Statue of Kempegowda installed in Mysuru without permission; spat at point as police intervene
Mysuru: Tension prevailed near Lalitha Mahal Palace on T Narasipura Road on Saturday as members of the Vokkaligara Sangha installed a bronze statue of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda at the Kempegowda Circle on the road and the police attempted to remove the statue.
The city police said that the statue, which is more than 10-foot tall, had been installed without official permission. As they tried to remove the statue, however, the members of the Vokkaligara Sangha arrived at the spot and demanded the retention of the statue of Kempegowda at the circle, resulting in a verbal spat between the members and the police.
This is reportedly the second instance that the members of the Vokkaligara Sangha have attempted to get the statue installed at the Kempegowda Circle. When they installed the statue a few months ago, it was removed with the intervention of legislators Harish Gowda and TS Srivatsa, who assured the members that the statue would be installed at the circle after obtaining the permission of the Mysuru City Corporation.
As the statue was reinstalled at the circle on Saturday although the Corporation had not permitted it, the police rushed to the spot to intervene, giving rise to the argument between the police and the members.
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Actor Pravina Deshpande dies
Mumbai (PTI): Actor Pravina Deshpande, known for playing supporting characters in films such as “Ready”, “Gabbar is Back” and “D Day”, has died.
The actor's family shared the news in a post on her Instagram page, saying that Despande breathed her last on Tuesday.
“It is with great sadness that we inform you that Mrs Pravina Deshpande has left for her heavenly abode on 17th February 2026,” the note read.
According to media reports, Deshpande died after a prolonged battle with blood cancer at the age of 60. She is survived by her husband and two children.
Desphande worked extensively in Marathi theatre, shows and films. She gained wider recognition for her work in Hindi cinema.
Some of her popular shows and films were “Pariniti”, “Avagat”, “Ghar Ek Mandir”, “Kumkum - Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan”, “Ek Villian”, “Parmanu” The story of Pokhran”, among others.
She was last seen in the Netflix series, “Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web”.
The Cine and TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA), a trade union body of actors, wrote on X, “CINTAA expresses its condolences on the demise of Pravina Deshpande ji (member since 2008).”
Deshpande’s colleagues from the film industry also took to social media to express grief.
“Beautiful person. She’d met me in 2017 to audition for our film. It was a very pleasant experience," filmmaker Aditya Kriplani said on X.
Actor Vaishnavi Dhanraj said, “May her soul rest in peace.”
Her last rites were held on Tuesday afternoon at the Hindu crematorium, Chakala Parsiwada, in suburban Andheri.
