Andhra minister Lokesh asks police not to seize DJ vehicles during Ganesh festivities

Bengaluru, Feb 24 (IANS) Reacting to the protest by government job aspirants in Dharwad, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Tuesday, urged to focus on education and assured faster recruitment.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has issued an official statement in this regard.

“I appeal to all the aspirants to continue focusing on your education, skill-building, and preparation with confidence and patience. Karnataka’s youth are the architects of our future. Your perseverance inspires us. My government stands firmly with you, not just in words, but in action. We will ensure opportunities are expanded, dreams are protected, and public service remains a noble and attainable path for every deserving young mind,” the Chief Minister said.

“I want to assure that the process of filling the remaining vacancies is ongoing and will be further accelerated in a transparent, systematic, and time-bound manner. We are taking all necessary administrative and policy measures to recruit for more positions in the coming years and to strengthen recruitment institutions so that such backlogs do not recur,” he added.

“This is not merely about filling posts; it is about rebuilding administrative capacity, restoring fairness in recruitment, and ensuring that every deserving candidate, across regions and communities, receives equal opportunity,” CM Siddaramaiah said.

“I take serious note of the ongoing protests by government job aspirants in Dharwad. I understand the anxiety, frustration, and uncertainty that many of our government job aspirants are experiencing. Behind every application is a dream, a family’s hope, years of hard work, and an aspiration to serve Karnataka. As Chief Minister, I want every student to know that your concerns are heard, and your future matters deeply to us,” he assured.

“When we assumed office, more than 2.64 lakh government posts were vacant. This massive backlog did not arise overnight, it was the result of prolonged inaction under the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government, which failed to initiate timely recruitments or create a structured roadmap to fill vacancies.”

“It is deeply unfortunate that opposition BJP leaders are choosing to mislead innocent students even now to serve their narrow political interests. Instead of encouraging aspirants to stay focused on their preparation and future, they are attempting to instigate unrest.”

“The present situation is largely a consequence of the series of recruitment irregularities and corruption scams between 2019 and 2023, which eroded trust in the system and resulted in a massive backlog of vacancies. Our (Congress) government is committed to restoring credibility, transparency, and stability in the recruitment process,” CM Siddaramaiah said.

“At the same time, several recruitment processes had to be temporarily stalled due to legal challenges surrounding internal reservation, which was under consideration before the courts. As a government committed to constitutional propriety and social justice, we chose to act responsibly within the framework of law rather than rush decisions that could jeopardise the careers of thousands of candidates,” he noted.

He also said that despite these structural and legal constraints the current state government has moved with determination and integrity.

“In the last 2.5 years alone, more than 40,000 job recruitments have been completed across departments. We are also conscious that many job aspirants have waited for years due to delays beyond their control. Recognising this hardship, the state government has relaxed the age criteria by more than five years for upcoming recruitments, ensuring that deserving candidates are not unfairly excluded because of systemic delays.”

–IANS

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Bengaluru, July 18 (IANS) The BJP on Friday slammed the Karnataka government for its report on the Bengaluru stampede, in which it blamed the police and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for the tragic incident.

Speaking to media persons at the party office in Bengaluru, BJP MLA C. N. Ashwath Narayan said the government report submitted on the tragedy is highly condemnable.

“Police officers had opposed the event. Yet they shifted the blame onto the police and RCB. Now, industries are fleeing the state. No more sporting events will be held here,” he warned.

On the stampede incident that killed 11 people during the RCB victory celebration, he asked, “Who is responsible for maintaining law and order? Why did the Deputy Chief Minister go to the stadium without permission? Even when people were dying, he was busy kissing the trophy. And the Chief Minister – even after learning that people had died – continued to enjoy masala dosa at a hotel.”

“Why did they organise a victory celebration near Vidhana Soudha without permission? Is this government being run by RCB, KSCA, and DNA? They should be ashamed. Taking people’s lives has become their ‘achievement’,” he said.

Meanwhile, BJP State chief and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra said, “Justice Michael D’Cunha has not yet submitted a complete report. The CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar were in a race to claim credit for RCB’s win. Their desperate attempts for publicity led to the loss of 11 lives.”

“Now, they have submitted a half-baked status report to the High Court,” he slammed.

“The Chief Minister and Deputy CM should have taken responsibility,” he said.

The Karnataka government, in its status report to the High Court, put the blame mainly on the RCB.

While submitting the report on the incident, in its answers to the specific set of questions raised by the Karnataka High Court, the state government also cited RCB’s social media posts on celebrations, including a video clip featuring cricketer Virat Kohli.

–IANS

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Bhubaneswar, Aug 17 (IANS) A controversy erupted on Sunday after an alleged video of the 16-year-old victim, who was set on fire in the Balanga area of Puri district on July 19 and later died while undergoing treatment at AIIMS, New Delhi, after 14-day battle for life, began circulating on social media platforms.

Speaking to media persons, BJD leader Lenin Mohanty stated that Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who holds the home department portfolio, and the Odisha police should bring the truth about the video before the people and arrest the accused persons involved in the case. The victim girl in the alleged viral video was heard claiming that three miscreants with faces covered with napkins came on a motorcycle and set her on fire after pouring kerosene on the victim on July 19.

Mohanty raised questions about the statement issued by the Odisha Police on its official X handle following the death of the Balanga victim on August 2, in which it denied any person’s involvement in the incident. The BJD leader stated that the girl’s statement came to the fore in the viral video, after 15 days of her death has shocked everyone.

He questioned in whose interest the statement of the victim girl was recorded three times. The BJD leader also alleged that the Puri district Superintendent of Police, Pinak Mishra, has been taking the serious issue very lightly. The party alleged that the state government and Odisha Police are trying to shield the culprits involved in the unfortunate incident.

Puri SP Mishra stated that the district police, with assistance from the Cyber Team of the Odisha Crime Branch, has launched an investigation to verify the authenticity of the viral video and to identify the person responsible for circulating the sensitive video of the minor victim on social media. He also noted the viral video might be part of the original video recorded while she was undergoing treatment at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar.

Mishra also added that the last statement of the victim has been recorded at the AIIMS, New Delhi, in the presence of a magistrate. He informed the media persons that the investigation is almost at the last stage, and soon the police will submit the final report before the court.

–IANS

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