73.25% voter turnout in Nilambur bye-election: At the close of polling for the Nilambur Assembly bye-election on Thursday, June 19, the turnout was 73.22% — down from 76.31% recorded during the 2024 Assembly polls. Counting of votes will commence at 8 am on June 23. There are 2,32,381 votes in the constituency, which includes 1,13,613 males, 1,18,760 females, eight transgender voters, and 10 candidates in the fray. P.V. Anvar kicks up fresh row by refusing to embrace UDF candidate Shoukath on poll day: P.V. Anvar, All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) Kerala State convener who is contesting the byelection in Nilambur as an Independent, kicked up a row by refusing to embrace United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate Aryadan Shoukath when they met at a polling station at Nilambur on Thursday (June 19, 2025) morning. Aryadan Shoukath walked up to Anvar and shook hands with him when they met at a polling station. However, Anvar warned Shoukath not to embrace him. ‘Because I feared it would be a Dhritarashtra embrace’, he said later
Ahmedabad air crash: Ranjitha’s family continues to wait for DNA test results.The family of Ranjitha Gopakumaran Nair, a 39-year-old nurse who tragically lost her life in the Air India flight crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, continues to wait for confirmation of her identity through DNA testing. The delay has deepened the anguish of her loved ones, who remain at her ancestral home in Pullad. According to officials, Ranjitha’s brother, Ratheesh G Nair, had provided a DNA sample in Ahmedabad, but results are yet to be released. As the process gets delayed, he, along with his uncle Unnikrishnan, is staying back there. “It may take some time as there are hundreds of DNA cases to process. From what we have learned, it could cause a further delay of a few days,” District Collector S Prem Krishnan said.
Kerala minister Sivankutty walks out of Raj Bhavan event over ‘Bharat Mata’ portrait: Education Minister V. Sivankutty walked out of an event held at the Raj Bhavan here on Thursday, registering his protest over a portrait of ‘Bharat Mata,’ allegedly holding an RSS flag, that was displayed on the dias. The incident that occured during the Rajya Puraskar award distribution ceremony of Bharat Scouts and Guides, attended by Governor Rajendra Arlekar, evoked a sharp response from the Raj Bhavan. This is the second instance in which a minister in the LDF government boycotted a Raj Bhavan event, objecting to the display of the Bharat Mata portrait. Agriculture Minister P Prasad had kept away from another event at the Raj Bhavan earlier this month over the same issue.
Woman dies by suicide after ‘mob trial’ in Kerala; three SDPI workers arrested. KANNUR: A 40-year-old woman, Rasina of Kayalodu, was found dead by suicide at her residence on Tuesday, reportedly following distress caused by a moral policing incident. The Pinarayi police have arrested three activists of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) in connection with the case. The arrests were made based on a suicide note left by the deceased, which implicated the accused. Those arrested have been identified as V.C. Mubashir (28), K.A. Faisal (34), and V.K. Rafnas (24), all residents within the Parambai police station limits. The trio was produced before a court and has been remanded in custody. The three accused intercepted Rasina and her male friend, questioning them over their presence together in public near Achangara in Kayalodu. While Rasina was later sent home, her friend was allegedly assaulted by the trio. The assailants reportedly seized his mobile phone and tablet before taking him to the SDPI office. He was released only after his relatives intervened. However, the accused allegedly refused to return the confiscated electronic devices. The police later recovered the phone and tablet from the arrested accused.
Not invited to Nilambur by-election campaign: Shashi Tharoor admits to differences with Congress leadership. Congress senior leader Shashi Tharoor chose the day of the crucial Nilambur by-election to publicly express his dissatisfaction with the party’s state leadership. “You all know that I have some differences of opinion with the current Congress leadership in the state. However, these are issues to be discussed within the party forum,” he told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday after returning from an all-party delegation to the United States. The Congress Working Committee member dismissed speculation about switching allegiance to the BJP, stating firmly that he is not going anywhere. Expressing his resentment at not being invited to campaign for the Nilambur bypoll, Tharoor said, “I only attend programmes for which I am invited. I am a polite person.” It was TNIE that first reported that Tharoor had not been invited by the state leadership to campaign in Nilambur.
Sallapam’ to be lifeline for senior citizens battling loneliness: Announced by Social Justice Minister R Bindu recently, the project envisages trained social workers to become ‘phone friends’ of senior citizens, offering them a listening ear, empathy, and companionship. The plan is to integrate ‘Sallapam’ with the ‘Elderline’ helpline number — 14567 — for senior citizens so that tele-counsellors can follow up on those who need additional psycho-social support. “We receive close to 500 calls on Elderline every day and the priority has been tackling emergencies faced by senior citizens. However, several elderly people call just to kill their loneliness. The Sallapam project is intended for them,” department director Arun S Nair told. The department plans to rope in master of Social Work (MSW) students and provide them with training through the Elderline staff. The details of senior citizens who need psycho-social support will be directed to the student volunteers, who will in turn, contact them once or twice a week based on their convenience. The entire activity will be monitored by Elderline. “The project will be beneficial for both the elderly and the students. While the mental and emotional well-being of senior citizens will improve due to the frequent interaction with youngsters, students specialising in social work will also benefit as it provides them with practical experience,” the official explained.
Kerala official suspended for casteist post on Ahmedabad plane crash victim; A Kerala government employee has been suspended after he reportedly wrote a post on Facebook insulting Ranjitha G Nair, a 39-year-old nurse who died in the Ahmedabad Air India disaster on June 12. Revenue Minister K Rajan confirmed that A Pavithran, a junior superintendent at the Vellarikundu Taluk office in Kasargod district, was suspended after he made derogatory remarks about the victim’s caste and government job status. “This is a despicable act on the part of the Deputy Tehsildar. The order to suspend him was issued immediately after this post came to my attention,” the minister said in a Facebook statement. Pavithran, in his post, referred to Ranjitha’s caste, saying, “A Nair woman from Kerala passed away. She went to the UK after taking leave from the state government job she got and spoiling another person’s opportunity. Not feeling anything. Condolences to all.” The Nair community is considered a high-caste group in Kerala. The suspension comes amid widespread mourning for the victims of the crash, and many have called Pavithran’s comments insensitive and casteist. Ranjitha was working as a nurse in the United Kingdom and had returned to India just four days earlier to complete paperwork related to her government job here. She was returning to the UK to quit her job there and resume service in Kerala.
How the recent shipwrecks endanger Kerala’s fisherfolk: Even as two shipwrecks within two weeks—the Liberian-flagged MSC Elsa 3 sinking off the Kochi coast on May 24 and the Singapore-registered MV Wan Hai 503 erupting in flames off the Azhikkal coast on June 10—turned the spotlight on maritime safety in the backdrop of hundreds of vessels moving close to the shore with the Vizhinjam international port in the first stage of going full operational, as well as on the damage caused to marine biodiversity in the region, the one-million-strong local fishing community inhabiting Kerala’s 600-km-long coast has been left to deal with the repercussions on their livelihood without compensation, especially with a ban on trawling since the midnight of June 10-11. The majority of the fisherfolk in Kerala eke out a living below the poverty line. The marine fish catch in the state fell from 6.9 lakh tonnes in 2022-23 to 5.81 lakh tonnes in 2023-24, placing Kerala in the third position among all the states in fish production, after Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Due to climate change, juvenile fishing, overfishing and unscientific fishing, the marine fish catch has shown a declining trend over the last decade. Around 45,707 registered fishing vessels operate in the state’s marine sector, including seven deep-sea vessels, 6,948 motorised and 3,894 non-motorised vessels, and 34,858 catamaran boats used by traditional fishermen. According to district-wise data on fish production provided by the Kerala fisheries department, Ernakulam recorded the highest marine fish production, followed by Kollam and Kozhikode in 2023-24. These three districts contributed 68.7 per cent of the total marine fish production. Chirocentrus, catfish, carangids, leiognathidae and penaeid prawn are listed among the major marine fish species netted from the state’s coastal areas.
Kasaragod fake currency kingpin extradited to India from Dubai after 12 years: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday arrested a key accused in the 2013 Kasaragod Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) case following his extradition from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The accused, Moideenabha Ummer Beary alias Moideen, had been in the custody of UAE authorities since 2015. Moideen was taken into custody by an NIA team at Mumbai International Airport upon his arrival from Dubai on June 19. He was then flown to Kochi in Kerala and produced before the NIA Special Court in Ernakulam. Wanted in four separate FICN cases registered in 2013, Moideen is a native of Karnataka’s Udupi district. According to the NIA, he conspired with others to procure high-quality counterfeit Indian currency worth Rs 31 lakh from the UAE. The fake currency was trafficked into India by a co-accused, Usman, via Bengaluru and later circulated in and around the Kasaragod district, Kerala.
Not A Single Case In Kerala Film Industry Sex Abuse Hema Committee Report: Not a single incident mentioned in the Justice K Hema Committee report is going to be pursued legally towards a trial seeking conviction. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) that was tasked with pursuing legal action on 35 incidents of sexual harassment or misogyny mentioned in the report has decided to file FAD (further action dropped) reports in all of them.
An officer who requested anonymity said they were left with no option but to drop the cases as the survivors who shared their experiences with the probe panel did not seem inclined to record statements. “Further action dropped reports have been filed in 21 cases, and we are going to be doing that for the rest of the 14 cases as well,” the officer said. The Justice Hema committee was appointed in 2017. It submitted a report to the government in 2019, but it was only in August 2024 that a redacted version of the report was released, after which the SIT was formed by the Kerala government. The Justice Hema Committee looked into the condition of women in the Malayalam film industry. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) that was tasked with pursuing legal action on 35 incidents of sexual harassment or misogyny mentioned in the report has decided to file FAD (further action dropped) reports in all of them. The officer said. “Those who testified before the Hema committee did not intend to pursue legal action. Some of the details we sought, they were unable to or unwilling to provide,” an officer said. Why they were unwilling or hesitant to record their statements is not clear. In submissions to various courts, the SIT reportedly said it was unable to proceed without the cooperation of survivors. The team has clarified that the probe can only resume when survivors are ready to engage with the legal process. Without the participation of survivors, the legal process has been forced to be abandoned, they said. Whether the survivors were unwilling because they feared repercussions, or whether they did not believe justice would be done, or were simply unwilling to relive their trauma or draw public attention to themselves, is not clear.
