Shivamogga: Woman beaten to death under pretext of 'spirit removal'; Accused arrested
Shivamogga: A 45-year-old woman was beaten to death in the name of exorcism in Hosa Jambraghatta village of Shivamogga district. The accused woman, identified as Asha, has been arrested by Holehonnu police.
The deceased has been identified as Geetamma. According to the complaint, Asha visited Geetamma’s house around 9:30 PM on Sunday and told her son Sanjay that his mother was possessed and needed an exorcism. Trusting Asha’s claims, Sanjay reportedly allowed her to carry out the ritual.
Asha then began beating Geetamma with a stick, claiming the spirit hadn't left her body. She later took Geetamma about 2.5 kilometres away to the Chowdamma temple in Hale Jambraghatta and continued assaulting her until around 2:30 AM.
During the so-called ritual, Asha is said to have performed a puja in front of Geetamma’s house, and then dragged her outside claiming she was possessed. At one point, she hit Geetamma on the head with a large stone and poured cold water on her. Geetamma reportedly collapsed on the spot due to hypothermia and head injuries.
Despite this, Asha declared that the spirit had been removed and sent Geetamma back home. Her condition worsened and she was taken to the Holehonnur community hospital, where doctors declared her dead.
A video of the incident, including the assault and shouting by both women during the so-called exorcism, has gone viral on social media. Following a complaint from Geetamma’s son, police registered a case at the Holehonnur station. Superintendent of Police Mithun Kumar visited the spot, and Asha was taken into custody.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
