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BJP not against Muslims; protest was against cop’s remarks: K’taka MP on Ganesh procession row

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Mysuru, Sep 16: Mysuru-Kodagu MP and royal scion Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar on Wednesday said the BJP was not opposed to Muslims and clarified that the party’s protest in T. Narasipura town was against remarks made by a police inspector regarding a procession in front of a mosque.

Speaking in Mysuru, Yaduveer said the BJP had staged the protest condemning the police inspector’s statement that a procession would not be allowed in front of a mosque.

“We are opposed to the T. Narasipura police inspector. For that reason, we have protested. We have not protested targeting Muslims,” he said.

Yaduveer said the BJP’s protest should not be portrayed as being directed against the Muslim community.

Responding to criticism over BJP leaders wearing shoes and slippers while holding Ganesh idols during the protest in front of the T. Narasipura police station, Yaduveer said the idols being carried by the protesters had not been installed.

“For installed idols, that kind of respect is given. The idols which we held were not installed. In that respect, it is not an issue of controversy. We were wearing chappals while protesting on the street,” he said.

Yaduveer also alleged that the police had defended Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar over the issue.

“I have observed that the police defended CM Shivakumar. If you defend such statements, what would be the public opinion?” he questioned.

Referring to the police inspector’s remarks at a peace meeting, Yaduveer said the language used by the officer was inappropriate.

He quoted the inspector as saying in Kannada, “If a procession is taken in front of the mosque, he will make them repent,” and, “If you people go there, you get charged up.”

Yaduveer questioned whether such language was appropriate for a police officer to use during a peace meeting.

“You ask anyone in society whether using such language in a peace meeting is right or wrong. If such language is used in a peace meeting, who is answerable?” he asked.

The BJP MP maintained that the party’s protest was against the police inspector’s alleged remarks and not against any particular community.

It can be recalled that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday (September 13) staged a protest in Karnataka’s T Narsipur over alleged curbs on a Ganesha procession, even as the district police said there were no restrictions on the route or the festival.

The protest was held after T Narsipur Police Inspector Dhananjaya warned Ganesha procession organisers against bursting crackers in front of a mosque on Link Road, reports said. The BJP interpreted the remarks as restrictions on the procession and demanded the inspector’s suspension.

Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka, Mysuru-Kodagu MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, MLA T.S. Srivatsa, former MP Pratap Simha and other BJP leaders joined the protest. Ashoka carried a Ganesha idol and led a march along the Link Road. The BJP leaders were later detained by the police and subsequently released.

Crime

Delhi Police register FIR against unknown persons in Jamia vandalism case

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The Delhi Police on Thursday lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against unknown persons in connection with an incident involving vandalism and damage to property at the Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), officials said.

According to the police, the case has been registered at Jamia Nagar Police Station, on the complaint of the varsity administration.

This is the second FIR registered in connection with the ongoing students’ protests at the university in recent days.

Earlier, the Delhi Police had registered an FIR at the Jamia Nagar police station against Congress MPs Imran Pratapgarhi and Imran Masood, as well as Samajwadi Party MP Mohibbullah Nadvi, following a complaint by Jamia Millia Islamia registrar Md. Mahtab Alam Rizvi.

Rizvi had alleged that the Congress MPs entered the campus without authorisation on separate occasions, amid the ongoing agitation.

Students of the university have been staging a hunger strike since October 12 demanding the restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMISU) and the removal of the University’s Chief Proctor over a “crackdown” on protesters.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the university expressed deep shock, disappointment, and concern regarding the incidents that took place on Tuesday night, which involved vandalism and damage to university property.

The varsity said that upon receiving reports of attacks on the campus, the proctorial team and JMI faculty members immediately arrived on the spot.

“They discovered that groups of protesting students and local residents had vandalised University gates and walls, brought down Gate No. 4C, pelted stones, and damaged the CCTV control room and cameras, while also severing their connections. It is reported that a group of masked protesters even reached the University’s boys’ hostel in an attempt to mobilise more individuals to join them,” the JMI said in a statement.

According to the University, viral social media videos posted by the protesting students themselves show extensive damage inflicted upon JMI property.

“This has left the university community deeply distressed and outraged,” it said.

“Most concerning is the fact that the vandalism began shortly after members of the protesting student committee had been in discussions with JMI faculty (this marked the seventh such attempt at dialogue initiated by the university administration),” the University said.

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Sub-Inspector candidates clash with police in Patna over recruitment cancellation

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High drama and chaos unfolded in central Patna on Thursday as hundreds of Sub-Inspector (Daroga) candidates staged a fierce demonstration, breaking through police barricades and engaging in a confrontation with security forces at the busy JP Roundabout.

The clash broke out when police intercepted the protesting candidates to stop them from advancing further into restricted zones.

While law enforcement authorities managed to push back the core group of agitators and clear the main intersection, a heavy concentration of students remains gathered in the surrounding areas, keeping the security forces on high alert.

The candidates are protesting the sudden cancellation of the main written examination held for the recruitment of 1,799 Sub-Inspector positions.

Demanding an immediate withdrawal of the cancellation order, the agitators have urged authorities to restore the previously declared results and resume the hiring process.

Protesters accused the state government and recruitment authorities of deliberately harassing young job seekers.

Candidates stated that after putting in months of rigorous preparation and passing multiple stages, the abrupt annulment of the process has pushed their careers into limbo.

The agitation on Thursday marks the second major demonstration by Sub-Inspector candidates this month.

On October 5, aspirants launched a similar protest march from Gandhi Maidan toward the Chief Minister’s residence and the office of the Bihar Police Subordinate Services Commission (BPSSC).

During that attempt, police intercepted the rally before it could reach the JP Roundabout.

The unrest stems from an official release issued by the BPSSC on September 23, 2026.

The Commission unexpectedly scrapped the main written examination—originally conducted in two shifts on May 27, 2026—citing unavoidable reasons.

In its formal statement, the BPSSC noted that information regarding fresh examination dates would be announced separately, triggering widespread outrage among successful candidates who are now demanding accountability and immediate reinstatement of the selection process.

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Nagpur win gives beleaguered Congress face-saving foothold in MLC polls

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The Congress has reasons to celebrate the lone victory in the biennial Legislative Council (MLC) elections held for 28 seats across four states, though the strike rate converts into a meagre 3.57 per cent, with many of its regional allies faring better.

In these elections across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, the Congress won only one seat, in Maharashtra’s Nagpur Graduates’ constituency.

It has thus avoided a complete washout, a fear writ large before the Nagpur result was official, even as several leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made snide, sometimes amusing, social media comments on its “zero” achievement.

The Congress can now argue that it still holds “pockets of support”, with Abhijeet Wanjari having retained the Nagpur “bastion”. So what if in Karnataka it was wiped out despite being in power, where the Bengaluru Teachers’ constituency was perhaps the highest-profile Congress loss.

Though faring comparatively weaker in general polls of late, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) constituent Janata Dal (Secular) candidate A. P. Ranganath defeated sitting Congress MLC Puttanna by around 900 votes.

Losing an incumbent seat in the capital region was a major setback, with Puttanna being a veteran leader and the sitting member of the Council. Nagpur was the proverbial sobering balm for another loss, that at the Darbhanga Teachers’ constituency.

New entrants like the Prashant Kishor-founded Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) managed breakthrough victories at Congress expense. This loss too was arguably among its most painful, with Congress candidate Madan Mohan Jha, a sitting MLC and two-time winner, losing the seat to the JSP’s Suresh Prasad Rai in a closely fought contest.

Interestingly, reports noted that the INDIA Bloc vote was split because Laloo Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) fielded its own candidate, “hurting” the Congress’s traditional support base.

Yet, without Nagpur, a zero-seat tally would have made the narrative far more damaging politically, where the grand old party of India has been lately struggling to reach a three-digit figure in the Lok Sabha and slipping in consecutive Assembly elections. It has increasingly been relying on support from regional parties in general elections, being relegated to an inconsequential position in many states.

For the local satraps, a tie-up is tactical, with a few seats allocated to the Congress, so that vote banks are not fractured, and a similar equation can be sought at the national level.

As in Legislative Assemblies, every MLC seat in the six bicameral states adds to a party’s representation in the Legislative Council.

For the Congress, even a single additional member can show presence by participating in debates, committees, and legislative coordination. The lone victory can also be hailed as a possible psychological and organisational boost for the Congress after its poor performances in multiple constituencies. It has given the beleaguered party one win to rally workers and local leaders around.

Congress leaders add that the victory, coming from Nagpur, a politically prominent region in Maharashtra, allows the party to claim that it still influences specific voter groups such as graduates.

The single win gives Congress a basis to argue that the results were “mixed” rather than a complete rejection. However, the broader takeaway was that Congress performed weakly overall, while the BJP and its allies won a majority of the seats contested.

For the Opposition bloc, the main contest shifted to the RJD in Bihar, Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, and the Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) in Maharashtra, among others, showing Congress’ reduced influence.

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