TUMKUR DC INJURED;

Madikeri October 4, 2006

The Deputy Commissioner Umashankar and his family were injured in a road accident here yesterday.

The car he was traveling was hit by another car in a curve, five kilometers from here. The family incurred minor injuries.

They were sent in a different car by the district administration.

The family was going towards Udipi from Mysore.

A case was registered by taluk police.

BANDH TOTAL;

The bandh held in response to urge implementation of Mahajan Report was total in Kodagu.

Shops and business establishments remained closed while private busses remained off road. The government busses sent with police escort were also stopped after the request by Kannada activists. Essential services were not hit as organizers allowed such vehicles to ply. Schools and colleges remained closed. Even the government offices and banks remained unopened, bringing life in Kodagu to a stand still.

Tourists and passengers who had been camping and traveling in Kodagu had a hard time with no hotels and vehicular movements.

Kannada Sahitya Parishadh president T.P.Ramesh, Chamber of Commerce General secretary G.Chidvilas, Baby Mathew and others took the lead at Madikeri and held a day long protest at General Thimmaiah circle. Vehicles were blocked in main entrances while only private vehicles were seen shuttling in the town on occasions. Auto rikshaw and taxies were also off road. Scenario at Virajpet and Somwarpet was not different. Kannada activists were actively scene shouting slogans in support of Kannada and Karnataka.

Superintendent of police Ramachandra Rao said and in all the three talukas was peaceful and incident free. He said that bandh was voluntarily held in Kodagu without any resistance for the cause of the state.