911-like helpline launched in three Karnataka districts
Bagalkot: With the objective of providing quicker response to people in need during emergency situations in the district, Bagalkot District Police has launched an emergency helpline service on telephone number 112.
Having launched on a pilot basis in the district along with Davangere and Haveri districts in the State, the new helpline has been created on the lines of 911 emergency service number of the USA.
“The new helpline number is different from the traditional 100 number given to the police for attending emergency situations. This new 112 number will have a centralized system where not only police but even medical or fire and emergency services will also attend to the persons based on the situation and need”, said Lokesh Jagalasar, Superintendent of Police.
He said that in three districts, including Bagalkot, the helpline number has been launched in a full scale by deploying separate staff and vehicles.
“In Bagalkot, we have reserved 15 vehicles and deployed 120 personnel for the job who will be working round-the-clock to attend the emergency calls received in the district”, he said.
Jagalasar said that if any person dials 100 number within Bagalkot limits, then that call gets automatically routed to 112, from where the call is placed to required departments such as police or fire, etc.
“The uniqueness of the service is when the call is received, it automatically records the location. Based on it, it is possible for the staff to reach the place easily and within a limited time”, he said.
He said that the service has been launched just a few days ago in the district and is receiving a good response already.
Jagalasar said that though no time limit so far has been set for the police staff to reach the place as the service is in the initial stage, however, he said that in the coming days, more resources will be added to ensure that the staff reaches the victim within the stipulated time itself.
“ We are still in an initial stage thus we are not in a position to fix the time limit, however, we have directed the police to be there at the spot as quickly as possible after receiving the call. In the coming days, we may fix time so that the vehicle should be there at the spot within that time only. This will give a sense of confidence to the victim that the help will be there at a particular time. We want to make sure that the least time is taken to reach the victim”, he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
