Bengaluru violence: Only those really guilty should be punished: Deve Gowda
Bengaluru: Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda on Thursday said only those really guilty should be punished for the violence in parts of the city on August 11, as he asked the Congress and BJP not to indulge in a political blame game on the issue.
Expressing sadness over the attack on Pulakeshi Nagar MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy's residence, the JD(S) patriarch also said the government should take action to get justice for him and give him compensation for the losses.
"The attack on Pulakeshi Nagar MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy's residence is unfortunate and such incidents should not occur in any part of the country.
Police have arrested about 140 people in connection with rioting, but how many among them are real culprits?" Gowda was quoted as saying by his office in a release. He said, "all of them (arrested) cannot be culprits.
Only those who are really guilty should be held responsible for the incident and merciless action should be taken against them. Innocents should not be punished, this is my request to the police."
Three persons were killed after police opened fire to quell a mob that went on a rampage in a city locality on Tuesday night over a purportedly inflammatory social media post allegedly put out by the Congress legislator Murthy's relative.
Urging the government to take merciless action against those really guilty, Gowda said, burning down houses, cars and looting the properties related to an MLA was unheard of in the state.
"Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy has not betrayed anyone, yes he was in our party earlier, that's a different matter. Government should take all necessary steps to get him justice. The loss that he has suffered, jewellery among other things he should be given compensation," he said.
Murthys residence and a police station at D J Halli were among those targeted by the mob. The house of the MLA, who was not at home at the time, was allegedly set on fire.
Asking the BJP and Congress not to indulge in a political blame game regarding the violence, Gowda said no one should speak according to their whims and fancies on such matters.
Further stating that the JD(S) will begin its statewide agitation from tomorrow against the state government's "anti-farmer" laws and amendments to the land reforms act, among others, he said, the protests will be flagged off from Hassan, by following COVID-19 guidelines.
Only 200 people are likely to participate in the protest tomorrow, he said.
Along with him, party state president H K Kumaraswamy, son and MLA H D Revanna will submit a memorandum to the governor through the district deputy commissioner.
Stating that the protest will be scaled up step by step in all the 30 districts next week, Gowda said as he cannot travel everywhere, the state president, party leaders and legislators will take the lead.
He pointed out that large-scale destruction has been caused to properties and crops due to recent rains and floods in different parts of the state.
The Prime Minister's recent meeting with ministers from the state regarding the flood situation was not satisfactory, according to him.
Gowda urged the state government to send officials to districts and taluks to assess the damage and send a report to the Centre, adding that the centre should immediately send a team to the state.
"Last year injustice happened to us with regard to flood relief. It should not happen this time. I will speak about this in Parliament," Gowda, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, added
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Vande Bharat passenger finds live worms in packaged curd; vendor fined, contract terminated
New Delhi (PTI): The Railways has terminated the contract of a vendor after a passenger found worms in a packaged curd served to him on the Patna-Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express and imposed a fine of Rs 50 lakh on the company.
The Railway Ministry has also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on its own company, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), for not handling the matter properly.
On March 15, a group of seven passengers on board the Vande Bharat train were served packaged curd of a known brand along with dinner. Upon opening one of the packets, they found live worms and insects inside. The passenger, Ritesh Singh, immediately flagged the issue on his X handle, tagging the IRCTC, the Railway Minister and others.
In its incident-cum-action taken report, IRCTC found that the curd packet was picked up from Patna, with a manufacturing date of March 9, 2026 and an expiry date of April 7, 2026.
The report stated that the officials apologised to the passengers and served them dry fruit mixtures and some sweet treats.
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"We tried to explain the situation to them in every possible manner and requested them to verify the matter at the spot. However, they refused to delete the tweet and expressed their intention that the video should go viral and trend,” the report said.
According to the report, the vendor, Krishna Enterprises, was fined Rs 25,000 and warned for negligence in food handling. The firm was also instructed to maintain a proper cold chain, be more vigilant and adhere to food safety protocols.
Dissatisfied with the IRCTC’s action, the Railway Ministry on Wednesday directed it to terminate the contract of Krishna Enterprises and enhance the fine from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50 lakh.
The ministry has also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on IRCTC.
"Considering the gravity of the lapses, the competent authority has decided to impose a fine of Rs 10 lakh on IRCTC for such deficiency in services. Further, IRCTC is advised to ensure strict monitoring of onboard services so as to prevent any such incident in future," the Ministry said in its order.
"All concerned IRCTC supervisors must be directed to ensure that food quality, food safety and hygiene are their prime concerns," it added.
The ministry also posted the matter on its X handle, stating, "The complaint regarding food quality raised by a passenger in train number 21896 (Patna-Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express) on 15 March, 2026 has been taken seriously.”
“Action taken - IRCTC has been penalised Rs 10 lakh, the service provider has been penalised with Rs 50 lakh, and has been ordered to terminate the contract. Passenger safety and quality remain our top priority,” the post read.
