Bengaluru: A 37-year-old man was arrested on Friday in connection with the murder of Kannada journalist Gauri Lankesh six months ago, police said.

"Naveen Kumar has been arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case and evidence collected so far confirmed he is an accused in the Gauri Lankesh murder," SIT Investigation Officer M.N. Anucheth said.

He is reportedly linked to the Sanatan Sanstha outfit and its affiliate the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti and hails from Birur town in Chikmagalur district.

Kumar was taken into custody by the SIT on March 2 for questioning after he was booked by the Crime Branch on February 19 under the Arms Act for illegal possession of 15 bullets of a revolver.

A city court on Friday extended Kumar's police custody till March 15.

"In the interest of protecting witnesses and further investigation, we cannot reveal his role in the Gauri Lankesh case at this juncture," Anucheth said.

"Based on certain clues provided by him, the SIT took him into custody for further questioning and investigation," Anucheth had said earlier.

 

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Mumbai (PTI): Aviation watchdog DGCA on Friday eased the flight duty norms by allowing substitution of leaves with a weekly rest period amid massive operational disruptions at IndiGo, according to sources.

As per the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, "no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest", which means that weekly rest period and leaves are to be treated separately. The clause was part of efforts to address fatigue issues among the pilots.

Citing IndiGo flight disruptions, sources told PTI that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has decided to withdraw the provision 'no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest' from the FDTL norms.

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"In view of the ongoing operational disruptions and representations received from various airlines regarding the need to ensure continuity and stability of operations, it has been considered necessary to review the said provision," DGCA said in a communication dated December 5.

The gaps in planning ahead of the implementation of the revised FDTL, the second phase of which came into force from November 1, have resulted in crew shortage at IndiGo and is one of the key reasons for the current disruptions.