5,938 new COVID-19 cases in Karnataka, 68 deaths
Bengaluru: Karnataka on Sunday reported 5,938 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total infection count to 2,77,814, while the toll reached 4,683 with 68 deaths.
The day also saw 4,996 people getting discharged. Bengaluru Urban accounted for the maximum numbers of fresh cases reported at 2,126.
As of August 23 evening, cumulatively 2,77,814 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Karnataka, which includes 4,683 deaths and 1,89,564 discharges, the health department said in its bulletin.
Of 83,551 active cases, 82,764 patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while 787 are in Intensive Care Units.
Seven out of the 68 deaths reported on Sunday were from Ballari, followed by five each in Bengaluru urban, Dakshina Kannada, Koppal and Tumakuru, four each in Haveri, Shivamogga and Vijayapura and three each in Chitradurga, Dharwad and Hassan.
Deaths were also reported from Belagavi, Chikkaballapura, Davangrere, Kalaburagi, Kolar, Mandya, Raichur, Udupi (2 each) Bagalkote,Chamarajanagara, Uttara Kannada and Yadgir (1 each).
Most of the deceased either had a history of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) or Influenza-like illness (ILI).
Bengaluru urban accounted for 2,126 of the fresh cases reported, Ballari 406, Davangere 265, Koppal 256, Shivamogga 246, Kalaburagi 203, followed by others, the bulletin said.
Bengaluru urban district topped the list of positive cases, with a total of 1,07,875 infections, followed by Ballari 17,679 and Mysuru 12,396. Among discharges too Bengaluru urban was on top with 71,329 discharges, followed by Ballari 11,302 and Kalaburagi 8,128.
A total of 24,13,951 samples were tested so far, out of which 40,848 were tested on Sunday alone. Among the samples tested today 11,071 were Rapid Antigen Tests.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
