidents of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that operate in the region.
Neither Ivan Mordisco nor the Jaime Martínez faction abide by the peace agreement signed with the state in 2016.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack on X.
“Those who carried out the attack and killed seven civilians — and wounded 17 others — in Cajibío — many of them Indigenous people — are terrorists, fascists, and drug traffickers,” he wrote.
The attack is the latest in a spate of explosions that have attempted to target public infrastructure. At least 26 incidents have taken place in the past two days in southwestern Colombia, which Lopez said have only affected civilians.
They included a shooting at a police station in the rural area of Jamundi, and an attack on a Civil Aviation radar facility in El Tambo, where authorities took down three explosives-laden drones earlier on Saturday. No one was hurt.
On Friday, two vehicles rigged with explosives were detonated near military units in Cali and Palmira, causing material damage.
The escalation of violence in that region — a territory contested by illegal armed groups linked to drug trafficking — prompted the mobilisation of high-ranking officials on Saturday. Led by Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez, the delegation that includes regional governors and local authorities, was meeting in Palmira when the deadly explosion occurred.
“These criminals seek to instil fear, but we will respond with firmness,” Sanchez said on X.
Meanwhile, Francisca Toro, governor of Valle del Cauca, has called upon the national government to provide “immediate support.” In a message on X, Toro called for a reinforcement of public security forces, enhanced intelligence operations and “decisive actions” against crime in the face of a “terrorist-level escalation.”
According to authorities, Cauca and Valle del Cauca serve as a critical hub for illicit activities of illegal armed groups vying for control over sea and river access routes leading to the port of Buenaventura — a key transit point used to traffic drugs to Central America and Europe.
The government has also offered a reward of more than 1 million dollars for information leading to the capture of “Marlon,” who is identified as the leader of the region's dissident group. On Friday, local authorities offered more than USD 14,000 for information leading to the identification and location of those behind the attacks in Cali and Palmira.
