Illegal mining: CBI meets Chief Secretary

BANGALORE: A team of senior officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) met the Chief Secretary and sought the cooperation of the state government in its investigation into the alleged illegal mining by two companies in Bellary district.According to highly placed sources, CBI officials met Chief Secretary S V Ranganath based on directions of the Supreme Court, which is monitoring the case.The Supreme Court gave permission to the investigation agency to hold inquiry into the alleged illegal mining by former minister G Janardhana Reddy, who is now in judicial custody.The CBI has also been granted permission to inquire into the alleged illegal mining by the Associated Mining Company (AMC) and Deccan Mining Syndicate, both of BANDH which are operating in Bellary.Confirming the visit of the CBI sleuths to the Vidhana Soudha, highly-placed officials informed Express that the government has promised all cooperation to the investigation agency.BELLARY RIOTS ACCUSED ARRESTEDBELLARY: City police who had been searching for K S Diwakar, a corporator of the 18th ward in Bellary, in connection with, ransacking of some offices at Deputy Commissioner’s office premises on September 6 during the Bellary bandh, have finally arrested him on Friday.Some miscreants had ransacked offices at DC’s office premises, during the BJP sponsored bandh called to protest the arrest of former minister G Janardhana Reddy.DC office staff and police had identified some BJP activists along with corporator Diwakar and others who came on two-wheelers and ransacked the AC office, office of urban development cell and some other offices at the DC office premises.The accused corporator was avoiding police arrest since then, but on Friday, when he came to visit a house of his relative, in Ganesh Colony, police swung into action and arrested him.Gandhinagar and Bucepet police teams took part in arresting the accused corporator