'Henceforth, legislators who wish to defect need not dread the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution, dealing with the disqualification of elected representatives on the grounds of defection. Before indulging in any anti-party activity which could invite disqualification under the schedule, they need to simply send in their resignation letters to the presiding officers of the house to which they have been elected as members.
'After the Bengaluru police arrested 60 people on October 26 on the suspicion of being undocumented Bangladeshi immigrants, reports say that several apartment complexes in the city have decided not to employ Bengali-speaking people, especially minorities, as domestic help or labourers. According to Deccan Herald, which accessed internal communication and emails among several apartment dwellers, plans were being made to enforce an informal ban from Monday.
'B S Yeddyurappa, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, on October 30, 2019, made a public announcement that Karnataka will be taking steps to remove Tipu Sultan from school textbooks. According to an Economic Times report, Yeddyurappa, in response to a question at a press meet said, “Yes. 100%. We are not going to allow anything about Tipu in textbooks.” Tipu Sultan, an 18th century ruler of Mysuru, has been at the centre of heated debates in Karnataka for the last five years.
'A group of people who chose not to stand up during the national anthem were abused and heckled by another group in a Bangalore movie theatre on October 23. One of the people hurling abuses at the group – including calling them “Pakistani terrorists” – has been identified as actor Arun Gowda. In a video of the incident, Gowda and his friends can be seen trying to shame four people for not standing during the anthem. “Not able to spare 52 seconds for the country, but you have the audacity to sit here and watch a three-hour movie? Are you Pakistani terrorists?” one of them men said...'
'The daunting appearance of 10-feet high walls, barbed wires and overlooking watchtowers in two corners of the compound gives the detention centre built in Sondekoppa in Nelamangala, around 40 km from Bengaluru, the appearance of a jail. But authorities tasked with managing the centre are quick to claim that despite its appearance, it is not a jail. “It is a movement restriction centre. Any foreigner without travel documents, including passport or visa, will be sent here and their movement will be restricted,” an official from the Bureau of Immigration says.
'It seems like the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the political wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), believes in doing away with cultural diversity and crushing cultural dissent. This can be seen in the recent move by a BJP MP from Mysuru, Pratap Simha, preventing an event called ‘Mahisha Dasara’, which was scheduled to be held on September 27. Mahisha Dasara is an event organised by various dalit organisations, progressive organisations from Karnataka as a counter to the Dasara celebration in the Mysuru palace and elsewhere in the state.
'Addressing a gathering organised by Hindu extremis outfit, Sri Ram Sene in Bengaluru on September 15, K S Eshwarappa, Minister Rural Development and Panchayati Raj in Karnataka said, “Hindus of this nation are not ‘Napunsakas’ (impotent). We have been fighting for Ram Mandir for decades now. Babri Masjid was demolished and a Ram Lalla Mandir has been built in its place.
'The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a plea seeking to re-open a nine-year-old corruption case against BS Yediyurappa and Congress leader DK Shivakumar. However, a bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said it will decide the locus standi of NGO Samaj Parivartana Samudaya, which is intervening and wants the case that was closed a few years ago re-opened. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for BS Yediyurappa, said the NGO was unnecessarily trying to open the corruption case that was quashed by the Karnataka High Court in December 2015...'
'Mahesh Vikram Hegde, a well-known social medial activist and the co-founder of online news portal Postcard News has been arrested today in Karnataka on charges of spreading fake news... Postcard news runs into controversies time to time... It had earlier been charged with publishing content that incites communal hate. Mahesh Vikram Hegde has a large number of followers on Twitter which includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well.'
'At least 25 people have been killed since May in incidents of mob violence triggered by rumors circulated on WhatsApp. The authorities do not know who is behind the hoax messages... A 32-year-old engineer was beaten to death and three others were severely injured in the southern Indian state of Karnataka on Friday in the latest incident of mob violence fueled by fake social media messages. The victims were assaulted after one of them reportedly offered imported chocolates to school children, according to local media reports.
