Bajrangdal activists thrash old man, asks him to leave village
Raichur: Bajrangdal activists attacked a mosque, threw copies of Quran, mikes and set of mats and other items on fire at a mosque in Raichur district's Talekan village in Maski taluk. The incident came to light lately.
A terror attack had taken place on Indian soldiers at Pulwama in Kashmir on February 14. Accusing some Muslim youths of celebrating the terror attack, the Bajrangdal activists thronged into a mosque and threw off copies of Holy Quran, mikes and set mats and other items on fire.
They then lodged a complaint with the police alleging that the Pakistan Zindabad slogans were raised and soldiers' death was celebrated. Following which, a case was registered under Section 147 of the IPC, including Section 25/2019, 143, 147, 120 (A) 153 (A) and 504. Based on this, the Maski police have reportedly arrested six Muslim youths.
Even after the incident, Bajrangdal activists continued to bolster the protest and demanded to book sedition case against the arrested youths. It is learnt that activists gave a call to boycott trade with Muslims and not to give even a drop of water to them. They also blocked Muslims from coming to Namaz.
The Maski police, on February 24, registered a case against Bajrangdal workers as well, for destroying various materials at the mosque. The case was registered under Section 149, 147, 427, 435, 295, and 149 and nine workers were taken into custody. However, the Bajrangdal activists were reportedly released without any punishment.
After this, they again attacked an old man Hussein Saab, who was returning from the mosque on April 9. Around 10 Bajrang Dal activists allegedly attacked Hussein Saab, used foul language, thrashed him and also threatened him to leave the village. A case has been registered against Vishwanath, Kanteppa, PB Basappa and five others under section 149 IPC, including Section 143, 147, 341, 504, 323, 506 at the Maski Police Station.
A delegation of the Raichur district SDPI visited the superintendent of police and demanded immediate arrest of the accused who threatened to leave the village. It sought stringent action against the culprits and requested to restore communal harmony in the village.
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Adani Group emerges lowest bidder for Bengaluru’s 16.75-km tunnel road project
Bengaluru: The Adani Group has become the lowest bidder for both packages of the proposed 16.75-km tunnel road project in Bengaluru, according to sources familiar with the bids opened by Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE).
According to a report published by Deccan Herald on Monday, the government estimated the entire project to cost Rs 17,698 crore, while the Adani Group has quoted Rs 22,267 crore. The ports-to-power conglomerate’s bid is about 24% higher for the first package and 28% higher for the second than the government’s estimates, a gap that could prompt authorities to seek the state Cabinet’s approval on the tenders’ fate.
M Maheshwar Rao, Chief Commissioner of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), who is also the Managing Director of B-SMILE, declined to comment.
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In all, four infrastructure companies had participated in the tenders for the project, which has been proposed under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model, with 40% funding from the government and the remaining investment to be raised by the private concessionaire.
During the technical evaluation, the Adani Group and the Hyderabad-based Vishwa Samudra Engineering Ltd qualified for the financial round.
According to the report, Dilip Buildcon was disqualified due to a clause that bars firms linked to collapsed bridges or tunnels, while Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) was rejected because its joint venture (JV) partner did not meet technical requirements.
With only two companies left in the fray, the Adani Group emerged as the lowest bidder, ahead of Vishwa Samudra.
The tunnel project officially named the North–South underground corridor, is part of the Congress government’s ambitious to ease Bengaluru’s traffic congestion by building two major underground roads (totalling 40 km) along with 13 flyovers and elevated corridors.
The project is the brainchild of Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru development minister.
The proposal, however, has faced criticism and political opposition, especially from senior BJP leaders, who object to the alignment that requires acquiring six acres of Lalbagh Botanical Garden, a historic green space.
As per the report, Urban mobility experts have also warned that the tunnel corridor may clash with the alignment of Namma Metro’s Phase 3A, possibly affecting the metro expansion.
