Here are the big stories from Karnataka today

BJP and JD(S) MLAs and MLCs stage a protest demanding the resignation of Planning and Statistics Minister B. Nagendra, accused of embezzling money from the Maharshi Valmiki Development Corporation, in front of Maharshi Valmiki statue at the Legislators' Home (LH) campus, in Bengaluru on August 21, 2026. | Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K 1. Ruling and opposition parties protest outside Vidhan Soudha over resignation of Minister B. NagendraEven as the Legislature session this week was almost washed out by opposition BJP and Janata Dal (S) seeking the resignation of Planning & Statistics Minister B. Nagendra, ruling and opposition parties staged separate protests on August 21, 2026. Mr. Nagendra had resigned as minister in 2024 after his name surfaced in the alleged embezzlement of ₹187 crore in the Maharshi Valmiki Development Corporation. He was inducted into the Cabinet when CM D.K. Shivakumar expanded his ministry.The ruling Congress leaders, including Mr. Nagendra himself, staged a protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in the Vidhan Soudha premises, seeking smooth conduct of legislature session to discuss the drought, drinking water and fodder shortages in districts, and condemned the BJP-JD(S) for disrupting the session. Meanwhile, BJP legislators staged a protest in front of Maharshi Valmiki’s statue in the nearby Legislator’s Home premises pressing for Mr. Nagendra’s resignation.2. Southern states deserve fairer share of national wealth based on earnings: CM D.K. ShivakumarKarnataka’s Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar sought a fairer share of national resources for southern States, highlighting his State’s contribution to India’s economic growth, and cautioning that excessive enforcement action was driving some wealthy businesspersons out of the country.On August 21, 2026, he inaugurated Samvada, a two-day conference organised by the Bengaluru branch of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). Addressing the gathering, Mr. Shivakumar said southern India was playing a major role in national development and deserved an equitable share of resources.3. Chitradurga accident: Two dead, 26 students from Bengaluru college injured as private bus topples in HiriyurTwo persons died and 26 students were injured when a private bus overturned on National Highway 48 near Aimangala in Hiriyur taluk in the early hours of Friday (August 21, 2026). The driver, Guruprasad, and the cleaner, Shankar, died on the spot. The injured were shifted to Chitradurga.The bus was carrying about 56 students of Universal Nursing College, Arekere, Bannerghatta, who were returning to Bengaluru after a trip to Goa, when the accident occurred around 5.30 a.m. Police suspect the driver’s negligence caused the accident — he reportedly lost control of the vehicle, which then toppled into a roadside drain.4. ₹9 crore cash seized from car going from Bengaluru to Tamil NaduIncome Tax officials seized ₹9 crore in unaccounted cash from an SUV, which was allegedly going from Bengaluru towards Hosur in Tamil Nadu, near Electronics City, police said. They detained one of the occupants of the car, identified as Sachin, 42, of Sindhu Jewellers in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu.On August 18, on a request from the I-T Department, Bengaluru City Police intercepted the SUV, bearing registration number KL 20 T 8629, near BETL Toll on Hosur Road around 10.30 p.m. The night beat staff escorted the vehicle and its occupants to the Electronics City police station. Subsequently, they were handed over to Income Tax officials. Published - August 21, 2026 06:43 pm IST