Wanted in Bengaluru violence case, former Congress mayor R Sampath Raj arrested: Police
Bengaluru: Former Congress mayor R Sampath Raj, who was wanted in the Bengaluru violence case that left four people dead, has been arrested, police sources said on Tuesday.
Sampath Raj, the Congress corporator from Devara Jeevanahalli municipal ward, was arrested in Bengaluru, the sources said without divulging further details.
He had escaped from a private hospital where he got admitted for COVID-19.
The police recently arrested one of his aides Riyazuddin who had helped him and another Congress corporator Abdul Rakeeb Zakir to escape. He had given them shelter at Nagarhole in Mysuru.
Zakir is also wanted in the Bengaluru violence case.
Raj was wanted in connection with the cases related to the violence that rocked parts of the city on August 11. Around 3,000 to 4,000 people went on a rampage, setting ablaze the houses of Pulakeshinagar Congress MLA R Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy and his sister over an alleged inflammatory social media post by his nephew.
The mob also torched Devara Jeevanahalli and Kadugondanahalli police stations over suspicion that the nephew was present there. Three people were killed in police firing while another person died due to abdominal injuries suffered in the violence.
In the charge sheet, Raj has been charged with hatching a conspiracy with the violence to finish off the MLA politically in connivance with Zakir and a few others. Raj and Zakir were still at large and a hunt was on to nab them, police had said.
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Karnataka records 274 springs in first statewide census, majority located in Western Ghats
Hubballi: In its first-ever comprehensive census conducted during 2023-24, Karnataka has identified 274 natural springs across the State with 144 classified as perennial, 114 as seasonal and 16 reported to have dried up.
The enumeration was carried out by the Karnataka Minor Irrigation and Groundwater Development Department in association with the Groundwater Directorate as part of a Union government initiative, according to a Deccan Herald report. Officials were quoted as saying that the nine-month exercise involved field visits to nearly all identified springs. These springs were digitally mapped using a dedicated mobile application.
Belagavi district recorded the highest number of springs at 59, followed by Uttara Kannada with 31, while Chamarajanagar and Kodagu reported 23 each. Dharwad, Ramanagar, Bengaluru Rural, Davangere and Kolar districts have one spring each.
Bendru Teertha in Dakshina Kannada is the only hot spring documented in the State, which is attributed to a distinct hydrological formation. Springs in Talacauvery in Kodagu, Javali in Chikkamagaluru and Ambutheertha in Shivamogga, are the source points of major rivers such as the Cauvery, Hemavathi and Sharavathi.
According to the directorate, springs are natural discharge points where groundwater flows to the surface through openings in the earth’s crust, which occur when the water table intersects with the ground surface or when groundwater is forced out through fractures, faults or permeable rock layers.
The Western Ghats and Malnad regions, covering districts like Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Belagavi and Shivamogga, account for a significant share of the springs due to high rainfall and favourable geological conditions.
K B Rajendra, Director of the Groundwater Directorate, was quoted by Deccan Herald as saying that nearly 80 per cent of the springs are located in rural areas. He noted that apart from those associated with religious or historical sites, most springs remain open and lack protective measures.
Noting their vital contributions to drinking water supplies and agricultural irrigation, especially in areas with hills and mountains, Rajendra said that these springs help maintain the flow of rivers and streams when the weather is dry, thereby supporting ecological balance and promoting biodiversity.
He added that the census findings would serve as a database for conservation, rejuvenation efforts, groundwater management and long-term water resource planning in the State.
