1. Vokkaliga outfit opposes caste census report questioning relevance of 10-year-old survey Terming the Socio Economic and Educational Survey, popularly known as caste census, as an ‘unscientific’ document, the Bengaluru North Taluk Vokkaligara Sangha has opposed implementation of the caste census report by the Karnataka government. President of the Publicity Committee of the Sangha M.N. Pillappa cautioned the State government against ‘hurriedly’ implementing the report, as there are a lot of ‘loopholes’ in it. As the survey was conducted in 2015 and a lot of economic and social changes had taken place during the last 10 years, he said the caste census report prepared by the then chairperson of Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission H. Kantharaju is not relevant any more. He urged the State Government to conduct a fresh Socio, Economic and Educational Survey. 2. Karnataka truckers’ strike: Over 9,000 trucks go off roads in Mysuru, supply of vegetables impacted in Mangaluru Truckers in Mysuru began their indefinite strike from April 15, as a part of the State-wide agitation, in support of their demands. As many as 9,000 trucks went off the roads and goods transport activity has come to a halt. Besides the steep hike in diesel prices, protestors are also agitating against the hike in toll rates and fitness certificate (FC) fees for old trucks. In Mangaluru, the strike partly affected supply of vegetables but there was no dearth in the supply of fuel and domestic LPG cylinders. Vendors said supply of vegetables from other parts of Karnataka to the market in Mangaluru was partly affected. As a result of around 30% shortfall, prices of green and a few more vegetables had increased. 3. Five men held in Davanagere for assault on woman Davanagere police arrested five persons on the charge of assaulting and harassing a burkha-clad woman in public. The alleged assault, videos of which were shared on social media, took place on April 9 in Tavarkere village. The men could be seen beating her up with sticks and rubber pipes, accusing her of engaging in an extra-marital affair. Police traced the woman and learnt that the attackers were her relatives. She filed a complaint, which led to the arrest of the accused. The first information report lists charges of intimidation, insult, assault and attempt to murder against Mohammad Nayaz, Mohammad Ghouse, Mohammad Rasool, Inayat Ullah and Chand Pasha. They have been remanded in judicial custody. 4. BIAL official wins international award for research paper on AI Naga Satyanarayana Vattipalli, an official of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), has won the ACI Asia-Pacific and Middle East Young Executive Award 2025 for his submission to the annual research paper competition. The topic of this year’s programme was ‘How Artificial Intelligence will Transform Airports and Customer Experience’. In his paper, Mr. Vattipalli explored the opportunities and challenges associated with airports adopting Artificial Intelligence and related technologies to improve the overall passenger experience, and regulatory and ethical considerations, sustainability, and environmental impact. 5. Special trains to run between Mangaluru-Bengaluru for summer crowd Special trains will be operated between SMVT Bengaluru and Mangaluru Junction to clear the extra rush of passengers during summer holidays. Each train will have one first class AC coach, two AC 2-tier coaches, four AC 3-tier coaches, seven sleeper class coaches, four general second class coaches, and two general second class luggage-cum-brake van coaches (disabled-friendly).