Row Over Umar Khalid 'Nationalist' Remark; ABVP Lashes Out At Congress Over Bengaluru Campus Screening

A political controversy has erupted in Bengaluru over the planned screening of 'Prisoner Number 626710 is present', a 2024 documentary on Umar Khalid, at the National Law School of India University. The ABVP opposed the event and wrote to union ministers seeking an inquiry and a ban on screening or promoting the film on campus. Meanwhile, the Congress-backed NSUI supported the screening, with Karnataka Congress leader BK Hariprasad defending Khalid as a nationalist and criticising the ABVP. Umar Khalid was arrested in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and Indian Penal Code provisions, and remains imprisoned while his trial is pending.

The Karnataka government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising officials from the police department, drug safety department, and commercial taxes to crack down on a major fake medicine racket. The state health minister affirmed zero tolerance against the drug mafia and sought central drug safety intervention. Investigators revealed that an operative handling Krupa Healthcare in Bengaluru was arrested for relabelling expired medicines and selling them at a 50% discount to clinics, hospitals, and pharmacies. The alleged kingpin behind the syndicate, identified as Prashant, is currently in Azerbaijan, with authorities issuing a lookout notice and coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs to extradite him.

In an interview with India Today, Dr. Vishal Rao, an oncologist at HCG Cancer Centre in Bengaluru, expressed deep concern over the fake cancer drug racket uncovered in hospitals. He described the supply of counterfeit oncology medicines as a critical disaster, warning that administering ineffective treatments delays care and allows life-threatening tumours to spread. Calling the issue a systemic failure across the supply chain, Dr. Rao stated, "No, I think this is a complete disaster." He emphasised that every chemotherapy dose is essential to saving lives and moving patients toward a cure. Dr. Rao urged regulatory authorities to implement strict electronic tracking systems, such as mandatory QR codes and barcode trails from manufacturer to hospital, to verify drug authenticity. He also called for severe penalties and comprehensive investigations to dismantle the underlying nexus.

A major fake medicine scam has been unearthed in Bengaluru, where counterfeit cancer drugs, intensive care unit injections, and life-saving medications were supplied to over ninety hospitals, clinics, and medical shops. The Karnataka Health Department and a Special Investigation Team conducted raids across the state, leading to the sealing of Krupa Healthcare at Minerva Circle in Bengaluru. Authorities revealed the facility rebranded low-cost and expired medicines inside their premises before distributing them across Karnataka at heavy discounts. Police are currently inspecting invoices and seized documents to dismantle the wider distribution network involved in the counterfeit drug trade.