Cong lodges complaint against BJP for defamatory post against Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): The Congress has lodged a complaint against the BJP IT Cell for posting a defamatory content against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar by calling them "Scam Lord".
In his complaint on Thursday, advocate N Narendra of the Congress legal cell, alleged that a morphed and defamatory image was posted on the social media platform ‘X’ from the official handle "BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka)".
According to the complaint, the post was published on January 29 carrying an edited image depicting Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar and other ministers in a distorted and malicious manner.
The images were allegedly altered under the caption "Scam Lord", with an accompanying text that read: "This is the real story of the scam empire of the @INCKarnataka government that is looting Karnataka day and night!!"
The complainant stated that the images of public office holders, who enjoy public respect and constitutional status, were deliberately edited and presented in a vulgar and misleading manner without any supporting evidence.
It was alleged that the use of words such as "loot" and "scam" was intended to malign the state government, provoke hatred, and disturb public peace.
Narendra further alleged that the post amounted to character assassination through digital media and was aimed at creating confusion and unrest in society.
He has sought legal action against the administrators of the said 'X' account and all persons responsible for posting the content.
Narendra on Friday told PTI that the FIR has not been registered and now they are planning to move the court to get it registered.
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Health Department launches leprosy awareness campaign in Dakshina Kannada, district reports 47 cases
Mangaluru: The Health Department launched on Friday the Sparsh Leprosy Awareness Campaign, to promote early detection and treatment to the disease and also to educate people in the district about leprosy.
The campaign, which is a nationwide initiative, will continue till February 13.
According to a report by Deccan Herald, District Health Officer Dr. HR Thimmaiah has said that 47 cases of leprosy were reported in Dakshina Kannada till December in 2025-26.
He has stressed on the need for early detection and treatment of the disease as it would prevent complications prior to detection. He also stressed on creating awareness, increasing community participation in cases of early detection. “People should not neglect white or brown patches without sensation on their skin,” the DHO advised.
Dr. Thimmaiah added that people diagnosed positive would be treated with free Leprosy Multidrug Therapy (MDT). “The government also provides Disability Prevention and Medical Rehabilitation (DPMR), splints, self-care kits, multicellular rubber footwear, and reconstructive surgery to patients. People can log on to sanjeevani.opd or esanjeevani.in for free teleconsultation if they come across any symptoms of the disease,” he added.
Referring to social stigma attached to leprosy, the DHO called it a challenge and said that the Department had planned awareness programmes in rural areas in collaboration with gram panchayats to ensure that there is no discrimination of patients. “ASHA workers and staff from other departments will be trained to create awareness among the people to overcome social stigma. A door-to-door campaign will be conducted. In addition, officials will visit educational institutions to create awareness among students,” he said.
Speaking about the leprosy cases in Dakshina Kannada, Dr. Thimmaiah said that the 47 cases were reported between April and December, with 42 being diagnosed as multibacillary (MB) leprosy and five as paucibacillary leprosy. One child too has been detected with leprosy during the year, he added.
He said that the district reported 29 cases in 2020-21, 39 in 2021-22, 75 in 2022-23, 62 in 2023-24, and 43 in 2024-25. The number of cases was higher in 2022-23 as patients were not able to visit hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic in the previous years, the DHO informed.
