Baba Siddique's death shows poor law and order situation in Maharashtra: Mallikarjun Kharge
Kalaburagi (Karnataka), Oct 13: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said the assassination of Nationalist Congress Party leader Baba Siddique shows the poor law and order situation prevailing in Maharashtra.
The people will teach a lesson to the ruling coalition government in the state in the upcoming election, he said.
NCP leader and former Maharashtra Minister Baba Siddique was shot by three men in Mumbai on Saturday, following which two of the assailants were arrested.
"It is quite visible that there is a complete failure of law and order in Maharashtra because in the broad daylight it happened," Kharge told reporters in his hometown of Kalaburagi.
The district in North Karnataka shares a border with Maharashtra.
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According to Kharge, a fortnight ago Siddiqui had shared information with the government that there was a possibility of attack on him. He even informed the police commissioner expressing his apprehension about whether he would survive or not, the Congress chief claimed.
"Why no protection was given to him? Why the situation reached this stage and why the culprits could not be caught? It means law and order has collapsed there," he said.
Kharge alleged that the government is in such a situation where three parties are taking decision and the bureaucrats are puzzled about whom to listen to and whom not to.
"Law and order problem has worsened there. People will teach them a lesson in the upcoming election," he said.
Siddique was shot dead by three men in Mumbai's Bandra area on Saturday, and two of the assailants have since been arrested, officials said.
The shocking incident prompted the Opposition to question the law and order situation in the state where Assembly elections are expected to be held next month.
Siddique (66), a former Congressman, was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital but succumbed to injuries. He was attacked outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddiqui's office near Colgate ground in Nirmal Nagar, Bandra East, police said.
Siddique had represented Bandra (West) seat three times in the Assembly. A prominent Muslim leader from Mumbai, Siddique was also known to be close to several Bollywood stars.
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Pro-chancellor of St Aloysius University, Fr Melwin J Pinto SJ passes away at 63
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Mangaluru: Fr Melwin J Pinto SJ, Pro-chancellor of St Aloysius University Rector of St Aloysius Institutions, and Vice President of Mangalore Jesuit Educational Society (MJES), breathed his last on Friday, April 10. He was 63.
Born in 1963, Fr Melwin Pinto completed his schooling and college education at St Aloysius before joining the Jesuit order on June 20, 1981. He was ordained as a Jesuit priest on April 14, 1997.
Over the years, he held several academic qualifications, including an MA in English, a Master’s degree in Education, and diplomas in psychology and counselling as well as school administration.
He began his career in education as headmaster of St Joseph’s Primary School and High School in Hassan, serving between 1996 and 1999.
He later founded St Joseph’s Indian PU College and served as its principal until 2007. He subsequently served as headmaster of St Aloysius High School, Mangaluru, from 2007 to 2011, and later as principal of St Joseph’s PU College, Hassan, until 2012.
Fr Melwin Pinto also worked with Vatican Communications and Radio in Rome, contributing to its English desk for Asia and Indian languages.
He later served as superior and director of Fatima Retreat House in Valencia for two years from May 2017, before being appointed as superior of the Jesuit study home ‘Vidyaniketan’ in Dharwad.
He was also closely associated with the development of St Aloysius Institutions and played a key role in securing the status of a Deemed-to-be University. His contribution to the education sector and efforts towards innovation were widely acknowledged. He was known for maintaining close relations with people from all sections of society.
Legislative Council MLA Ivan D’Souza, in a statement, said the demise of Fr Melwin J Pinto was a huge loss to the educational and religious fields and had created a significant void in society.
Dakshina Kannada District in-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao also expressed grief, stating that his service and contributions to education would always be remembered.
Details regarding the funeral are yet to be announced.
