Bengaluru, Apr 19: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday claimed that the BJP is clandestinely planning to impose Governor's rule in the state.
He was responding to the opposition BJP's allegation that the law and order situation has deteriorated in the state following the murder of the daughter of a city civic body councillor on the campus of her college in Hubballi, which has sparked widespread condemnation and protests.
"The BJP is trying to threaten us... Karnataka has the best law and order... They want to tell voters that they're going to impose Governor's rule. That's what R Ashoka (BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition) is trying confidentially. They want to place the state under Governor's rule, that's why they are doing all this drama. But they can't do that. It's impossible..." Shivakumar said.
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In a shocking incident, Neha Hiremath (23), daughter of Congress Councillor of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation Niranjan Hiremath, was stabbed to death on the campus of BVB College on Thursday.
The accused Fayaz Khondunaik, who fled from the scene, was arrested by the police subsequently.
Neha was a first-year Master of Computer Applications (MCA) student and Fayaz was earlier her classmate.
The issue has snowballed into a political slugfest between the ruling Congress and opposition BJP. While the ruling party has tried to project it as an incident with a personal angle, the saffron party has labelled it 'love jihad' and has said it shows the deterioration of law and order in the state.
BJP's student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and other organisations aligned to Hindutva outfits have staged protests demanding justice, and calling for severe punishment for the Muslim accused.
Similar protests have been reported in various other places.
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Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
