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Mangaluru:

Heavy monsoon rains are lashing Karnataka’s coastal belt for the third consecutive day on Monday severely disrupting normal life in Dakshina Kannada district, prompting authorities to issue a red alert and deploy disaster response teams.

The red alert for coastal Karnataka will remain in force for the next five days, the IMD said.

Several parts of Mangaluru city reported waterlogging and traffic snarls as the drainage systems failed to cope with the downpour.

According to officials, minor incidents of landslides were reported from hilly regions across the district.

Major incidents of waterlogging have been reported from Kottara junction, Malemar, Mahaveera circle in Mangaluru city, while smaller inundation have been reported from Urva, Matadakani, Kudroli, Kodialbail(west) in the city.

Thokkuttu, Goodinabali, Marakada, Panamburu and adjoining places were also waterlogged.

Dakshina Kannada’s acting Deputy Commissioner Anand K, said that all Anganwadi centres in the district were closed on Monday due to incessant rainfall. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast continued heavy rain over the next 48 hours across the coastal region.

According to the district administration, rainfall figures over the past 24 hours crossed 150 mm in multiple areas, with Sullia’s Bellare recording the highest at 200.5 mm, followed by Bantwal’s Sarapady and Puttur’s Belandur with 190 mm each.

In view of the worsening conditions, one team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been stationed in Puttur, while two State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams have been deployed in Mangaluru and Subrahmanya. Officials have been directed to remain on high alert.

The administration has also instructed local bodies and panchayat development officers to take immediate preventive and relief measures.

Construction equipment such as JCBs and rescue boats are being kept ready.

Schools and Anganwadis housed in weakened structures are being vacated ahead of reopening.

Landslides have also been reported in parts of Uttara Kannada district near Kumta, and the water levels in rivers around Belthangady are rising, posing a flood threat to low-lying areas, officials said.

The authorities have sought prompt action from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) following complaints of water intrusion in residential areas due to ongoing highway construction works. Meanwhile, fishing boats that had ventured out early in the season are returning to the New Mangalore Port due to unfavourable sea conditions.

Bengaluru:

The Karnataka government has dismissed reports of any potential relocation of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) production units to Andhra Pradesh, following Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s pitch for expanding HAL operations into his state.

Mr Naidu has raised the proposal for establishing a new greenfield HAL facility in Andhra Pradesh during his recent engagements with the Union government, including meetings with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The proposal reportedly seeks to house future manufacturing capacity for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas and other upcoming indigenous platforms.

The Andhra Pradesh chief minister’s office has clarified that they have not pitched for shifting any existing facility. In his meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the Andhra Pradesh chief minister offered 10,000 acres of land just 70 km from the Andhra-Karnataka border at Lepakshi, for any expansion plans of HAL. 

“Defence units like these need setbacks as well, which is possible here in Andhra Pradesh and may be tough in Karnataka,” a top source who was at the meeting with the Defence Minister told NDTV.

HAL, India’s flagship aerospace and defence manufacturing company, currently operates major production facilities in Bengaluru and Tumakuru in Karnataka. These units are central to the production of fighter jets, helicopters, and trainer aircraft, including the LCA Tejas and the planned Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

The suggestion from Mr Naidu has sparked a sharp response from Karnataka’s leadership, which insists that HAL’s manufacturing base is integrally linked to the state’s aerospace sector and cannot be shifted or duplicated easily.

Speaking on Tuesday, Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Industries MB Patil dismissed speculation about any move to shift HAL operations. “No Chief Minister has the authority to relocate HAL’s existing facilities. Operations in Bengaluru will continue. What may have been suggested is the establishment of a new unit, which is a separate matter,” Mr Patil said.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah echoed this stance. “I do not know, as far as my knowledge goes, it cannot be. It will not be shifted,” he said. 

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that the Congress-led government would protect HAL and its associated infrastructure in the state at all costs. 

“HAL was not given by any BJP government. It was set up in Bengaluru by Nehru due to the availability of technical manpower. I am not going to interfere in Chandrababu Naidu’s political request to the Centre. We have also given sufficient land to HAL and provided land to set up a helicopter unit in Tumakuru. They are free to set up anything new in Andhra Pradesh; we are not going to object to it. But our government will do whatever it takes to protect our state’s assets,” he said. 

He also questioned the silence of Karnataka’s MPs on the issue. “What are our elected representatives in Delhi doing? Union Ministers from Karnataka have not spoken a word about this issue. I expect them to stand up for the state.”

On the same day when Karnataka ministers issued their statements, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the execution model for the AMCA project. The project is currently based in Bengaluru and managed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in collaboration with HAL.

Karnataka Minister for Medical Education and Skill Development, Sharan Prakash Patil, also spoke out. “HAL is the pride of our state. We will not allow its relocation to Andhra Pradesh. This institution was not founded by the BJP. The Congress government brought it here. If there is any attempt to move it, BJP MPs from Karnataka must act. Otherwise, they are betraying the state,” he said.

HAL is already on track to scale up Tejas production to meet Indian Air Force requirements, including a recently approved Rs 6,500 crore order for 83 LCA Mk1A variants. Future orders, potentially including the Tejas Mk2 and AMCA, will require expanded infrastructure and trained personnel.

The Ministry of Defence has yet to comment officially on whether any such expansion proposal is under formal consideration.

Kamal Haasan is unaware of the history of Kannada, said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today, after a remark by the Tamil megastar snowballed into a wider language controversy. His response came after Mr Haasan, who heads a fledgling political party in Tamil Nadu, said that Kannada was “born out of” the Tamil language.

“Kannada has a long-standing history. Poor Kamal Haasan, he is unaware of it,” said Siddaramaiah, rebutting the Makkal Needhi Maiam founder, who is yet to prove his political prowess despite having fought several elections since 2019.

Mr Haasan had made the remark at an event in Chennai weeks before the release of his film Thug Life, inviting criticism from pro-Kannada groups. Kannada actor Shivarajkumar was also present at the event.

The actor-politician began his speech with a Tamil phrase that translates to “my life and my family is the Tamil language”. “This is my family in that place. That’s why he (Shivarajkumar) has come here. That’s why I began my speech by saying life, relationship, and Tamil. Your language (Kannada) was born out of Tamil, so you too are included (part of it),” he had said.

Demanding an apology from Mr Haasan, Karnataka BJP chief Vijayendra Yediyurappa said that it reflected an “uncultured behaviour”. Calling it the “height of arrogance”, he said that artists must be “cultured” enough to respect every language.

“It is the height of arrogance that an actor @ikamalhaasan who has acted in many Indian languages, including Kannada, has insulted Kannada by including actor Shivarajkumar in the glorification of his Tamil language,” said Mr Yediyurappa.

Mr Haasan has forgotten the generosity of the Kannadigas and has become ungrateful despite having acted in Kannada films, he said. He is not a historian to conclude which language gave birth to which language, added the BJP leader.

Praveen Shetty, leader of pro-Kannada group Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, threatened to ban his film in Karnataka if he continues talking against Kannada and the Kannadigas.

Thug Life will hit the screens on June 5.

Bengaluru:

An Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras graduate alleged that he was denied housing in multiple Bengaluru neighbourhoods due to his Muslim identity. Mohammed Sanjeed, who recently announced his upcoming wedding, was house-hunting in India’s tech hub. On May 24, he posted on X, seeking leads for a 2BHK in Indiranagar or Koramangala. Two days later, his hopeful search turned into frustration.

“Saw around 4 places with brokers. At the end of the day, the broker says ‘sorry, owners are not okay with Muslims, due to Pakistan issues,’” Mr Sanjeed wrote in a quote-post.

“What is this BS, man? What areas in Bengaluru are not Islamophobic? Will optimise for that,” he added.

In a follow-up, he added, “Or just exit Bengaluru altogether, go to Dubai or something.”

Reacting to Mr Sanjeed’s experience, several X users reached out to him.

A user commented, “I am so sorry, Sanjeed, that you are facing this issue. This is not acceptable at all. Here are some area suggestions considering the situation you are encountering: Queens Road, Shivaji Nagar, Kora Second Block, Richmond, Cox Town. I have stayed in Queens and Kora Second Block. My landlords were/are Muslims as well. You should not have any problems here.”

Another offered Mr Sanjeed a temporary place to stay. “Hi brother, I recently got married so I can understand the anxiety of closing the house and with that, you have to deal with all this, in any case, you can stay with us until you figure things out.”

A comment read, “This is very unfair. Sorry, you had to experience this.”

Mr Sanjeed’s claim comes amid heightened tensions with Pakistan following a major terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22 that killed 26 people. In response, India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and killing over 100 terrorists.

For four days since the attack, cross-border firing, drone infiltration attempts by Pakistan and interceptions by India’s defence systems kept tempers running high on both sides until a ceasefire was announced on May 10.

While the ceasefire between India and Pakistan has mostly held since May 10, tensions remain. On May 27, the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) from both countries held their weekly hotline conversation to manage border concerns and ensure stability along the Line of Control.

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