Here are the big stories from Karnataka today

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A file photo of the office of Bengaluru City Commisssioner of Police. | Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR

The Central Crime Branch of Bengaluru police on November 2 searched the residence and office of Power TV Managing Director Rakesh Shetty in connection with the alleged fabrication and circulation of a sting video allegedly targeting former chief minister Siddaramaiah. The searches were carried out by multiple teams of investigators after obtaining a search warrant from a court.

Shetty is a key suspect in the case and, along with expelled Congress leader Kripa Alva, is accused of being involved in the creation of the allegedly fabricated video. The searches come a day after the CCB disclosed that the mobile phone used to upload the controversial sting video had allegedly changed hands at the official New Delhi residence of Union Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy.

Karnataka’s Home Minister Priyank Kharge has alleged that a Union Minister is pressuring the Centre to use the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) and Income Tax Department against him and his Cabinet colleagues on the pretext of an investigation into the alleged irregularities in recruitment by the KPSC.

In a post on X, Mr. Kharge alleged that the Union Minister is attempting to use the agencies to implicate Congress leaders in the KPSC recruitment case. He accused what he described as the RSS’s ‘newest Group D recruit’ of trying to pressure all the accused through the ED to falsely name Congress leaders and him in the case.

The Karnataka government has issued the final notification for acquiring the remaining 1,895 acres of land in Bidadi for the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT) project, also known as the Bidadi township project, amid sustained protests by farmers. The fresh notification covers the Bairamangala and Kanchugaranahalli revenue villages on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

With this, the final notification process has been completed for all nine revenue villages, spanning 7,343 acres. The project requires a total of 9,640 acres. The remaining land is owned by the government of Karnataka. The farmers, however, are unhappy with the latest development and have accused the State Government of ‘backstabbing’.

Indian Coast Guard (ICG), District Headquarter 3, Mangaluru, safely evacuated a fisherman in urgent need of medical attention from a fishing vessel sailing about 100 km off Mangaluru coast on November 1 night. The headquarters received a distress call over VHF from Indian Fishing Boat (IFB) Shiv Sagar, about a fisherman who had fallen overboard while hauling fishing nets.

The ICG deployed Indian Coast Guard Ship C-448, which located the fishing boat amid the darkness of the night. The disoriented fisherman, identified as Komara Ramu, was safely evacuated, provided immediate first aid, and transferred to New Mangalore Port Authority jetty. He was subsequently shifted to the nearest hospital for further medical management.

The Karnataka Examination Authority has decided to go ahead with the written examination for direct recruitment to the post of principal of government PU colleges as scheduled on November 20 and 22. The lecturers’ association had submitted a representation seeking postponement of the examination by one month.

The KEA is conducting the examination for direct recruitment of government PU college lecturers to 216 vacant posts of Grade A government PU college principal. Lecturers who have served in a college for more than 10 years are qualified to appear for the examination.

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