Bengaluru (PTI): Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa’s wife Vijayalakshmi on Wednesday met Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar at his residence here and held discussions.

Darshan, his friend Pavithra Gowda and 15 associates are currently lodged in jail in the Renukaswamy murder case.

Later speaking to reporters, Shivakumar said the meeting was regarding admission of their son Vineesh Thoogudeepa in his school.

“Their son was studying in our school earlier but he was shifted to another school. Now she wants her son to study in my school once again,” he said. “I have told her that I will talk to the Principal because there are lots of formalities involved including examination."

Asked whether he would "help her in the Renukaswamy case," Shivakumar said he cannot interfere in the police investigation.

He said Vijayalakshmi was concerned about her son’s education.

According to police probing the case, Renukaswamy, a fan of Darshan, had sent obscene messages to Gowda, which enraged the star, allegedly leading to his murder.

His body was found near a storm-water drain next to an apartment at Sumanahalli here on June 9.

According to the post-mortem report, Renukaswamy, a native of Chitradurga, died due to shock and haemorrhage as a result of multiple blunt injuries.

Police said Gowda, who is accused number one, was the "major cause" for Renukaswamy’s murder, stating that it has been proved from the probe that she instigated other accused, conspired with them, and took part in the crime.

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Leh/Jammu (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday described the return of sacred relics of Lord Buddha to Ladakh after 75 years as a "historic reunion" and said that the Union Territory has remained a "living land of dharma", preserving and nurturing Buddhist knowledge for centuries.

Stressing the relevance of Buddha's teachings in modern times, Shah said the message of peace, compassion and the middle path was even more important today than it was 2,500 years ago.

"Ladakh has been a living land of dharma for centuries. When the Dalai Lama comes here, he says this land is not merely a geographical land but a living laboratory of Buddhist culture and compassion," Shah said, speaking after the inauguration of the sacred holy relics exposition of Tathagata Buddha and the 2569th Buddha Purnima celebrations at Jivetsal in Leh during his two-day visit to Ladakh.

Calling Ladakh a land of compassion, he said this land has preserved and nurtured knowledge. "Whenever Buddhism faced crises, this land worked to protect the teachings of Buddha. And when peace returned, it helped to expand and carry forward that preserved wisdom," he added.

"Unless one internalises knowledge and makes it a part of oneself, liberation is not possible. Knowledge is incomplete without spiritual practice, while spiritual practice without knowledge is blind. Therefore, the union of spiritual practice and knowledge is the right path. Even after all this, if there is no moral discipline, one cannot lead a truly wise life. The basis of a life of wisdom is moral discipline," he said.

Shah said it was through Ladakh and adjoining routes that the teachings of Tathagata Buddha, which originated in India, spread to China and several other countries.

"The message that emerged from the land of Ladakh has become a guiding force for many people around the world to take their lives forward. The presence of these sacred relics in Ladakh reminds us that India's civilisation has, for thousands of years, given the message of peace and coexistence," he said.

He said that in a diverse region like Ladakh and Kargil, this message becomes even more relevant. "This heritage still tells us today that amidst conflict and unrest, only the path of peace and compassion can provide solutions."

He said the return of the relics on Buddha Purnima had enhanced the significance of the festival for the people of Ladakh.

"These sacred relics have come to Ladakh after 75 years. It is as if Buddha himself is present here today," Shah said, adding that followers of Buddhism and people of other faiths in Ladakh and Kargil would draw spiritual energy from the relics.

Highlighting Ladakh's role in the spread of Buddhism, Shah said Kashmir was once an ancient centre of Buddhist studies, Mahayana philosophy and Buddhist art, from where Ladakh first came into close contact with Buddhism.

He said Emperor Ashoka's envoys laid the foundation of Buddhist influence in Ladakh through Kashmir and Gandhara, while Mahayana Buddhism expanded in the region during the Kushan period between the first and third centuries CE.

The Silk Route linking Kashmir, Leh, Yarkand, Khotan and Tibet became a channel not only for trade but also for ideas, monks, manuscripts and artistic traditions, Shah said.

He added that later, Tibetan influence between the seventh and tenth centuries further enriched Ladakh through Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions.

Stressing the relevance of Buddha's teachings in modern times, Shah said the message of peace, compassion and the middle path was even more important today than it was 2,500 years ago.

"Amid conflict and unrest, only the path of peace and compassion can provide solutions," he said.

Shah also appealed to the Ladakh administration to ensure complete arrangements so that followers of all faiths, especially Buddhists, could visit and pay obeisance to the relics.