Tumakuru (Karnataka), Jul 10: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday termed the Enforcement Directorate raids in the Valmiki Development Corporation case as unwarranted.

The ED on Wednesday conducted searches at multiple places allegedly linked to former Karnataka Minister B Nagendra and MLA Basanagouda Daddal in connection with the illegal money transfer case in state owned corporation.

The raids were carried out in Bengaluru, Raichur and Ballari as part of the probe into the alleged unauthorised transfer of Rs 187 crore belonging to the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation from its bank accounts.

This includes Rs 88.62 crore illegally credited to various accounts of some IT companies and a Hyderabad-based cooperative bank, according to official sources.

ALSO READ: "Let ED do their job," says Karnataka CM on searches in Valmiki Corporation ''scam'' case

Speaking to reporters at the Nonavinakere Kadasiddeshwara mutt in the district, he said, "When the SIT set up by the State government is already investigating the case, there was no need for ED to raid in the case."

Asked about ED raids on several places including the residence of former minister Nagendra, the DCM said, "It involves huge amounts of money and hence banks have the authority to investigate the case. ED has come in even though there was no need for it to investigate."

Shivakumar said Nagendra is not at fault as he exuded confidence that he will come out clean after the investigation.

Though he endorsed action against those involved in the fraud, he underlined that similar cases had happened during the previous BJP government.

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New Delhi: Over the past five and a half years, India’s major airports have witnessed nearly 2,800 bird-hit incidents, with Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru topping the list, according to data recently shared by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in the Rajya Sabha.

The data, cited by Deccan Herald on Sunday, showed that the Delhi airport reported the highest number of bird-hit cases, recording 695 incidents between 2020 and June 2025. Mumbai’s airport followed with 407 cases, while Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport witnessed 343 cases.

Other airports on the list include Ahmedabad (337), Chennai (205), Kolkata (193), Bhubaneswar (150), Pune (145), and Thiruvananthapuram (125).

An analysis of the data shows that bird-hit incidents were lower during 2020 and 2021—years impacted by COVID-19-related flight restrictions—but rose sharply in subsequent years. 

There were 309 bird-hit cases in 2020, which increased to 354 in 2021, 588 in 2022, and peaked at 709 in 2023. However, the number saw a slight decline in 2024, falling to 609. In the current year, up to June, 238 incidents have already been reported.

In a written response to AAP MP Swati Maliwal, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol stated that the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) mandates the development of a Wildlife Hazard Management Plan (WHMP) to ensure safety of aircraft operations.