The AICC OBC Advisory Council unanimously passed a Bengaluru Declaration.
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
1. Congress OBC Advisory Council adopts Bengaluru Declaration, seeks national caste census
The AICC OBC Advisory Council, chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru on July 16, unanimously passed a Bengaluru Declaration, which demanded conducting a national-level caste census by the Census Commission of India, officially known as the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India (ORGI).
The OBC Advisory Council of the Congress party demanded breaking the 50% cap in providing reservation, thereby ensuring suitable reservation for the OBCs, in education, service, political and other areas. The resolution demanded reservation in private educational institutes as per Article 15(5) of the Constitution.
2. Andhra Pradesh IT Minister woos aerospace firms after Karnataka shelves plan to acquire Devanahalli land
Responding to Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh’s invitation for aerospace-defence industries to come to his state, Karnataka’s Minister for Large and Medium Industries M.B. Patil said on Wednesday (July 16, 2025) that the State government would not allow any industry to exit due to lack of land.
Quick on the heels of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announcing the withdrawal of the proposed land acquisition in Devanahalli taluk for an aerospace park near Bengaluru, following sustained opposition from farmers who were set to lose land for the project, Mr. Nara Lokesh had extended an open invitation to aerospace companies to consider Andhra Pradesh as an option.
3. BJP MLA booked in murder of rowdy in Bengaluru over land dispute
Former Urban Development Minister and K.R. Puram MLA Byrathi Basavaraj is among five persons booked for the murder of a rowdy sheeter and realtor in Bengaluru, on July 16. The FIR was registered based on a complaint by Vijayalakshmi, the mother of the deceased who witnessed the murder on July 15.
She said that her 44-year-old son Shivaprakash had been facing life threats from the associates of the BJP MLA over a property dispute since February 2025. Shivaprakash had complained about the same to the police. She alleged that her son was murdered by unidentified assailants who were instigated by Mr. Basavaraj who has been listed as accused number five in the FIR.
4. Accounts files of NIT-K missing from computer server, case registered after director files complaint
The Director of the National Institute of Technology-Karnataka (NIT-K), Surathkal, has complained that some data related to the finances of the institute were missing from the computer server. This happened at the end of 2024-25 financial year and in the beginning of the financial year 2025-26.
In the complaint to Surathkal police on July 9, B. Ravi said that, at 3.30 p.m. on June 9, staff of the accounts department noticed that some crucial files were missing from the institute’s accounts server at the Office Computer Centre on the first floor of the main building. The missing data affected over 7,500 teaching staff, non-teaching staff and students.
5. Bescom employee ends life over suspected case of digital arrest in Bengaluru
A 48-year-old Bescom employee, Kumara K., ended his life over a suspected case of digital arrest and extortion, in his native Kelagere village, in Channapatna taluk of Ramanagara district on July 14 night. He left behind a hand-written one-page note in which he accused Vikram Goswami, who claimed to be a CBI officer, of threatening him and of extortion.
Vikram Goswami reportedly called two weeks ago and claimed that there was an arrest warrant pending against Kumara and demanded ₹1,95,000 to evade arrest. Kumara reportedly paid up. Over a period of two weeks, he claimed to have transferred ₹11 lakh in total. When the accused demanded another ₹2.75 lakh, Kumara could not take it any more.
Published – July 16, 2025 06:08 pm IST
