Spoke to MEA S Jaishankar to bring back Kannadigas stuck in Ukraine: CM Bommai
Bengaluru, Feb 26: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday said he has spoken to the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to bring back Kannadigas back to Bengaluru, who are stranded in the war-torn Ukraine once they reach Delhi or Mumbai.
Stating that the Indian government is in touch with the Ukrainian and Russian authorities besides the countries neighbouring Ukraine, Bommai said he has also spoken to many stranded people.
"We will provide every assistance to bring Kannadigas to Bengaluru who land from Ukraine to India at Delhi and Mumbai. I have spoken to the External Affairs Minister. He told me that since the war is on, many of the arrangements are not in place anymore," Bommai told reporters.
Stating that many Indians are trapped in the regions where Russia has entered, the Chief Minister said no casualties have taken place.
He said the Indian embassies are coordinating with the Ukrainian authorities and other nations.
"India is in touch with many neighbouring countries. Apart from that, our diplomats who know Russian language have been sent. Efforts are on to bring our citizens back from the western region of the country," Bommai said.
According to him, those in the western part of Ukraine are safe and are coming home whereas efforts are on to bring people in the east Ukraine.
"We are also talking to the stranded people and they are also calling on our helpline number. We too are sharing the phone calls with the Centre. I myself have spoken to a few of our students there," Bommai said.
The Chief Minister said most of the students were stuck in Kharkiv in the north eastern part of the country, who have been told by the Ukrainian authorities to stay in a safe place.
He also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin requesting him to make passage for the Indian aeroplanes to land to pick those stuck in Ukraine and Russia has also agreed to his request.
The process of bringing back the Indians will start once the war situation comes under control. The country will take all the measures to bring out people safely.
The Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) commissioner Dr Manoj Rajan said in a statement as many as 347 people from the state are stranded in Ukraine.
The KSDMA also said that the Chief Minister's Office, Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar and the nodal officers were personally pursuing stranded cases with MEA and Indian Embassy in Kyiv.
The Embassy of India in Kyiv is open and fully operational and is making all efforts to reach out to the stranded people/ students from India and working on a mission mode to make alternative arrangement for safe evacuation, the KSDMA said.
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Bombay HC issues notice to Maharashtra govt, MLA Murji Patel on Kunal Kamra’s plea to quash FIRs
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the Maharashtra government and Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) MLA Murji Patel in response to a petition filed by comedian Kunal Kamra seeking the quashing of multiple FIRs lodged against him over political remarks made during his stand-up show.
A division bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and SM Modak scheduled the matter for hearing on April 16. “Issue notice to the respondents (police and Patel). They shall take instructions and respond to the plea,” the bench observed.
The first FIR was filed by Murji Patel on March 24 at Khar police station, based on Kamra’s performance of his show ‘Naya Bharat’ at Habitat Studio, Unicontinental Hotel, Khar. Kamra allegedly made comments targeting prominent political figures, industrialists, and central agencies.
Representing Kamra, senior advocate Navroz Seervai informed the court that the Madras High Court had extended the interim transit anticipatory bail granted to the comedian until April 17. Seervai added that Kamra, who has been residing in Tamil Nadu since 2021, had offered thrice in writing to appear before police via video conference due to threats to his safety. However, police insisted on his physical presence.
“This is not a case of murder. It is an FIR stemming from a stand-up comedy show,” Seervai said. “He is ready to cooperate with the investigation but seeks to do so through video conferencing.”
In his petition, Kamra contended that the FIRs violate his constitutional rights, including freedom of speech and expression, and that continuation of the case amounts to criminalising political commentary. He maintained that his comments about the 2022 political developments in Maharashtra, including the Shiv Sena split and Eknath Shinde's appointment as Chief Minister, are matters of public record.
Kamra stated that the script for ‘Naya Bharat’ was written in July 2024 and performed around 60 times between August 2024 and February 2025. A recording was uploaded online in March 2025, after which multiple FIRs were registered.
A zero FIR was initially filed at MIDC police station before being transferred to Khar. Three additional FIRs were lodged on March 28 under similar charges, with further cases registered in Thane and Dombivli.
Following backlash, an online ticketing platform delisted Kamra and removed all associated content on April 5.
The court will hear the case in full on April 16.
