Mandya: In a shocking incident, a woman was allegedly murdered by her lover in Karoti village of KR Pete taluk, Mandya district. The deceased has been identified as Preeti (35), a resident of Hosakoppalu in Hassan district, while the accused is Puneet, a native of Karoti village.

According to police sources, Preeti and Puneet had recently come in contact through Instagram, and their online friendship reportedly turned into a romantic relationship. Preeti was married, but the two are said to have continued meeting in secret.

On Sunday, the duo reportedly went on a trip by car, visiting tourist spots in Mysuru and Mandya. During the return journey, Puneet allegedly took Preeti to the Kattaraghatta forest area near KR Pete, where he murdered her. After the crime, he is said to have stolen the gold jewellery she was wearing and then buried her body in his farmland in Karoti village.

The incident came to light after Preeti’s husband, Sundaresh, filed a missing complaint with the Hassan police. During the investigation, the police traced the last phone calls made by Preeti and found links pointing to Puneet. Upon questioning, Puneet reportedly confessed to the crime.

A case has been registered at Kikkeri Police Station, and further investigation is underway.

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New Delhi: A significant political controversy has erupted following the Modi government's decision to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a move that has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties. The row was further fueled by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, who, while defending the name change, erroneously claimed that Mahatma Gandhi had made the devotional song "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram" India’s national anthem.

The central government has rebranded the flagship rural employment scheme from MGNREGA to the "Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission," abbreviated as VB-G RAM G. The removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the scheme has been termed an insult to the Father of the Nation by the Congress and other opposition parties.

When questioned by the media outside Parliament regarding the opposition's allegations, Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut defended the government's decision by invoking Mahatma Gandhi's devotion to Lord Ram.

"How is naming it 'Ram Ji' an insult to Gandhi ji?" Ranaut asked. "Mahatma Gandhi made 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' the national anthem to organize the entire country. Therefore, this is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi? The government is fulfilling his dream by giving it the name of Ram."


Ranaut's claim regarding the national anthem was immediately seized upon by the opposition. Congress leader Supriya Shrinate shared the video of Ranaut’s statement on social media, tweeting sarcastically, "Come on brother, today we learned a new national anthem! The BJP is full of such gems."

Social media users also trolled the MP for the factual error. One user quipped, "Kangana ji forgot to mention that Bapu made this the national anthem after the country got independence in 2014," while another commented that the party finds people who "don't use their brains while forwarding WhatsApp messages."

Beyond the social media mockery, senior Congress leaders criticised the renaming on ideological grounds. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took to X (formerly Twitter) to condemn the move.

"The biggest irony is that Mahatma Gandhi was a lifelong devotee of Lord Ram and said 'Hey Ram' in his last moments," Gehlot wrote. "Today, the central government is making a despicable attempt to sideline Gandhi ji under the guise of the same 'Ram' name (VB-G RAM G), which is highly condemnable."