Shivamogga: Gandhi statue in Holehonnur vandalized on Sunday night by unidentified duo
Shivamogga: The idol of Mahatma Gandhi installed at the heart of Holehonnur town in Bhadravathi taluk was vandalized by unidentified persons late Sunday night.
The Gandhi statue that was standing inside an enclosure is suspected to have been vandalized by a duo on a bike that came to the Holehonnur town Gandhi Circle.
The locals have staged a protest against the incident and also blocked National Highway 13. With the blockade affecting the movement of traffic on the Shivamogga-Channagiri-Chitradurga line, a long queue of vehicles was seen on the roads on the outskirts of the town.
The police officers and forensic experts visited the spot for an investigation of the matter. CCTV camera footage of the scene near the statue is being checked to get information on the people who vandalized the statue.
Shivamogga Rural MLA Sharada Poorya Naik also visited the town. Congress Holehonnur Block leader Umesh, who visited the Gandhi Circle, called the destruction of a statue of the Father of the Nation as 'the most degradable act in a democracy'.
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Three dead after drinking country liquor in Meerut, police initiate probe
Meerut (UP) (PTI): Three people died under suspicious circumstances after consuming country liquor in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. Preliminary probe has not confirmed if they died due to the quality of alcohol, officials said on Saturday.
All three vomited and had abdominal pain after drinking the liquor on Friday evening and were rushed to a hospital where they were declared dead. A post-mortem will determine the exact cause of death, they said.
According to the police, Baburam (60), a grocery shop owner, Jitendra (35), who worked at his shop and Ankit alias Daulat (40), purchased liquor in the evening from a government-authorised country liquor outlet and began drinking at the spot.
Shortly after drinking the liquor, the health of all three deteriorated, and they began complaining of vomiting and abdominal pain.
The three were rushed to a private hospital, where doctors declared Jitendra and Ankit dead, while Baburam passed away during treatment.
Additional Director General (ADG) of Police for the Meerut Zone, Bhanu Bhaskar, District Magistrate VK Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Avinash Pandey, and District Excise Officer Pradeep Kumar reached the spot and initiated an investigation.
SSP Avinash Pandey said that preliminary investigations have not confirmed whether the liquor was "toxic or expired". The bottling date was found to be February 11, 2026, and other bottles from the same batch received no such complaints.
He added that a post-mortem will determine the exact cause of death. Personnel from the Health, Forensic, Surveillance, and Intelligence teams have been constituted to investigate the matter.
Following the incident, the family members created a ruckus at the hospital. Police said further action would be taken based on the findings of the investigation.
