Bengaluru, Oct 24: BJP MLC N. Ravi Kumar on Friday asked the Karnataka government to resolve the state’s pressing issues first, and discuss the successor of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah later.

Speaking to the media at the BJP State Office, Opposition Chief Whip in the state Legislative Council Ravi Kumar said, “Anyone can become the next Chief Minister or successor; that is not our concern.”

Alleging that a female foeticide racket is being operated from the Chief Minister’s home district, Mysuru, he asked, “What does Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao have to say about this? “

Referring to a rape case of a nomadic Hakki Pikki community child, Ravi Kumar asked, “Why has no action been taken in that case?”

He claimed, “Drugs are being sold openly in Mysuru, 2,300 farmers have died by suicide, along with seven government employees. A librarian in Kalaburagi and a waterman in Chamarajanagar ended their lives because they were not paid their salaries.”

Ravi Kumar slammed the state government for “deteriorating” law and order, saying, “Rape and murder cases are being reported in Bengaluru. Where is Home Minister G. Parameshwara? Please find him for us.”

“Fifteen contractors have died by suicide, and the Chief Minister has received letters stating that Rs 33,000 crore in pending payments is yet to be released. Even as the contractors have mentioned a 60 per cent commission in their letter, instead of taking action, the Chief Minister is questioning the evidence,” he alleged.

He also took on the government for losing the AI Hub to Andhra Pradesh, saying, “If the government had focused on such matters instead of succession politics, thousands of unemployed youth in Karnataka could have found jobs. Give answers to these issues first, and then think about the CM’s successor.”

Jaipur, Oct 24: The members of the Advisory Board on Friday held a three-hour hearing at Jodhpur Central Jail in Rajasthan to review the detention of environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA).

The three-member panel arrived at the jail around 10:30 a.m. from the Jodhpur Circuit House to record Wangchuk’s statements and review documents related to the case. Wangchuk’s wife, Geetanjali Angmo, was also present during the proceedings.

The hearing was conducted by Advisory Board Chairman and former judge M.K. Hujura, District Judge Manoj Parihar and social activist Spal Jayesh Angmo.

The Advisory Board is a special constitutional body constituted under the National Security Act (NSA) 1980, which reviews cases of preventive detention

The closed-door session reportedly focused on the reasons cited by the administration for invoking the NSA and Wangchuk’s representation challenging the same.

Sonam Wangchuk, a well-known innovator and environmentalist from Ladakh, was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) earlier this year. The move triggered nationwide protests and legal challenges, with several rights groups calling the detention arbitrary.

The Supreme Court is also hearing petitions against the government’s action.

Wangchuk’s wife, Geetanjali Angmo, stated that their legal team has challenged both the grounds of detention and the procedural lapses in the case. She alleged that Wangchuk’s statements and videos were distorted and presented out of context, forming a misleading basis for the NSA order.

It determines whether the detention has adequate justification. The board comprises three members, all of whom are sitting or former High Court judges, appointed by the Chief Justice of the High Court of the respective state.

The government must submit all relevant documents to the board within three weeks of detention, and the board must send its report within seven weeks.

Proceedings remain confidential, and detainees are heard in person without the presence of lawyers. The board’s recommendations will determine whether Wangchuk’s detention under the NSA continues or is revoked, said officials.

Kolkata, Oct 24: The police, on early Friday morning, detained a 14-year-old boy on charges of raping a five-year-old girl at Kolaghat in East Midnapore district in West Bengal.

The accused, a minor, will be presented at a Juvenile Justice Court in the same district later in the afternoon, a police official from East Midnapore District Police confirmed.

There are further charges against the accused that he threatened to kill the victim in case she divulged about the sexual crime committed on her to anyone, including her parents.

It is learnt that the victim went to the accused’s residence in the morning of October 22. As per the police complaint lodged by the victim’s parents, the accused raped their daughter at his residence, taking advantage of the absence of other family members at home.

Initially, as per the police complaint, the victim did not speak about the sexual crime committed on her to her parents. However, finally on Wednesday, as she started to feel some physical uneasiness, she divulged the details to her parents.

On Thursday morning, the victim’s parents first went to the house of the accused and narrated the entire incident to the parents of the accused. However, as told by the victim’s parents to the police, the parents of the accused not only rejected their accusations but also got them beaten up.

Thereafter, the victim’s parents lodged an official complaint against the accused at the local Kolaghat Police Station. The police lodged a case and finally arrested the accused. Since he is also a minor, he has been booked under certain sections of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015.

“Initially, my daughter did not divulge anything to us. But later, as she started to feel pain in her abdomen, she divulged everything. We want the strictest of punishment for the accused,” the victim’s mother said.