MUDA 'scam' probes: Mahatma Gandhi's life has given me courage and hope, says CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): Facing the Lokayukta police and ED probes on MUDA 'scam', Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Wednesday Mahatma Gandhi's life and thoughts have given him courage, strength and hope in his "current struggle."
On the 155th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar took out a march from Gandhi Bhavan to Gandhi statue on the premises of 'Vidhana Soudha' here.
In an online post, the Chief Minister said: "In a world full of communalism, dictatorship and violence, only Mahatma Gandhi, the embodiment of truth, peace and non-violence, can lead us by the hand."
"Bapu's life and thoughts have given me courage, strength and hope even in my current struggle of facing the real test of truth. Happy Gandhi Jayanti to all the people of the country," he added without referring to the twin investigations.
The ED on Monday registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), equivalent to an FIR by police, against the Chief Minister over the alleged irregularities in allotment of 14 sites to his wife Parvathi B M by the MUDA (Mysuru Urban Development Authority).
The federal agency had also invoked relevant sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case against him.
On September 27, Lokayukta police registered an FIR against Siddaramaiah, his wife, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy, Devaraju -- from whom Swamy purchased land and gifted it to Parvathi -- and others, following a Special Court order.
Meanwhile, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar also paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.
Wearing white attire for the event to spread awareness about Gandhi’s philosophy, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar were joined by other Ministers including Law Minister H K Patil, Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar.
Carrying national flags, raising slogans "Bharat Mata Ki Jai," "Vande Mataram", scores of Congress workers also took part in the Gandhi Walk amid tight security.
On the occasion, over 500 students took oath of cleanliness through video conference during the event organised at Banquet Hall in Vidhana Soudha.
Sharing pictures on 'X', Shivakumar, who is also the KPCC President, stated, "On the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s 155th birth anniversary and 100 years since he led the Belgaum (Belagavi) Freedom Struggle, I and the Chief Minister participated in the Gandhi Walk."
The oath of truth and non-violence is always hard but its fruits are eternal. Mahatma Gandhi taught that lesson to the world, he said.
"Today, thousands of workers and leaders took steps to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi who spread the message of peace to the world," he added.
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Bad timing: Fraudsters call senior Indore cop during press briefing to pull off 'digital arrest'
Indore, Nov 24: Some online fraudsters got their target and timing horribly wrong on Sunday after they attempted to "digitally arrest" a senior police official with an automated call over "credit card misuse" while he was addressing a press conference in Indore in Madhya Pradesh.
"The caller informed that I had misused my credit card and as a result a case had been registered with Andheri West police station in Mumbai. I was having a press briefing at the time. I was told my bank account would be blocked and was asked to visit the police station in two hours," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) of Indore crime branch Rajesh Dandotia told PTI.
The official said he told the caller he would not be able to make it to Mumbai from Indore at such short notice.
"The caller told me he would be connect me to someone from the police station. He then connected me to another person, who asked me to wait. He said he would talk to his senior officer to see if my statement could be recorded via video call. When he saw me in police uniform, he immediately disconnected the video call," the official narrated.
Dandotia said he asked media persons to record a video so that people can be made aware of such cyber crimes and digital arrest.
Digital arrest is a modus operandi of cyber criminals who threaten a person with arrest, force the person to remain confined in a room while keeping him or her under electronic surveillance and then extort money on the pretext of "clearing" him or her of charges.
जब एडीसीपी क्राइम इंदौर को ही आ गया डिजिटल अरेस्ट के लिए कॉल pic.twitter.com/H965PKz1Mo
— SanjayGupta_Journalist (@sanjaygupta1304) November 24, 2024
