COVID-19: Dasara festival likely to be confined to Mysuru Palace and Chamundi Hills
Bengaluru: As part of checking the spread of COVID-19, Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu said on Wednesday there is a general view that the Dasara festival should be confined to the Mysuru Palace and Chamundi Hills this year.
"We have discussed the safety measures that should be taken to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection during the Dasara festival in Mysuru.
There is a general view in the meeting that the Dasara should be confined to the Mysuru Palace and the Chamundi Hills," Sriramulu tweeted after a meeting with the Mysuru district authorities.
According to him, a panel of technical experts will formulate the action plan on behalf of the district administration for the 'State festival'.
The action plan will be finalized after discussing with Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, he said.
Every year thousands of people throng Mysuru from all over the globe to witness the 10-day Dasara festival during Navaratri, marked with regality when the ritualistic private military along with the caparisoned elephants march before the titular Maharaja and gives him a gun salute.
However, the abnormal situation caused by the coronavirus has cast its shadow on the festivities as well.
Karnataka Medical Education Minister Dr. K Sudhakar too had maintained that the Dasara this year will be a low-key affair.
After chairing a meeting with the district authorities a couple of days ago, Sudhakar had said Karnataka will not commit the mistake Kerala did during the Onam festival by easing all restrictions, which resulted in the spurt in coronavirus cases there.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
