Here are the big stories from Karnataka today

Karnataka Today newsletter: Bengaluru city police file chargesheet against Darshan, 16 others in murder case, and more

Nearly three months after Renukaswamy, a salesman at a pharmacy chain in Chitradurga in Karnataka, was found dead in Bengaluru, police filed the chargesheet in the sensational case that has garnered continuous media coverage, on September 4. Actor Darshan, his partner Pavithra Gowda and 15 others have been arrested for the murder. The accused have been booked for murder, abduction, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence, among other charges.

The seven-volume chargesheet of 3,991 pages includes eight reports from Forensic Science Laboratory in Madiwala and the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Hyderabad. The chargesheet includes three witness accounts, 97 independent witnesses of which 27 have recorded their statements in front of a magistrate under Section 164 of Criminal Procedure Code. Including mahazar witnesses and police officials, the chargesheet lists a total of 231 witnesses. 

Actor Sruthi Hariharan has called for a forum in the Kannada film industry along the lines of the K. Hema Committee, which was constituted by the Government of Kerala following Women in Cinema Collective’s (WCC) petition in 2017.

Sruthi, known for films such as Lucia, Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu, Beautiful Manasugalu and Nathicharami, took to Instagram to express her opinion on the ongoing issue. “It would be great to have a committee similar to that of the Justice K. Hema Committee for an unbiased and fair investigation on the working conditions of women across all departments of the Kannada film industry,” she wrote.

The number of deaths due to accidents on the Bengaluru–Mysuru access controlled highway has drastically come down, according to the data provided by the police department. In August, there were two deaths on the highway. The data showed that, between January to August, in 2023, there were 147 deaths on the highway while the figure is 50 in 2024.

In January 2024, there were 12 deaths, and the numbers have reduced since then, and have not touched double digits. The police attributed this to several measures, including sectional speed detection systems, hybrid enforcement and registering of FIRs in case of severe violations. 

As per a resolution passed during the monthly council meeting of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC), a three-day public celebration of Ganesha festival — from September 7 to 9 — has been be allowed at Idgah Maidan, adjacent to Kittur Chennamma Circle, in Hubballi.