K’taka: Four girls on education trip drown in sea; govt announces Rs 5 lakh compensation

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Karwar (Karnataka), Dec 11 (IANS) A shocking incident has been reported from Murudeshwar coastal town in Karwar district of Karnataka, where four girl students on an educational trip drowned in the sea. The state government announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the family of each deceased girl on Wednesday.

The girls were swept away by strong currents while playing at Murudeshwar beach on Tuesday evening. Authorities managed to rescue four girls initially, and a search is underway for others. The deceased have been identified as 15-year-old Deeksha, Lavanya, Vandana, and Shravanthi.

Deeksha, Lavanya, and Vandana’s bodies were found on Wednesday morning. Shravanthi was rescued immediately after the incident on Tuesday but later succumbed to her condition. Two other students were successfully rescued by the authorities, and rescue operations continued to locate the remaining students.

The deceased were students of Morarji Desai Residential School in Kottur village near Mulbagal town in Kolar district. Including teachers, a total of 57 people were on the academic tour. The strong sea currents pulled the girls away while they were playing on Murudeshwar beach.

It is alleged that negligence on the part of the teachers and the tourism department contributed to the tragedy.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has expressed shock over the incident and announced compensation while paying his condolences over the tragedy.

Siddaramaiah stated, “I was shocked to learn the news of the students from the Morarji Desai Residential School in Mulbagal Taluk, Kolar District, who drowned in the sea near Murudeshwar during an educational trip. I pray for peace for the departed souls and offer my condolences to the grieving parents of the children.”

“The state government will provide compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the four students who died in this tragic incident. I have instructed the Deputy Commissioner of Uttara Kannada district to make arrangements to transport the bodies to their hometowns,” Siddaramaiah stated.

CM further cautioned, “Teachers must exercise greater caution while supervising children during trips. When visiting dangerous locations, special care should be taken to monitor the children. I can understand the grief and pain of the parents who have lost their children. I pray that such tragedies never happen again.”

–IANS

mka/kvd

Related Posts

B’luru man kills self over Rs 3 cr divorce settlement demand; body for harassed men to move SC

Bengaluru, Dec 11 (IANS) Following the death of an automobile company executive from Uttar Pradesh in Bengaluru allegedly over the demand of Rs 3 crore for a divorce settlement and allegations against the sitting judge, the Ekam Nyay Foundation, fighting for the rights of men, is preparing to approach the Supreme Court.

Atul Subhash, 34, ended his life in his apartment in Marathahalli police station limits in the wee hours of Tuesday, leaving behind a 90-minute video and a 40-page-long death note, explaining how the harassment by his wife Nikita Singhania and her family was compelling him to end his life.

The development has sparked outrage and debate across the country about rights of men and how the law views them in cases of divorce and child custody.

Deepika Narayan Bharadwaj, the founder of the Ekam Nyay Foundation, speaking to IANS on Wednesday stated, considering the serious allegations against the judiciary and the sitting judge over alleged demand of bribes, the organisation will approach the Supreme Court.

“We will make a submission in this regard to the Chief Justice of India and Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court,” she stated.

This isn’t just a Bengaluru story but a story of every married man facing false accusations and exorbitant alimony demands in India.

The 90-minute video details what a person is subjected to if he doesn’t pay despite having every evidence to prove innocence.

“Succour is needed for people who are killing themselves due to biased laws,” Deepika stated.

Bikas Kumar, the brother of the deceased Atul, stated, “The family of Atul’s wife was demanding Rs 3 crore for a settlement. The unreasonable demand of Rs 3 crore was acute mental harassment.”

“The wife made demands for money in front of the judge and told Atul that if he was not able to give the money, why doesn’t he end his life? The judge was laughing in the court over this statement. Is this not torture? Is this not mental harassment?”, Bikas Kumar asked.

“My brother has sacrificed his life. He had written everywhere “Justice is Due”. I want justice at any cost. My brother had sent email messages to the President of India, the Supreme Court of India. I expect them to change the law so that men will get some rights,” he demanded.

“Not all men are culprits. Let them also get some legal immunity to present their case and prove that they are right,” Bikas stated.

Commenting on his brother’s suicide, he said, “We didn’t know that he would do something like this. When I spoke to him, he did not give any clue about what he was up to. He also did not give hints to our parents. I spoke to him last Sunday and everything was normal. Later he also spoke to parents and it was fine. That was his last call.”

“On Monday at 2 A.M., he sent a message but I was asleep. Later, on Tuesday I got a call from an unknown number asking me about the death note. When I checked my phone, I saw messages on my mobile,” he recounted.

In his video, Atul Subhash, had stated that he got married in 2019 and his wife allegedly demanded Rs 3 crore alimony after they filed for divorce.

She allegedly didn’t let him even see the face of his child after she filed for divorce. He stated in the video that the Family Court Judge demanded Rs 5 lakh to settle the case.

Atul stated that his father-in-law died of a disease soon after his marriage but his wife got an FIR registered under sections of murder against his family claiming he died of shock because of a demand for dowry.

Atul said in the video that he faced extreme harassment as he had to attend 120 case dates in the last two years.

The Family Court judge passed an order of Rs 40,000 per month maintenance for a 2-year-old child, he stated.

Atul said that when he was married, he used to do household chores, got his wife a job in a reputed MNC, helped his brother-in-law financially, and spent lakhs on the birth of his child.

Atul stressed in the video that, “I refuse to pay and I choose death because I don’t want my money to be used against me by my opponents to torture me and my family. I don’t want my wife and her family to come anywhere near my dead body.” Meanwhile, Marathalli police have registered an FIR against deceased Atul’s wife and three other family members on charges of abetment to suicide under Sections 108, 3 (5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The complaint in this regard was filed by Atul’s brother Bikas Kumar.

–IANS

mka/rad

Parbhani Dalit man’s death in judicial custody: Rahul Gandhi to meet kin on Monday

Mumbai, Dec 21 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will visit Parbhani on Monday to meet the family of a Dalit youth who died under mysterious circumstances while in judicial custody last week, officials said here on Saturday.

Rahul Gandhi will reach Nanded by a special flight on Monday afternoon and from there drive to Parbhani to the home of the youth, Somnath Vyankat Suryawanshi and condole his family members.

Suryawanshi, 35, hailing from the Wadar community, was arrested in the violent incidents that ensued after the desecration of a statue of Dr B. R. Ambedkar near Parbhani Railway Station on December 10, by one ‘mentally disturbed’ person named Sopan Pawar.

After the violence, a tense shutdown was observed in Parbhani, while the local police swooped down and detained/arrested around 300 persons, mostly Dalits, including Suryawanshi on December 12.

Barely 72 hours later, he was found dead in judicial custody, sparking a massive furore with the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (SP)-Shiv Sena (UBT), Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), CPI (Marxist), Republican Party of India (A), Republican Sena, Republican Party of India (K), and many other Dalit groups slamming the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party MahaYuti regime for the incident.

Following the uproar inside the Maharashtra Legislature in Nagpur and outside, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced compensation for the bereaved family, ordered a judicial probe and appointed a Special Investigation Team of the police to get to the depth of the matter.

Earlier, the Parbhani Police had claimed that Suryawanshi had complained of chest pains and was rushed to hospital for treatment.

However, a provisional autopsy report from the Government Medical College, Aurangabad had stated that he succumbed to “shock following multiple injuries”, snowballing into a huge political row.

The MVA and Dalit leaders had vociferously alleged that he was brutally beaten by the police and had succumbed to grave injuries, as was later confirmed by the provisional post-mortem report of December 16.

–IANS

qn/uk

Bengal’s political situation perfect for breeding illegal immigration, terror activities: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

Kolkata, Dec 21 (IANS) The current political situation in West Bengal is ideal for breeding illegal immigration from Bangladesh and terror-related activities, veteran Congress leader and five-time MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said on Saturday.

Commenting on the recent developments of the busting of fake passport rackets and arrest of underground organisation activists from the soil of West Bengal in the recent past, Chowdhury argued that what has surfaced is just the tip of the iceberg.

“The current political and law & order situation in West Bengal is such that this is considered as a safe haven for such fundamentalist forces and their association. So I am scared of what more will surface in the coming days. The situation is worsening every day, ” the former state party chief told media persons.

However, speaking to IANS, ruling Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh said that it is the duty of the Union government to act immediately to prevent anti-India activities in Bangladesh.

“Our Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has clearly said that since Bangladesh affairs are an international issue, whatever required action should be taken by the Union government and not the state government. A long-term danger zone for India is developing in Bangladesh and the Union government is not doing anything about it,” Ghosh argued.

Meanwhile, commenting on the demolition of the Hindu temples in Bangladesh in the last couple of days, Chowdhury apprehended that if the current caretaker government in Bangladesh gives a free hand to fundamentalist forces, in no time, the country will become another Afghanistan.

“Now anti-India states like Pakistan and China are trying to utilise the crisis in Bangladesh to create additional troubles for our country. Bangladesh is becoming a major point of trouble for India,” he apprehended.

–IANS

src/vd