BJP leader Ravi using derogatory word against Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar is an 'offence': CM
Mandya (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday termed BJP MLC C T Ravi allegedly using a derogatory word against Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar as an "offence".
He also hit out at the BJP and questioned whether the party supports derogatory comments made against a woman.
Ravi allegedly used a derogatory word against Hebbalkar in the Legislative Council on Thursday, during an altercation between them, when the House was adjourned for a while.
"Will they (BJP) support derogatory comments made against a woman?...What they are saying is lies. Will anyone accept the mistake and that he has used a derogatory word against Laxmi Hebbalkar? Then why was he (Ravi) arrested? " Siddaramaiah said in response to a question about BJP staging a protest and Ravi denying allegations.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "Normally women don't give false complaints about comments made against them...I don't know why C T Ravi used such a word...It is an offence."
Noting that Ravi had said that he had not used any derogatory word and the word used by him was "frustrate", Siddaramaiah said, "This seems to be an afterthought. I don't know, but Hebbalkar has clearly said that derogatory word was used against her and others too have heard it. Also, I'm told there is audio and video. I don't know."
To a question, Ravi claiming threat to his life and the government is responsible for it, he said, "All offenders say such things. If that is the case no one can be prosecuted."
Ravi was arrested on Thursday evening and taken into a police van from the premises of Suvarna Vidhana Soudha.
Based on the complaint lodged by Hebbalkar, a case was registered against the BJP leader under sections 75 (sexual harassment) and 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Ravi has accused the police of "violating" human rights, as he alleged that they took him on rounds the entire night to various places in the district, following his arrest.
Reacting to this, the CM said, "He was taken to Khanapur keeping his interest in mind, as, if he was in Belagavi (from where Hebbalkar hails) people might have indulged in disturbance."
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
