Threats to 15 writers, philosophers in Karnataka: Home Minister orders DG&IGP to provide protection
Bengaluru: More than 15 prominent senior writers and thinkers in Karnataka have united to express their concern over receiving death threats, prompting them to appeal to Home Minister Dr. G Parameshwara for immediate action. The delegation of intellectuals, who have been steadfastly advocating against fascism, casteism, and blind faith, has urged the government to address this issue promptly.
Addressing the matter, Home Minister Dr. G Parameshwara informed reporters that he had been contacted by the group of writers seeking an audience. He further disclosed that he had directed Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP) Alok Mohan and Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B Dayananda to ensure the safety of the writers and thinkers. This measure has been taken in light of previous incidents within the state that have raised concerns about the security of intellectual voices.
In a formal letter to the Home Minister, Prof. K Marulasiddappa, representing the collective of writers and thinkers, highlighted their consistent efforts to combat social issues and ideological challenges. Prof. Marulasiddappa communicated that since June 2022, the group has been receiving letters containing death threats, causing heightened tension and emotional distress among them. The fear of potential attacks at any unforeseen moment has placed them under constant apprehension.
ALSO READ: Education should be beacon of progress, not political pawn: Union Edu Min on Karnataka scrapping NEP
Notable figures within the group, including Prof. SG Siddaramaiah, Banjagere Jayaprakash, Vasundhara Bhoopathi, and Kum. Veerabhadrappa, have all reportedly received similar death threats. In light of the gravity of the situation, Prof. Marulasiddappa appealed to the government to treat the matter with utmost seriousness and initiate necessary actions to address the threats and ensure the safety of those targeted.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Student found dead in hostel room in IIT Kharagpur
Kolkata (PTI): A 22-year-old M Tech student was found dead in his hostel room in the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, the second such incident reported on the campus within a span of 10 days.
The student, identified as Soham Haldar, was found hanging from the ceiling of his hostel room on Tuesday and he was immediately taken to the institute hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead, an IIT Kharagpur official said.
Haldar, a dual-degree student in Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering, was a boarder of the Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya Hall of Residence on the campus.
Police from the Kharagpur Town police station have initiated a probe into the incident as preliminary findings indicated that it could be a case of suicide, though the exact cause of death will be ascertained following the post-mortem examination, the official said.
In a statement, the institute expressed deep grief over the student's death and said a detailed inquiry has been initiated.
The authorities have informed the family and are extending all possible assistance to them, it added.
Director Suman Chakraborty told PTI that the institute will strengthen the mechanism to identify stressed-out and depressed students and take follow-up steps to address their issues.
The grief-stricken parents of the student, who hailed from Barasat in North 24 Parganas district, have come to the campus and the authorities will speak to them, he said.
"Haldar's friends, faculty and staffers also could not gauge any stress or anxiety in him. But we need to enable students suffering from anxiety and extreme stress to open up their minds and do everything needed to prevent such incidents," he said.
Investigators are also scrutinising CCTV footage from the hostel premises to piece together the sequence of events leading to the incident.
The incident comes close on the heels of another student's death reported on April 18, when 21-year-old Jaibir Singh Dodia, a third-year Mechanical Engineering student from Ahmedabad, allegedly died after jumping from the eighth floor of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Hall of Residence. That case is also under investigation.
The back-to-back incidents have once again brought the issue of mental health and student support systems at the institute into focus, especially in view of several such cases reported last year.
