Bengaluru beat Kerala in ISL tie
Bengaluru: Miku and Udanta Singh produced two superb late finishes to give Bengaluru FC a 2-0 win over Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League match at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Thursday.
This means that last year's finalists Kerala failed to make the Indian Super League semifinals this season while debutants Bengaluru finished firmly on top with a mammoth 40 points.
Miku ran onto Daniel Segovia's flick and finished into the far corner an exceptionally controlled shot from a tricky angle.
Udanta then decided to cut in with the time afforded to him and smashed a left-footer past Paul Rachubka as Bengaluru FC scored two stoppage time goals.
Both players could have scored earlier had they not missed glorious chances in the second half.
Udanta failed to hit the target when all it needed was the right connection with his header after a brilliant cross from Toni Dovale.
Then it was Miku who raced through on goal but chose to strike from an awkward angle rather than lay it off for Allwyn George who had made a fine run. The ball whipped past the far post.
Things could have been different had Kerala Blasters taken their chances. CK Vineeth had the chance to test Gurpreet Singh seconds after Miku's initial miss but his shot was blocked as he took too long to pull the trigger.
Sunil Chhetri made his intentions clear as early as the 11th minute when his brilliant strike from 30 yards out just crept past the goal.
Kerala immediately replied with a chance of their own but Milan Singh completely missed his shy at goal from Jackichand Singh's cross.
Jackichand's lively presence was missed after the 25th minute when he had to go off for a groin injury.
Soon enough, his replacement Prasanth K was the recipient of a fine cross from Sandesh Jhingan but failed to work the goalkeeper.
It was a cagey half which ended with Blasters keeper Paul Rachubka putting his body on the line to stop Nishu Kumar scoring. Kumar was through on goal and only a timely intervention stopped him.
Chhetri had another attempt near the hour mark but couldn't direct it into the net and the second half was more about when the Blasters would start throwing men forward in numbers.
When they eventually attacked Bengaluru, the home side tried to exploit the spaces left behind. They started pumping crosses into the box with Dovale and Dimas Delgado afforded spaces out wide.
Kerala resisted but finally gave way when Miku scored a minute after four minutes of stoppage time were added. And then Udanta added to their misery.
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41 lakh illicit liquor seized, 1.84 lakh arrested in major drive: K'taka Minister tells Assembly
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Karnataka Excise Department has conducted a statewide crackdown on illegal liquor trade over the last two years, resulting in arrests and seizures of alcohol, Karnataka Excise Minister R B Timmapur said on Tuesday.
As many as 1,09,017 people were arrested, and seizures included 13.66 lakh litres of liquor and 27.19 lakh litres of beer, he said in a written reply to a starred question by Harihar BJP MLA B P Harish in the Karnataka Assembly.
The Minister said the enforcement drive covered the financial year 2023–24, 2024–25 up to June, and 2025–26 from July to October, targeting unauthorised liquor manufacture, storage, sale and transportation across the State.
"During this period, statewide enforcement drives resulted in a total of 1,84,570 raids against illegal liquor sales,” Timmapur said.
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He noted that 9,179 non-bailable cases and 91,968 bailable and compoundable cases under Section 15(A) of the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, were registered during the same period.
According to him, there have been no reports indicating that students have become addicted to alcohol due to illegal liquor sales.
The sale of alcohol to minors is strictly prohibited under the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, and the department has issued periodic instructions to initiate legal action against violators, with strict enforcement and investigation measures in place, the Minister said.
Excise officials are carrying out regular road and night patrols, collecting intelligence, monitoring habitual offenders and conducting raids to identify illicit distillation units, unauthorised liquor outlets and spurious liquor manufacturing centres, he said, adding the department is also enforcing the law to prevent the production, storage, sale and transport of spurious, non-duty-paid and unauthorised liquor.
Regular patrols are being conducted on national and state highways, with suspicious vehicles being subjected to checks.
At the district level, standing committee meetings are held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners, and joint operations are carried out with the police and forest departments to curb excise-related offences.
The department is also conducting awareness programmes through Gram Sabhas and in schools and colleges to educate the public and students about the physical, mental and social health hazards associated with alcohol addiction and substance abuse, Timmapur added.
