Karnataka's 2024 punctuated with bomb blast, murders, suicides

Bengaluru: The bomb blast at Rameshwaram Cafe on March 1 here stood out for Karnataka in a year that saw its share of twists in the script, particularly with weather and politics.

Initially, it was thought the blast at the popular eatery's Whitefield branch was caused by a gas leak. But it turned out to be an improvised explosive device (IED) blast, which injured at least eight people. By March 4, the National Investigation Agency took over the case, arresting two suspects.

Year 2024 also saw an acute dry spell in several parts of Karnataka. But the water crisis was more severe in Bengaluru. This was followed by a very wet rainy season that resulted in devastating floods and landslides, particularly in the coastal parts and Western Ghats of Karnataka. The state witnessed 46 landslides in 2024, causing 12 related deaths, according to official figures.

Politically, too, the mood swung both ways, with BJP walking away with a lion's share of votes in the Lok Sabha elections in April, although its seats slipped from 25 in 2019 to 17. However, months later, in November, the ruling Congress swept all three Assembly by-polls that came as a relief to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who otherwise had a challenging year, having to weather the Valmiki and MUDA 'scams.' As is wont, politicians kept 2024 really busy. The most deeply felt news in Karnataka was perhaps the death of former Chief Minister and the man who transformed Bengaluru into a global hub, S M Krishna, on December 10. People poured their hearts out in obituaries, bringing out his multi-faceted personality.

As for getting a rap, the top rung netas made it to the news.

If Siddaramaiah was caught in a "resign now" turmoil first over the Valmiki 'scam' and then over the controversy surrounding the MUDA site allotment, former CM B S Yediyurappa was issued a non-bailable warrant in a POCSO case.

But it was former JD (S) MP Prajwal Revanna who stirred up the biggest controversy. Cases of sexual abuse involving Prajwal shocked the entire nation when pen drives containing explicit videos allegedly involving him were circulated in Hassan ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Revanna was arrested by the SIT on May 31 upon arrival at Bengaluru Airport from Germany and is being tried in the Karnataka High Court.

The Valmiki 'scam' came to light when the superintendent of Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation died of suicide, leaving behind a purported note alleging Rs 85 crore embezzlement.

The alleged irregularities in Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) over allotment of residential sites involved Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi. She, it was alleged, was allotted 14 sites in an upmarket residential area in the 50:50 ratio scheme in lieu of her 3 acres 16 guntas of land. She later returned them.

Meanwhile, Yediyurappa faced the heat when a woman filed a complaint in Bengaluru’s Sadashivanagar Police Station, alleging the BJP veteran sexually assaulted her minor daughter.

What is politics without its intrigues? This year too saw its share and the one that stood out was the alleged tussle for the CM post by Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar. Although assured often by Shivakuma that the CM will complete a full term of five years, the rumours refuse to die down.

In a plot twist, Kannada film industry's most talked about actor in 2024 was a murder suspect. Actor Darshan was arrested for allegedly murdering his fan, 33-year-old Renukaswamy on June 11, along with his friend, actor Pavithra Gowda, and 15 others. But on December 13, the actor – and the others – were given bail, and his fans celebrated it with the same fervour as his film releases.

But as murders go, this year the murder of 29-year-old Mahalakshmi on September 21, whose body was chopped into 30 pieces – in some accounts even 59 pieces – and stacked in her refrigerator, was easily one of the most gruesome.

She was allegedly strangled by her boyfriend, who later dismembered her body. The 30-year-old Mukti Ranjan Rai then went to his native town in Odissa and took his life, leaving behind a suicide note confessing to his crime. His body was found four days after Mahalakshmi's.

Another death that had the whole country debating was that of 34-year-old software engineer Atul Subhash.

He too died of suicide on December 9, leaving behind a detailed 24-page suicide note and an 81-minute video that some men hail as manifesto for men's rights.

The case also threw spotlight on how dowry law was allegedly being misused by some women to harass their husbands. Incidentally, his wife Nikita Singhania, her mother and brother were arrested on December 14.

The gruesome accident of a CEO and his family of five on December 22 too caught the attention of the entire nation. That Chandram Yegapagol, 48, was driving 'responsibly' a new four-wheeler of a brand known for being a 'safe car', triggered another debate on lack of road safety in the country.

The Karnataka legislature passed a law in February mandating all name boards of commercial establishments to have 60 per cent Kannada language component.