Sudden sluice gate opening at Markonahalli dam claims six lives
Tumakuru (PTI): At least six people drowned after the sluice gate of the Markonahalli dam suddenly opened, sweeping them away on Tuesday afternoon, police said.
The victims, residents of BG Palya in Tumakuru town, were part of a group that had gone to the dam for a picnic when the incident occurred.
According to Tumakuru Superintendent of Police Ashok K V, 15 people had travelled from BG Palya to Madipalya and decided to visit the dam, as Tuesday was a public holiday.
“Seven people had entered the downstream of the dam as the water level was low. Suddenly, the water flow increased, and they were swept away,” Ashok told reporters.
Two bodies have been recovered so far, while four others remain missing, police said, adding that search operations are ongoing.
A man identified as Nawaz was rescued alive but sustained serious injuries and has been admitted to a hospital.
Police, fire, and emergency personnel rushed to the spot upon learning of the incident.
“Because it’s dark now and the water flow is high, we have halted the search. I have already deployed teams to specific points. Except for Nawaz, all others are feared dead. Two young girls are still missing,” Ashok said.
The officer explained that the dam has a natural gravity sluice gate, which opens automatically as the water level rises.
“We will get to know about the sequence of events after the investigation. We have to get details from the engineer on whether someone opened the sluice gate. Since it’s an auto-sluice, it opens when the water level increases,” he said.
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Former minister C M Ibrahim announces to launch new regional party for Karnataka
Kalaburagi: Two years after being expelled from the Janata Dal (Secular), former minister C.M. Ibrahim has announced that he will launch a new regional political party in Karnataka on January 24, reported Deccan Herald.
Speaking at a meeting organised by the Nava Karnataka Nirmana Andolana in Kalaburagi on Sunday, Ibrahim confirmed the birth of the new party.
The 77-year-old politician stated he would soon be meeting with other like-minded individuals to choose a symbol for the party.
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Ibrahim emphasised that the organisation would be guided by the principles of 12th-century social reformer Basavanna and the architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.
A veteran politician, Ibrahim served as Union Civil Aviation Minister during the tenure of H.D. Deve Gowda as Prime Minister and later headed the Karnataka unit of the Janata Dal (Secular). He was expelled from the JD(S) in 2023 on charges of anti-party activities.
His exit from the party followed sharp differences over the JD(S) decision to ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). As the then state president of the JD(S), Ibrahim had publicly criticised the alliance, claiming it was finalised without his knowledge. He had also reportedly convened meetings of his supporters and expressed support for the INDIA bloc.
