Karnataka Minister D Sudhakar booked under Atrocities Act, BJP demands his resignation
Bengaluru(PTI): Karnataka Minister D Sudhakar and three others have been booked by the police here based on a complaint by a woman alleging atrocities against her and her family and an assault on her daughter over a property dispute, police officials said on Tuesday.
Officials said the victim and her family reside at the disputed property which falls under the limits of Yelahanka police station.
The minister and his associates have been accused of trespassing and forcefully trying to evict the victim and her family though the matter of property dispute is pending in court.
A purported video of the Planning and Statistics Minister, who has now been booked under Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities Act) 1989 and various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC), in circulation on social media shows the minister allegedly abusing and threatening some people.
In the FIR filed on September 10, the victim has alleged that on Saturday, the minister along with some real estate developers and others reached the disputed property at Yelahanka when no one was at home. The minister had come along with 35-40 people in the group. They allegedly barged into the property.
Using JCB, the accused party tried to demolish the building and compound wall on the disputed property. When the victim and her family came to know about the incident, they rushed to the spot. When she and her family members questioned them about their actions, they tried to overpower them and used casteist remarks against them, she alleged in the complaint.
The complainant alleged that they also physically assaulted her daughter and other family members, the FIR added.
"Based on the complaint received, we have registered the FIR. All the allegations are being looked into and the matter is under investigation," a senior police officer said.
Following the incident, Sudhakar is said to have met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Home Minister G Parameshwara and discussed the case.
Stating that the land dealing was lawfully done several years ago, the minister said the atrocities case has been filed against him "all of a sudden". "It is completely false", he said.
"There is no question of me abusing any caste," said the minister. "A conspiracy has been hatched against me as I am a minister now. There is law and court and I am open to any inquiry."
Meanwhile, BJP leader and former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has demanded Sudhakar's resignation, and urged the police to not succumb to any pressure and deal with it as any normal case.
Responding to the allegations, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar called it a false case and ruled out Sudhakar's resignation.
"It is a private issue. I have checked with Sudhakar and others. It is a false case, nothing has happened, it is a civil dispute. They are trying to misuse the act (Atrocities act) they shouldn't have done it. It can be misused against anyone tomorrow," he said.
"Everyone including Sudhakar has to respect the law, officers have explained that it is a false case," he said.
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Mumbai Metro lines 9 and 2B open for commuters
Mumbai (PTI): Commercial operations on the first phases of Mumbai Metro corridors 9 and 2B began on Wednesday morning, a day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the mass-transit routes, officials said.
While the Metro 9 marks the first direct connectivity between a suburb in Mumbai and a part of Thane city in the metropolitan region, the Line 2B will provide the first metro connectivity on the Harbour Line in Mumbai.
The 5.6-km elevated Phase 1 stretch of Metro Line 9 comprises four stations -- Dahisar East, Pandurangwadi, Miragaon and Kashigaon. The 5.53-km Phase 1 of Metro Line 2B has five stations, including Deshbhakt N G Acharya Udyan (Diamond Garden), Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk, Deonar, Mankhurd and Maharashtra Nagar–Mandale.
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According to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Line 9 is expected to cut travel time between Mira-Bhayandar in Thane district and Mumbai to around 30 minutes from the current one to two hours. Built at Rs 6,607 crore, it will eventually provide seamless connectivity to south Mumbai through interlinking with other lines.
With the addition of the two new lines, Mumbai’s operational Metro network has expanded to six corridors, including Line 1 (Ghatkopar-Andheri-Versova), Line 2A (Andheri West-Dahisar East), Line 7 (Dahisar East-Andheri East) and the underground Line 3 (Colaba-Bandra Kurla Complex-SEEPZ).
As per MMRDA, the revised timetable for Line 2A and Line 7 came into effect on Wednesday, aimed at improving frequency, predictability and overall commuter experience.
It said that with the inauguration of Line 9, Metro Line 2A will now operate as a standalone corridor between Andheri West and Dahisar East, with services from 5.50 am till around 11 pm and a peak frequency of about six minutes.
The integrated Line 7-9 corridor (Gundavali to Kashigaon), spanning 19.79 km, will operate from 5.50 am to 11 pm, with a peak frequency of under six minutes and 276 services on weekdays.
Metro Line 2B (Phase 1) services commenced at 6 am and will run till around 10.30 pm at intervals of approximately nine-and-a-half minutes, operating 209 services daily, according to officials.
MMRDA said the integration of Line 7 with Line 9 enables direct connectivity from Andheri East to Mira-Bhayandar, while Lines 2A and 7 will function as separate corridors.
A seamless interchange facility at Dahisar station will allow passengers to switch between Lines 2A and 7 without exiting the “paid” (ticketed) area.
