Hindutva activist Srikant Pujari walks out of jail after getting bail in Ram temple agitation case
Hubballi (K'taka), Jan 6: Hindutva activist Srikant Pujari, who was arrested for participating in the Ram temple agitation over three decades ago, was released on bail here on Saturday.
Soon after coming out of jail, he asserted that he had fought for Ram temple in Ayodhya and would go there again.
Police said they had picked up Pujari in December, 2023, in connection with the disposal of pending cases. It turned out that the accused had participated in the Ram temple agitation in 1992.
Police, however, maintained that there were 16 cases pending against him including bootlegging and that he was designated as 'rowdy' in two police stations.
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Soon after his release from jail, Pujari expressed his gratitude to the Hindu organisations, which fought for his release.
"Thirty-one years ago I fought for the Ram temple in Ayodhya. I will go there again," Pujari told reporters.
According to him, the policemen who came to arrest him said that they wanted to take him to the market.
"The policemen did not give me any warrant or summons. They just picked me up and put me in the lock-up," Pujari said.
When asked if he was arrested intentionally by the Congress government ahead of the Ram temple inauguration on January 22, he said, "I don't know all that. They (police) just called me to the market and arrested (me)."
He dismissed the allegations that there were many pending cases against him.
"There were no cases against me. I got all of them cleared one after the other. That's why I returned from Belagavi," Pujari said.
Responding to a question, the Hindutva activist said he was in jail for eight months in 1992.
The BJP had made his arrest an issue and staged demonstrations across the state. It also launched a campaign called 'I'm a Kar Sevak. Arrest Me Too.'
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah lashed out at the BJP, saying leaders of the opposition party need to understand that assigning caste and religious labels to criminals is extremely dangerous.
"If any BJP leaders have a little wisdom, they should please read out the list of charges against this person from Hubballi and then decide whether to fight for him. Since Hindus are the majority in the population, they are also the majority in prisons. Does that mean BJP should fight for all of them because they belong to the Hindu religion," Siddaramaiah had asked.
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New trains to ease crowding on Namma Metro Purple-Green lines in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: Commuters on the crowded Namma Metro Purple and Green lines may soon get relief, as the Railway Board has issued provisional sanction for induction of new train sets, Deccan Herald reported.
The Railway Board communicated the provisional sanction to the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) in a letter on April 1, raising hopes that additional trains could be deployed during peak hours by May-June.
According to the Railway Board, the approval comes with conditions, including a maximum speed of 80 kmph in fully inflated mode and 25 kmph in deflated mode of the secondary air spring.
The BMRCL will also need a separate sanction from the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) by submitting the Independent Safety Assessment (ISA) report confirming the trains’ integration, operation, and compatibility with the Direct To Go (DTG) signalling and train control system for the Purple and Green lines.
The BMRCL has received three DTG trains, including a prototype delivered in January 2025, for the Purple and Green lines. The trains must pass 37 statutory clearances before entering passenger service.
The BMRCL had approached the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), under the Ministry of Railways, to conduct statutory trials related to oscillation, braking, speed and system integration tests for the trains. The CMRS will issue the final sanction after receiving the ISA certificate.
Officials said the ISA certification process is already underway, with new signalling software currently being tested. Final approvals are expected by May-June, after which the trains can be introduced into service.
The new trains have been supplied by China's CRRC Nanjing Puzhen Co Ltd, which will deliver a total of 21 trains for the Purple and Green lines in partnership with the West Bengal-based Titagarh Rail Systems Ltd (TRSL). Currently, the network operates with 57 trains supplied by BEML.
