Kollam police books Kesari editor N.R. Madhu on charges of creating enmity between communities.The State police have indicted the editor of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) mouthpiece, Kesari, N. R. Madhu, for allegedly committing the offence of promoting enmity between different groups and doing acts prejudicial to the maintenance of communal harmony, as specified in Section 196 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) by “denigrating” Ambedkarite rapper Hirandas Murali, aka Vedan, as a “caste terrorist”. Mr. Madhu had allegedly portrayed Vedan, who hails from the Dalit community, as a “disreputable character” who makes a mockery of art and injects caste venom in society. Mr. Madhu allegedly claimed that divisive forces and those who aspired to disintegrate the country backed Vedan. He decried temple management contracting Vedan for rhythm and poetry shows during festivals. He said they might as well hold “cabaret performances”. The police were examining whether Mr. Madhu violated the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. Mr. Madhu had come under flak for alleging that Kerala’s streets reeked of charred meat. Only Hindus died consuming shawarma, an Arabic dish consisting of thin slices of marinated meat, which has gained massive popularity in Kerala, and not “Christians or Muslims”.
Shashi Tharoor denies AICC action against him for his statements on Operation Sindoor.
MP Shashi Tharoor has dismissed news reports that he has been reprimanded by the Congress high command for his statements related to Operation Sindhoor or US intervention in the Kashmir issue. Speaking to the media on Thursday, Tharoor said that he is yet to be informed about any actions. “I don’t know where it (the news) comes from. I was in a closed-door meeting of the Congress Working Committee on Wednesday. I was there till 6.37pm. The meeting began at 4.30pm. And I must say that in that time there was no reference to any of these and certainly no reference to me. If something happened there after, I am yet to be informed. When I am informed, I will react. There is no point in reacting to something of which there is no official communication of any kind,” he said. He also said that what Jairam Ramesh said was correct.
“I am not a spokesperson of the party or the government either. The people think that I have some knowledge about these subjects and they come and ask my views. And I make it very clear that I am expressing my views. My party has declared complete solidarity with the government and armed forces at the beginning of the conflict. It is important to rally around the flag, especially when internationally there is relatively a lack of our point being heard, particularly in Europe, the Middle East and the US. When stations from these countries approached me, I felt I must try and give a point of view that reflects accurately in my understanding what India believes stands for and would have done,” he said. Tharoor also said the parliamentary committee of which he is the chairman, would be briefed on coming Monday. Meanwhile, Congress released a list of members for delegation, surprising that the same did not contain the name of Tharoor.
K Sudhakaran’s remark over his removal from KPCC president post leaves leaders, supporters in a tight spot. Sudhakaran’s criticism against his removal from the post of Congress chief by the national leadership has not been taken positively by the high command. Former presidents Thennala Balakrishnapilla, PP Thankachan, VM Sudheeran, Mullapally Ramachandran and MM Hassan left without any honour. K Muralidharan and Ramesh Chennithala were two exceptions. K Sudhakaran has also been elevated to the working committee by the high command.. As the AICC has given a free hand to the new team led by KPCC president Sunny Joseph in reorganisation, the leaders close to Sudhakaran are in high hopes of being accommodated in the newly formed committees at various levels.
In a first for party, IUML appoints two women as national office-bearers: Sending a clear signal that the party will not toe the line of orthodox sections in the Muslim community that are against women’s entry into public life, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has appointed two women as its national office-bearers — a first for the party. Fathima Muzaffer and Jayanthi Rajan were named the national assistant secretaries at the party’s national council held in Chennai on Thursday. Fathima, a native of Chennai, is the national president of the Indian Union Women’s League and a working committee member of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board. She is also a member of the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board. Jayanthi Rajan, who is from Pulpally in Wayanad, is the leader of the Dalit League.
Turkish firm handling ground operations in airports, including Kochi ousted. A Turkish firm handling ground operations in various airports in the country, including Kochi, was denied security clearance by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). The move follows the Turkish government openly supporting Pakistan post ‘Operation Sindoor’ by the Indian Armed Forces after the Pahalgam terror attack. Celebi Airport Services India Pvt Ltd provides the services at nine airports — Kochi, Kannur, Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Goa, and Ahmedabad. The development is expected to affect international flight operations from these airports, including Kochi and Kannur.
Congress plans to regain lost ground in Central Kerala. As the new KPCC team, led by president Sunny Joseph, returns to Kerala after winding up its maiden meeting with high command, it is expected that the predominant focus of the new leadership will be to strengthen its base in Central Kerala. The AICC leadership is of the view that restoring its lost prominence in Central Kerala will be crucial in returning to power in Kerala after a decade-long gap. Earlier, election strategist Sunil Kanagolu had also submitted a report highlighting UDF’s vulnerabilities in the region and recommended strategies to bolster both the party and the coalition. The Central Kerala districts, stretching from Pathanamthitta to Thrissur, are traditionally considered as strongholds of the UDF. However, UDF had struggled significantly in these districts for the past few Assembly elections. Collectively, these districts account for 55 Assembly seats, yet the UDF managed to secure only 16 seats in the 2021 Assembly elections, a further decline from the 20 seats it won in 2016. When the UDF came to power last time in 2011, the coalition had secured 30 seats from these districts. However, while UDF failed to secure a single seat in Pathanamthitta, we got only one seat in Idukki. Even in Kottayam, the UDF won only four out of nine seats. We need to significantly improve our performance in the Central Travancore region to regain power,” said a senior Congress leader. The leadership is also concerned about UDF’s poor performance in Thrissur, where it could win only one out of 13 seats in the last election. “The Christian community is often regarded as a strong supporter of the UDF. However, the coalition’s performance in predominantly Christian areas has been notably disappointing, with the exception of Ernakulam,” said a former KPCC general secretary.
Youth killed in shocking road rage incident involving CISF officers in Kochi’s Nedumbassery. An incident of road rage ended in the shocking death of a 24-year-old man, Ivin Jijo, allegedly at the hands of two Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) .The CISF personnel involved — sub-inspector Vinayakumar and constable Mohan Kumar, both natives of Bihar attached to the Kochi airport — have been arrested by the Nedumbassery police on charges of murder. Mohan is currently undergoing treatment for injuries suffered in the aftermath of the incident, police said. The incident occurred around 11 pm when Ivin, a native of Thuravoor near Angamaly and a chef at a CAFS airline caterers in Nedumbassery, was reportedly hit by the car driven by the CISF personnel and dragged for nearly a kilometre while he was on the vehicle’s bonnet. After Ivin fell off the bonnet, he was dragged for almost another 50 metres. According to preliminary police findings, the incident began with a minor road altercation between the two parties near the Government Higher Secondary School in Nayathode, around 8 km from the Kochi airport. The CISF personnel’s vehicle, which was driven by Mohan Kumar, was behind Ivin’s car and reportedly honked aggressively in an attempt to overtake. A minor collision ensued while they overtook Ivin. This led to a heated argument. Eyewitnesses said after the initial altercation, Ivin attempted to confront the officials again. He began recording the confrontation on his phone, which appeared to have further rankled the CISF personnel. Standing in front of their vehicle, he sought an explanation for their conduct. It was then, witnesses claim, the duo accelerated the car, causing Ivin to fall on its bonnet, and drove off — dragging him for nearly a kilometre. As residents gathered, Vinayakumar fled. He was later nabbed by the police. Elias, a resident who alerted the police, said: “The left side of Ivin’s body was crushed in the incident. We waited for an ambulance as we were afraid that moving him would worsen his condition.”
In Kerala, no textbooks for two weeks of the new school year, only social awareness. Kerala schools will kick off the 2025 academic year to begin in June, with the first two weeks focused on social awareness. These programmes will cover issues like drug abuse, hygiene and digital discipline, instead of the regular textbook curriculum. This initiative is the first of its kind in the country and aims to educate students on pressing social issues. Education Minister V Sivankutty shared that the awareness campaigns will address a range of topics, including drug abuse, destruction of public property and emotional control.
