1. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah rules out vendetta politics in arrest of kar sevak in Hubballi
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has justified the arrest of Srikanth Poojari, a kar sevak (volunteer) who was allegedly involved in violence after the Babri masjid demolition in 1992, in Hubballi. He said that wrongdoers cannot be spared, and the action did not stem from political vendetta.
On January 1, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R. Ashok had accused the Congress government of arresting workers of Hindutva organisations at a time when the Ram temple in Ayodhya is being inaugurated, and warned of protests by BJP against such arrests. Hubballi Dharwad Police Commissioner Renuka Sukumar has said that the arrest of Mr. Poojari in connection with a case of violence in Hubballi on December 5, 1992, is part of a routine process to trace accused persons in long-pending cases.
2. Murty Trust and CUPA set up dedicated community cat sterilisation centre in Bengaluru
Murty Trust, the family foundation of Sudha Murty and Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, in partnership with Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA), has announced the opening of a state-of-the-art community cat sterilisation centre. The clinic, launched under the name ‘Maitri’, will be one of India’s first sterilisation centres dedicated to community cats.
The initiative has been conceived as a collaborative cat sterilisation effort between the local community and CUPA that can help manage stray cat populations in Bengaluru while also addressing the One Health challenge of overpopulation.
3. Chitra Santhe to be held on January 7 in Bengaluru
Over 1,500 artists from 22 States will participate in the 21st edition of Chitra Santhe, which will be held on January 7, in Bengaluru. This year’s edition of the annual art fair, organised by Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath (KCP), is dedicated to the achievements of Indian scientists in space research and related activities. The art fair will be inaugurated by CM Siddaramaiah on January 7.
The organisers received a total of 2,726 applications this year, including from professional artists, hobby artists, traditional painters, art students and institutions. Around 1,386 (51%) applications were from Karnataka, 7.6% from specially-abled artists, and 6% from senior citizen artists.
4. 16 departure delays reported at KIA Bengaluru
Eleven departures were delayed at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru due to bad weather at destination airports on January 2. A Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) official said that flights to Delhi, Chandigarh, Vijayawada, Bhopal and Varanasi were among those impacted.
