'Mysuru 2014', a controversial year

The year 2014 that is drawing towards its end saw Mysuru make bold headlines, for all the wrong reasons. From life threatening incidents, to dirty linen being washed in public, Mysuru saw it all.

Attack on a woman IAS officer, a woman government employee revealing her relationship with a high profile politician of the district, (dropping a bombshell ahead of Parliamentary elections), and the survival of a 12-year-old girl from a near fatal experience on Independence Day eve, grabbed the attention of the State. There was also the incident of the director of Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) being attacked.

The year dawned with the infamous incident of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) activists allegedly blackening the face of CFTRI Director S Ram Rajasekharan on January 9. Rajasekharan, who arrived at Rani Bahadur Auditorium in Manasagangotri, for an international seminar, was attacked by the waiting Kannada activists for his alleged anti-Kannada stand by refusing permission for holding Kannada related programmes at the Institute. Though 20 activists were suspected to have been behind the attack, five among them were arrested and released later.

Startling revelations

On February 11, the politicalcircle was sent into a tizzy after Premakumari, a second division assistant at the deputy commissioner’s office in Chikkamagalur, made startling revelations. She made public her relationship with a high profile former minister of BJP, on February 11. This lead to a dramatic incident, with the leader in question attempting to end life at his guest house near Vivekananda Nagar.

Premakumari later lodged a complaint of attempt to murder against the said leader and his brother at Saraswatipuram police station. Eventually, the case was handed over to Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which recently submitted its chargesheet in the case.

On August 14, Ranjitha, the 12-year-old tribal girl hit the headlines for getting caught in the loop and finding herself hanging from a flagpole. Ranjitha, a class six student of a Government School at V V Mohalla here had been assigned with the task on the eve of Independence Day celebrations. Though she survived the near fatal incident, she had to battle for life for sometime, before she made a recovery. Two teachers were suspended for dereliction of duty, besides slapped with a police case.

Also, what kept Mysuru in the limelight was the attack on IAS officer Rashmi V Mahesh. Rashmi,  who is the Director General of Administrative Training Institute (ATI) on Lalith Mahal road, was holding the additional charge of Regional Commissioner of Mysuru.

On October 15, Rashmi was attacked by a mob of 30 at the ATI campus. Preceding the attack, the Manager of ATI Mess Venkatesh was found drowned in the sump in the same campus. Relatives of Venkatesh, turned their anger on Rashmi for abetting his alleged suicide. Unfazed, Rashmi uncovered the alleged misdeeds of her predecessor (the spectre of attack on her) Amita Prasad, who had misappropriated funds to the tune of over Rs 100 crore.

The issue continues to dog the Police department especially, with the ongoing Criminal Investigation Department (CID) inquiry into the allegations of police lapses that led to the incident. On the other hand, over 30 accused in the case were arrested by Nazarbad police.