From a filmmaker whose masterpiece set in coastal Karnataka found a permanent place in everyone’s heart to a cop whose measures have decongested Bengaluru’s roads to some extent here’s a list of the newsmakers of 2022 from Karnataka
MA Saleem, ADGP, Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic)
When the IPS officer was posted as Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) on Nov 14, the one-point mandate for him was very clear— to decongest Bengaluru’s roads. Accordingly, Saleem managed to free up major roads.
Rishabh Shetty, filmmaker and actor
His latest movie ‘Kantara’, focusing on the relationship between nature and human beings, and released in multiple languages, became a massive hit across the country, and was among the most popular movies in 2022.
Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress president
A veteran Congress leader from Karnataka, he was elected as the president of the Congress in Oct 2022, becoming the first non-Gandhi to lead the party in 24 years. He will be at the helm of affairs when Karnataka goes to polls in 2023.
Amrit Paul, IPS
He was in the news for all the wrong reasons and earned the noto-riety of becoming the first officer of the rank of ADGP to be arrested in the history of Karnataka. Heading the police recruitment wing, Paul was alleg-edly involved in the PSI recruitment scam.
Bhaskar Rao, state vice-president, AAP
The former IPS officer took VRS to jump into the rough and tumble of politics ahead of the 2023 polls. As vice-president of the Aam Aadmi Party’s state unit, Rao, a former Bengaluru City Police Commissioner, is the face of the party in K’taka.
Justice BS Patil, Lokayukta
With the Karnataka HC scrapping the Anti-Corruption Bureau and restoring the powers of Lokayukta to probe cases registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, the herculean task of fighting corruption shifted to Justice Patil.
Basavaraj Horatti, Chairman, Karnataka Legislative Council
The veteran leader left JDS recently to join the BJP, and was elected as the chairman of the Legislative Council. He has been a member of the Council since 1980.
Mohammed Shariq, terror accused
The 24-year old was injured in the November 19 Mangaluru auto-rickshaw blast. Named the prime accused, he was carrying a cooker bomb.
Baskar Subramanian, CEO, Amagi Media Labs
Co-founder and CEO of B’luru-based media technology provider Amagi, which joined the unicorn club in 2022. Its valuation now stands at $1.4 billion.
Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru of Murugha Mutt
The seer of the Lingayat mutt in Chitradurga was held on charges of sexually abusing girls in the schools run by the mutt. Sharanaru, who was once known for his revolutionary reforms, is now an accused in POCSO cases.