A Greater Bengaluru Authority engineer was assaulted during a footpath encroachment clearance drive near the Shivajinagar Bus Stand on July 21, 2026.
\| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
1. GBA engineer assaulted during footpath clearance drive near Shivajinagar, 10 persons arrested
The Commercial Street police have arrested 10 persons in connection with the alleged assault on a Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) official during a footpath encroachment clearance drive near the Shivajinagar Bus Stand on July 21, 2026. According to officials, the main accused, Basavaraj Pudukote, is president of the State unit of Karnataka Sene. He is yet to be arrested.
Authorities said all those arrested so far have been booked under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. According to officials, Assistant Executive Engineer Madhav Rao was attacked while supervising an anti-encroachment operation conducted by GBA personnel. The assailants allegedly obstructed the drive before assaulting the officer, and fleeing from the spot.
2. Scientists compile largest meta-dataset of tree inventory studies from India
A new study led by researchers from the National Centre for Biological Sciences and other institutions has compiled InvenTree-meta, the largest meta-dataset of tree inventory studies from India. The database brings together information from 465 published studies conducted between 1991 and 2023, spanning more than 4,650 hectares of forests across all of India’s biomes.
Despite being home to some of the world’s most diverse and human-influenced forests, South Asia, especially India, contributes little to global forest databases. By harmonising datasets of tree inventory studies from India into a common framework, the researchers say, Indian forests could become a much stronger part of global ecological analyses.
3. Narcotics worth ₹15.29 crore seized, 17 persons arrested in Bengaluru
In one of the biggest coordinated anti-narcotics operations in recent weeks, the Bengaluru City Police arrested 17 drug peddlers — one foreign national, 10 persons from other States, and six local residents — and seized narcotics. City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said that the coordinated operations were carried out by the Central Crime Branch along with police.
Police seized 13.135 kg of MDMA, 181.3 grams of cocaine, 15 grams of heroin, 59.322 kg of ganja, 7 kg of opium, and 225 grams of mephedrone. They also seized six mobile phones, a car and a two-wheeler allegedly used in the drug trade. According to officials, the CCB alone accounted for narcotics worth nearly ₹14 crore in the overall seizures.
4. Modernisation of Mangaluru fishing harbour will be over by May, 2027, Karnataka tells Union government
The Karnataka government has reported to the Union government that modernisation and upgradation of the Mangaluru fishing harbour project has achieved a physical progress of 25%. The State government has reported that the pending components of the project are scheduled to be completed by May 21, 2027.
Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh told the Lok Sabha that the Centre approved a proposal of the Karnataka government for modernisation and upgradation of the harbour at a cost of ₹37.47 crore in 2024 with the Central share of ₹22.48 crore under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). In that, the State government has spent ₹6.31 crore.
Published - July 21, 2026 07:25 pm IST