Four school students drown at Murudeshwar Beach, CM Siddaramaiah announces Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia
Karwar, Karnataka: Four class nine girl students from a residential school drowned in the sea at Murudeshwar in Uttara Kannada district, during an educational tour, police said on Wednesday.
A group of 46 students and six teachers from Morarji Desai Residential School, Mulabagilu in Kolar district visited Murudeshwar on Tuesday as part of their school trip.
According to the police, around 5.30 pm, the teachers, along with the students went to the beach.
Despite warnings from lifeguards, seven students ventured into the sea. The sea was rough, and three girls were swept away by the current, while another girl died on the spot.
The remaining three students were rescued with the help of lifeguards and other agencies. They were immediately taken to the hospital and are now reported to be out of danger, a senior police officer said.
A search operation involving lifeguards, home guards, fishermen, and police recovered the bodies of the three girls feared drowned on Wednesday morning.
"We have registered a case under Section 106 (Causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and arrested all six teachers in connection with the incident," said Narayana M, Superintendent of Police, Uttara Kannada.
The teachers were later released on station bail, he added.
The deceased girls, aged 15, have been identified as Shravanti, Deeksha, Lavanya, and Lipika. Police confirmed that post-mortem examinations were completed, and arrangements are being made to send the bodies to their hometowns.
Expressing his condolence to the bereaved parents, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased students.
Taking to the social media platform 'X', he said, "The families of the four students who died in the accident will be given a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each by the state government. I have spoken to the Deputy Commissioner of Uttara Kannada district and suggested making arrangements to transport the bodies to their hometowns."
He emphasised the need for greater caution by teachers during trips. "Children should be supervised while visiting dangerous places. I understand the pain of parents who have lost their children. I pray such incidents never happen again," he added.
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BJP accuses Karnataka govt of 'failing' to prevent noise pollution caused by 'azaan'
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): Members of the Opposition BJP on Tuesday slammed the Karnataka government for not taking measures to prevent the alleged noise pollution caused by 'azaan', the Islamic call to prayer.
BJP MLC D S Arun raised the issue in the Legislative Council during the question hour, accusing the ruling Congress of "appeasement" by failing to take action against mosques that are violating the Supreme Court's directives.
Karnataka Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment Eshwar Khandre, responding to the question, said, as per the directives of the Supreme Court in sensitive zones, the noise level should not exceed 50 decibels during the day and 40 decibels at night, and in residential areas, 55 decibels during the day and 45 decibels at night.
In commercial areas, the noise should not exceed 65 decibels during the day, 55 at night, and in industrial areas, 75 during the day and at night 70 decibels, he said.
Pointing out that the Karnataka government had issued an order in 2022, assigning responsibility to a committee headed by a DySPs or ACPs for the effective implementation of the rules, the minister said when a complaint is received about noise pollution, the Pollution Control Board will inspect it and provide information about the decibel level to the police to take further action, including filing of criminal cases.
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"Not only during azaan, but also during bhajans held in temples and marriage events, among others, the violations happen. There is a need to spread awareness. The Supreme Court has ordered against bursting firecrackers, but it is being violated. Efforts will be made to implement the rules effectively," he said.
Several BJP MLAs, including Arun, Bharathi Shetty, among others, were not satisfied with the minister's reply. They took strong exception to it.
Arun noted that in the last three years, only 52 cases have been taken, and said there are clear violations by almost all mosques, but no action has been taken. "The decibels have in fact increased under this government. The government is giving protection to them."
Reacting to this, Khandre, calling it a "sensitive matter", said, "It is not right to politicise the issue. The law of this land is equal for everyone."
Hitting back, Arun asked, "Why is the matter sensitive? What is preventing you (the government) from implementing the Supreme Court directives?"
