The Kerala Police team at Mundakayam police station in Kottayam district has won accolades for its perseverance in solving a hit-and-run case which happened on December 15, by tracing the vehicle to Telangana.

Pradeep Chandran, SHO at Mundakayam police station who was part of the probe team, told IANS that they registered the case after an 88-year-old lady Thankamma was knocked down and killed by a vehicle at Korathodu, falling under his station limit.

“The accident occurred during the Sabarimala temple season and the only clue which they had to begin the probe with was a witness to the incident who mentioned the colour of the vehicle which knocked the lady,” said Chandran.

Chandran said that the team then began inspecting all CCTV’s from there to Munnar (at a distance of 120 kms).

“We would have looked at hundreds of CCTV’s and finally we identified a car which matched what the witness said. We found that it was a vehicle with a Telangana number plate. Soon we reached that state and located the owner,” added Chandran.

“The owner said that he gives his vehicle for rent and after checking the papers, the driver was one Dinesh Reddy from Karimnagar. We reached there and located him. When we asked about this, he instantly confessed to the accident. We brought him here on Friday and a case under Section 304 A (causing death by negligence) has been registered,” said Chandran.

The Income Tax Department on Saturday launched a raid on the Madhav Group of Industries in Ahmedabad and Vadodara.

The group, known for its real estate and government infrastructure projects, faced raids at 27 locations across the two cities.

The search operation that began on Saturday morning is still going on.

Authorities are scrutinising their transactions to determine whether any can be classified as benami.

Over 50 Income Tax Department officials are conducting the raid.

Sources shared that the raids on the group’s premises included their office in Subhanpura, Vadodara.

Madhav Group, which has a presence in Karnataka, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Maharashtra, has been under scrutiny since its establishment in 2010.

The group operates in diverse sectors, including energy, real estate, highways, and urban infrastructure.

A BJP delegation led by former Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda met Karnataka Director General of Police Alok Mohan at his office in Bengaluru on Saturday to express concern over Hindus being treated as 'second-class' citizens in the state.

The delegation urged the DGP to address the collapse of law and order, the rising crime rate, and to initiate immediate action by convening a meeting of senior officials and giving them proper direction. They submitted a two-page memorandum to the DGP.

Former CM Sadananda Gowda stated, “We strongly condemn the Congress government’s approach of treating Hindus as second-class citizens. The Congress government hesitates when a crime involves accused individuals from minority religions. A couple had to bear the brunt of moral policing by a gang of Muslims. When they approached the government for protection, it tried to hush up the case. Miscreants attacked a shopkeeper in Nagarathpet in Bengaluru for playing the Hanuman Chalisa. The Congress defended this."

Gowda charged that the state has deteriorated to such an extent that a man wielding a gun in full public view is allowed to garland the CM. The people of the state are living in fear. One section of the population receives preferential treatment, while another is jailed and attacked. People are living with a sense of insecurity following incidents of communal and political violence. The Congress government is harbouring a grudge against BJP party workers.

BJP Vice President Malavika Avinash stated, “Time and again it is proven that there is no safety for women during the regime of the Congress government. The Belagavi incident where a 42-year-old woman was paraded nude was inhuman. The police department totally failed to handle the case, even as the winter assembly session was being held in Belagavi.”

The state has witnessed many murders, including the cases of college student Neha Hiremath and a young woman Ambika Ambigara. Atrocities against women are on the rise, and the police department has not taken unbiased action in this regard, Malavika stated.

“The state is turning into the crime capital of the country. The state, once known for its law and order, is now witnessing a collapse in this area. There has been a sudden surge in crimes against women, murders, extortion, and atrocities against the poor and oppressed classes. The state has now earned the title of ‘crime capital,’” she noted.

Malavika stated that according to a study Karnataka stands ninth in terms of economic offences and third in crimes against women. It is also worrying that crimes against senior citizens have increased by 86 percent.

BJP MLA C.K. Ramamurthy stated that the Congress government is not concerned about the law and order situation. No action has been initiated despite the rise in the number of crimes.

 Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, having risen from the grassroots to BJP’s Uttar Pradesh President, is hopeful of the party’s resounding success and performance in the state.

In an exclusive conversation with IANS, the BJP’s state president said that the party is set to bag all 80 Lok Sabha seats of Uttar Pradesh.

Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary also asserted that the Opposition’s attempt to divide the electorate on lines of caste and community will fall flat on its face.

Here are excerpts:

IANS: There were talks of caste divide in the first and second phases of elections. How much has this affected the subsequent phases?

Bhupendra Singh: These people (Opposition) have politicised the caste issue. They have made a deliberate effort to drive a wedge between the residents of North and South India on the lines of caste, community and language.

The public is aware now. BJP is moving forward with the slogan 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas'. When the results come out, they will be fully exposed.

IANS: Four phases of the elections are completed. How many seats do you expect the BJP to win?

Bhupendra Singh: Elections for 39 seats in Uttar Pradesh are over and three phases are left. According to the feedback we are receiving from the ground level, the BJP is winning 39 seats, and we are winning by a huge margin. People have firm faith in the leadership of PM Modi and CM Yogi.

IANS: The opposition is saying that if the BJP crosses the 400 mark, then it will change the constitution. What is your response?

Bhupendra Singh: BJP has been in power at the Centre for a decade. Our party has the most MPs from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and backward communities. The organisation also has the most people from these communities. The Prime Minister is also from a backward community. Would we abolish our own reservation?

This is a conspiracy by Congress, they have always tried to implement reservations on a religion basis. Wherever they have been in power, they have included Muslims in the backward classes and hijacked reservations. They are misleading people by creating a negative atmosphere.

IANS: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav is claiming a win on 79 seats, and the fight is only on one seat. What do you think?

Bhupendra Singh: Everyone has a right to dream and Akhilesh Yadav is always day-dreaming. He claimed to win all the seats in 2022. Since he took over the party's leadership, they haven't won a single election. Meanwhile, the BJP is going to win all the seats in these elections.

IANS: Kejriwal claims that if BJP wins, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will become the PM and Yogi Adityanath will be removed from CM’s post. What do you have to say about this?

Bhupendra Singh: He might be talking about himself. Given the large-scale corruption he is involved in, he will have to go to jail, even though he is saved for now. In future, he will have to resign. Another state is set to walk in the footsteps of Rabri Devi.

BJP is contesting the elections under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. There is no such rule in the party that a leader has to resign after he turns 75. Narendra Modi will remain our Prime Minister till 2029. After that, we will accept whatever the public decides.

IANS: Congress claims to distribute 10 kg of foodgrains after forming the government. How do you see this?

Bhupendra Singh: What was Congress doing for the past 70 years? Maximum scams occurred during the tenures of SP and Congress. The poor never got the ration, all of that was eaten up by agents of Congress and SP. Everyone knows about their corrupt tenures. Under the PM's leadership, the poor are getting free rations today.

IANS: How beneficial has the alliance with parties like Apna Dal, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) been for BJP?

Bhupendra Singh: BJP is a party with a clear goal and clean ideology. We are concerned about roads, water and electricity. People above 70 years are getting free medical treatment, and electricity is available 24 hours. In the previous governments, there was discrimination in electricity distribution, as it was only available in a few VIP areas. This discrimination has ended. We have taken along those who agree with our ideology.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday visited Madhya Pradesh's famous pilgrimage site (Shaktipeeth) - Ma Pitambara Peeth to offer prayers.

Upon reaching Datia in Madhya Pradesh, the Home Minister was received by senior BJP leader and former state Home Minister Narottam Mishra, who belongs to Datia.

Home Minister Amit Shah had to address an election public rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Lalitpur, which falls under Jhansi, located around 25 km from Datia.

“Home Minister Amit Shah offered prayers at Ma Pitambara Peeth and then left for Lalitpur,” Brijesh Dwivedi, media in-charge of BJP leader Narottam Mishra told IANS.

Notably, Datia's Shaktipeeth has always been a favourite place for politicians across the country. Shaktipeeth is commonly known as ‘Satta Ki Devi’.

Established in 1935, Ma Pitambara Peeth is a special place and it is believed that the goddess appears in three different forms thrice in a single day.