BJP MLA pressured BBMP to suspend Muslim Employees even before the ambush: Report
Bengaluru: According to a report by Prajavani, new information has surfaced concerning the harassment and targeting of the 17 Muslim BBMP war room employees, who were singled out by the BJP MP Tejasvi Surya and his party’s MLAs. An MLA from the party allegedly pressured the BBMP officials to suspend the 17 employees in question and warned them of trouble in case of non-compliance, even before the ambush, it is learned.
A senior official, who insisted on being anonymous has released a statement revealing that “An MLA and his supporters pressured us and told us to suspend all the Muslim employees from the War room on May 1st itself”, he said.
“There are no complaints on these 17 Muslim employees, and they have done nothing wrong. We said that we cannot suspend them from work without any reason. After that, an officer in the lower department was also pressured by them. They had brought a letter they wrote in this regard. But, I rejected it”, the senior level officer, who wished to remain anonymous told Prajavani.
“The MLA had warned and said that ‘if you do not suspend the Muslim employees, you will face trouble’. Because we did not listen to them, they ambushed us on May 4th”, the anonymous official informed. “MLAs had left the individuals that they chose at the Bommanahalli region’s war room. They were overlooking the In-charge’s work including that of operations related to the allotment of beds. In this regard, the MLA wanted to remove the 17 individuals in question and replace them with his people, that was his intention”, the Prajavani report citing the anonymous official relayed.
Appointed after April 20: “The South zone War room had only 47 employees to do the work. On April 15th, we notified that we required more staff and requested the fulfillment of the same. Including these 17 Muslim employees, around 160 individuals were appointed on April 20th. Presently, 207 employees were working in that location”, informed an official working at the Crystal Agency, which helped fulfill the employee requirement of the South Zone war room.
“The agency that fulfilled the Bommanahalli war room’s staff requirements is another organization. We have fulfilled the staff requirements for the South Zone war room”, the official from the agency was quoted saying in the report published by Prajavani.
“After April 20th, for few days, the newly appointed staff received training. They began work after that. The accusations that claim that these 17 employees were involved in the bed-blocking case are a lie. The allotment of beds was being overseen by senior officers and doctors. The employees that we provided, do not have any authority to do so”, Prajavani’s report elaborated on the agency officer’s statement.
Prajavani Report Link: https://www.prajavani.net/district/bengaluru-city/bbmp-covid-war-room-issue-in-karnataka-828807.html
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Hormuz Strait disruptions have caused huge economic impact, energy instability in region: Navy chief
Mumbai (PTI): The Strait of Hormuz disruptions have caused severe economic impact and energy instability in the region, Indian Navy chief Admiral D K Tripathi said on Thursday amid the war in West Asia.
Speaking at an event where INS Sunayna, an offshore patrol vessel, set sail from Mumbai as Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar, the admiral said competition at sea has no longer remained confined to oil and energy.
It is now expanding towards resources that will shape future growth - such as rare earth elements, critical minerals, new fishing grounds and even data, he said.
The West Asia crisis began on February 28 after a joint attack by the US and Israel on Iran.
Iran's strikes on its neighbours along with its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted the world's energy supplies with effects far beyond West Asia.
"With the conflict in West Asia well into its fifth week, the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have caused severe economic impact and energy instability in the region," Tripathi said.
There is significant increase in the marine survey, deep-sea research activity, and Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUU), often encroaching upon the sovereign rights of littoral nations and exploiting gaps in monitoring and enforcement, he said.
Alongside these, threats such as piracy, armed robbery and narco-trafficking backed by unimpeded access of advanced technology to non-state actors, have also become more complex and challenging to counter, the Navy chief pointed out.
Last year alone, the Indian Ocean Region witnessed a staggering 3,700 maritime incidents of varying nature, the admiral said.
Additionally, narcotics seizures in the region exceeded USD 1 billion USD in 2025, highlighting the persistence and spread of such challenges in the region, he said.
