Man with gun goes close to CM Siddaramaiah, garlands minister during election campaign
Bengaluru, Apr 9: A gun-wielding man on Monday went close to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah while he was on an open vehicle here, and garlanded Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy standing next to him.
The incident happened at Bhairasandra in the city when Siddaramaiah was campaigning for Reddy's daughter and Congress' Lok Sabha candidate Sowmya Reddy.
The man, whom police identified as Riyaz, suddenly climbed on the vehicle with a gun fastened to his waist.
Raising slogans in support of Congress, Riyaz garlanded Reddy, his daughter Sowmya and others.
As he was getting down from the vehicle, Siddaramaiah and others on the vehicle noticed the gun.
Police said Riyaz has been carrying a gun since a murderous assault on him a few years ago, and he has been exempted from surrendering his gun.
ALSO READ: Congress government in Karnataka stands robust and stable: CM Siddaramaiah
In a post on the microblogging site 'X', the BJP targeted the chief minister, saying this proves that "those who garland" Siddaramaiah are hooligans, rowdies, street thugs.
"Gun-wielding rowdies, who used to be seen in the birthday posters, are now posing in front of the society with guns and garlands the CM and deputy chief minister in the rallies. Although the election code of conduct is in force, they are carrying guns and demonstrating like this to intimidate the voters in the area," the party said.
ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ @siddaramaiah ಅವರಿಗೆ ಹಾರ ಹಾಕುವವರು ಸನ್ಮಾನ ಮಾಡುವವರು ಗೂಂಡಾಗಳು, ರೌಡಿಗಳು, ಬೀದಿ ಪುಂಡರು ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಸಾಬೀತಾಗಿದೆ.
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) April 8, 2024
ಇಷ್ಟುದಿನ ಹುಟ್ಟುಹಬ್ಬದ ಫ್ಲೆಕ್ಸ್ಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಣಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಗನ್ ಹಿಡಿದ ರೌಡಿಗಳು, ಇದೀಗ ಸಿಎಂ, ಡಿಸಿಎಂ ಅವರ ರ್ಯಾಲಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ರಾಜಾರೋಷವಾಗಿ ಗನ್ ಹಿಡಿದು ಹಾರ ಹಾಕಿ ಸಮಾಜದ ಮುಂದೆ ಪೋಸ್… pic.twitter.com/r9paiEgw15
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
