Congress, BJP protest in Kerala, seek resignation of Minister KT Jaleel over ED probe

September 12, 2020, 8:39 pm

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Controversy

Amid protests, the CPI(M) has come out in support of the Kerala Minister of Higher Education who was on Friday quizzed by the Enforcement Directorate.

PTI

FB / BJP Keralam

Widespread protests rocked the state of Kerala throughout Saturday as opposition party members took to the streets demanding the resignation of Minister KT Jaleel after he was questioned in connection with the gold smuggling case. The Minister for Higher Education was on Friday quizzed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an alleged Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) violation. It has been alleged that he accepted consignments of the Quran brought from UAE through diplomatic channels, in violation of FCRA norms, and his statement was recorded by the ED in connection with the same. Despite the heavy downpour at many places, the Youth Congress, Yuva Morcha, BJP, Congress and the Youth League staged protests in various places, including Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Malappuram, Idukki and Kottayam, demanding the minister's resignation. In many places including Thiruvananthapuram, the protests turned violent as the police had to resort to batons, water cannons and tear gas. In the state capital, protesters tried to barge into the Secretariat, following which police lathicharged them, due to which a few protesters were injured. The protesters also marched to Jaleel's house in Malappuram but were stopped by police some distance away. The alleged FCRA violation emerged after the Minister’s name surfaced in connection with Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case. It was following this that the Minister said that she was contacted on the direction of the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram, in connection with gifts distributed from the consulate as part of Ramadan. The Minister had earlier admitted that the consignment containing the Quran had been received from the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram, which a top Customs official had referred to as "a prima facie violation of FCRA" (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act). Read: Gold smuggling case: ED questions Kerala Minister KT Jaleel Demand for resignation politically motivated: CPI(M) Meanwhile, the CPI(M) State Secretariat, which met on Saturday, said in a statement that it was "unnatural" that the Enforcement Directorate head had himself revealed in Delhi on Friday that it had sought information from Jaleel."There is an allegation that ED is an agency that is being politically used,” it said. The party also described the resignation demanded by Congress and BJP to be "politically motivated." CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury told reporters in Delhi that the agitation by the opposition was in view of the upcoming Assembly elections."The main opposition UDF, led by the Congress and the BJP, which is interested in destabilising all non-BJP ruled governments in the country, is doing this campaign. The state government and the party has made it very clear that action will be taken against wrong-doers," he said. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala lashed out at Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and said he was protecting the Minister."The Chief Minister has been protecting the Minister. Not only Jaleel, the whole ministry is a disgrace to the state. This ministry is a liability to the state," he alleged. However, the CPI(M) said the opposition United Democratic Front was trying to shift the attention from Rs 150 crore jewellery scam case where Muslim League MLA MC Kammruddin is an accused."The UDF is trying to shift the attention from its MLA's multi-crore scam. Just because ED sought an explanation from the minister, the Congress and the BJP are seeking the resignation of the minister. This just proved that Congress is the B-team of the BJP. The same Congress had earlier alleged that the BJP was politically using the ED," the CPI(M) statement said. The party also listed out the instances in which the Congress leaders were grilled by the ED in recent past and that P Chidambaram and DK Sivakumar were arrested by the Directorate."Rajasthan transport minister Prathap Singh Kacharyavasan was questioned by ED for seven hours in August. Seems like the Congress leadership in Kerala is unaware of it. The brother of the Rajasthan Chief Minister was raided recently," the party said. The BJP observed a "black day" in the state on Saturday to protest the police action against its activists on Friday night during demonstrations.

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Periya twin murder case: Kerala govt moves SC against CBI probe

September 12, 2020, 9:43 pm

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Crime

The case pertains to the murder of two Youth Congress workers in Kerala’s Kasaragod in 2019. A CPI(M) local leader is the key accused in the case.

TNM Staff

Weeks after a division bench of the Kerala High Court upheld the decision by a single bench allowing a CBI probe into the controversial Periya twin murder case, the CPI(M)-led LDF government in the state has moved the Supreme Court with an appeal. The state government has asked the SC to immediately stay the High Court order, reports News 18 Malayalam. The controversial case pertains to the murder of 22-year-old Kripesh and 24-year-old Sharath Lal, two Youth Congress workers in Kerala’s Kasaragod. CPI(M) local leader Peethambaran is the key accused in the murder of the duo which happened in February 2019. The Kerala High Court on the plea of the parents of the youths had ordered a CBI probe into the case last October. The government had then moved a division bench of the Kerala High Court against the order, but the division bench had also dismissed the appeal and upheld the CBI probe. Though the division bench upheld the CBI probe, it had quashed the single bench decision of rejecting the chargesheet submitted by the Crime Branch in the case. Reportedly, the division bench has said that the trial court can consider reports to be filed by CBI and the chargesheet filed by the Crime Branch. The state government has now reportedly stated in the Supreme Court that since the High Court has upheld the chargesheet, there was no need for a CBI probe as it states that investigation by the police is on the right track. Though it had been almost a year after the High Court ordered a CBI probe into the case, the investigation agency in August had stated in the High Court that it has not been able to move ahead with the probe as the appeal filed by the state government in the division bench had not resolved the case. It is following this that the division bench upheld the single bench order for CBI probe. But within weeks, the state government has approached the SC. Read: Periya twin murder: ‘Not able to continue probe’, CBI tells Kerala High Court Meanwhile, the leaders of the Congress party, have lashed out at the government, saying that it should not use the state’s exchequer to appeal in a case where CPI(M) leaders are the prime accused. Congress MLAs had earlier in the state assembly alleged that the government had spent a hefty amount for leading lawyers who appeared against the CBI probe in High Court. Former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy reportedly said that it was heartbreaking to hear that the state government moved SC against the CBI probe. Watch visuals of police retrieving weapons used for the murder:

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Kerala man arrested for allegedly beating father to death

September 12, 2020, 10:02 pm

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Crime

The son had earlier alleged that his father had died because he hit his head after coming home drunk.

TNM Staff

A 25-year-old Ernakulam native was arrested on Saturday by the police as it surfaced that his father, who died on Tuesday, was allegedly attacked by him. Rahul Dev was arrested by the Ernakulam Rural Police after his father’s post-mortem report revealed that he had incurred serious injuries in the abdomen after allegedly being thrashed. It was on Tuesday that Paravur native Jaladharan passed away after being admitted to hospital with stomach pain and vomiting. According to police, after Jaladharan died, his elder son Rahul Dev reached the Paravur police station and said that his father had died by hitting his head after coming home drunk. According to a statement released by police, a case of unnatural death was registered on the direction of Ernakulam District Police Chief K Karthick. “The post-mortem held at the Government Medical College in Ernakulam revealed that the man had died due to injuries he incurred by heavy blows he received in his abdomen. In the following probe, it surfaced that the man and the son used to enter into a drunken brawl,” said the police statement. According to the police, no one else in the house had noticed the attack by the son as it was usual for the duo to enter into fights after getting drunk. “Even when the family members brought the man to a private hospital in Paravur, they did not know about the attack. It was in the investigation after post-mortem, it revealed that the son had thrashed the father. He has been charged with murder and more sections will be added following further questioning,” added the official. The accused is presently remanded in judicial custody. According to officials, the crime was unearthed by a team led by Aluva Deputy Superintendent of Police G Venu, North Paravur SHO Shajo Varghese, and Sub Inspector Arun Dev. Read: Why a Kerala court closed 2 UAPA cases against Maoist leader Roopesh

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‘Ramesh Chennithala does his job well as Oppn Leader’: An intv with Oommen Chandy

September 13, 2020, 2:00 am

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Interview

Kerala's most popular mass leader of the Congress Oommen Chandy speaks to TNM on completing 50 years as a legislator.

Saritha S Balan

At 76, Oommen Chandy still remains the biggest crowd puller for the Congress in Kerala. A two-time Chief Minister and a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), he will be completing 50 years as legislator of the state Assembly on September 17. He has been elected to the Puthuppally Assembly constituency in Kottayam district since 1970.  In an interview to TNM, Oommen Chandy says Rahul Gandhi should be back to lead the Congress, the party gave him more than he deserves and that he is ever committed to Puthuppally.  The Assembly Elections are eight months away in Kerala. What do you make of the United Democratic Front (UDF- headed by the Congress)’s chances to return to power? In the 2016 elections, the victory of the LDF was the result of a false propaganda and the UDF failed in checking that. The propaganda was that there was deep-rooted corruption.They raised the bar scam (that the bar owners bribed then Finance Minister KM Mani to reopen the bars in the state). But KM Mani has come out hundred percent clean in it. A vigilance report had come during the tenure of the UDF itself and the LDF did a fresh probe after they came to power. There were no findings against him in that too. The LDF should apologize to people for baseless allegations. And also regarding the allegations related to Saritha S Nair, (key accused in the solar scam) the LDF could  prove nothing.  They even brought eight adjournment motions in a single session of the Assembly on the same issue. When a judicial probe was on, they couldn't submit even a single piece of evidence to prove their allegations.  If the UDF were to come to power, who would be the Chief Minister? The decision would be taken by the High Command and there won't be any dispute over that. The decision of the High Command will be final. If the question was aimed at me as well, the party has given enough opportunities to me and I have received more love than I deserve from the people and I am fully content with that.  If that is the case, would you not be a contender for the CM post? Would you tell the High Command not to consider you? It's all up to the High Command and I would adhere to the decision, whatever is. What do you think of Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala as a contender for the CM post? He has done his job well as a President of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) and doing the same as an Opposition Leader. The issues he brought to the fore against the government have all proved to be true finally though the government and the Chief Minister denied, tried to demean them.            Oomen Chandy with Ramesh Chennithala, Mullappally Ramachandran and K Muraleedharan In national politics, is it possible for the Congress to make a comeback? Yes it's beyond doubt. Only with the return of the Congress can the country move forward in its real spirit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has implemented a slew of things, but was there a single one that was useful for the nation? Demonetisation has crushed small-scale traders and killed thousands and lakhs of job opportunities. Also when GST was about to roll out, the Congress had urged the government not to push it out in haste or to implement GST with VAT. But the BJP went ahead. What is the situation now?  GST has destroyed many of the firms in the country.  But the Congress continues to have an interim head? There is no leadership crisis in the Congress. What was the content of a recent letter from Congress leaders to Sonia Gandhi? And yes it was wrong for the letter to have leaked but it showed the strong urge to choose a leader, to bring back Rahul Gandhi. But it has been a year since the party has chosen a new leader? Rahul Gandhi quit owing to the failure of the party in the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. That shows his honesty and his democratic thought. He even demanded that someone else outside of the Gandhi family should succeed him. Do you have the same opinion? For a vast country like India, with such diversity, the only political leader in the contemporary political environment who can unite and move everyone together is Rahul Gandhi. Not even a single person in the Congress has objection to this and that was the spirit of the letter that a group of leaders sent to the party president.  But why are Congress leaders in the state not sharp in their criticism od Modi and the BJP government. CM Pinarayi  Vijayan has been reiterating that Congress maintains a soft Hinduvta stand? Pinarayi contested the elections in 1977 joining hands with the Jansangh, the then version of the BJP. The Marxist had joined hands with the right-wing in an opportunistic way in the past.  But the Congress has no such history. But what about the current political scenario? In Kerala, the BJP is not the prime opponent of the Congress. It is the Left. In national politics, Congress vehemently opposes the BJP and no other party attacks the BJP as Congress does.  But leaders leaving the party to join the BJP have strengthened the latter? Nothing like that. In 1982, the BJP had only two seats. From there, it's the Marxist party which helped the BJP to come to power. It was the Left which prevented Rajiv Gandhi from coming to power raising the Bofors allegations.It was the Marxist party that pulled strings in keeping the Congress away from power. But the Congress couldn't even hold onto power with the JD(S) in Karnataka? And internal fighting in Rajasthan has come to the fore as well? Those were isolated incidents. The Congress will survive all that. Only Congress can lead the country to a financial power. In Kottayam it's said that the Kerala Congress (M) grew at the cost of Congress. This is despite prominent leaders like you, KC Joseph and Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan making Kottayam its fortress. And KC Joseph had to contest elections in the far away Iritti in Kannur? That's because of the equations in coalition politics. KC(M) can be allotted a seat only in Kottayam (where the party exists). But when we look into local bodies and the post held in the district, one would realise which is the bigger party.                                                                             KM Mani But Mani's son Jose K Mani doesn't seem to follow these equations and neither does he acknowledge that the Congress did the same for him. And Congress leader VM Sudheeran has said that undue importance given to KC(M) has come back to bite the party? People watch all this. And it's not an issue with the Congress; but something to do with the fighting between PJ Joseph and Jose K Mani (factions of the KC(M). Congress is just to its allies, taking all of them into confidence. We are empathetic to their demands and problems. That is why we gave the Rajya Sabha seat to Jose K Mani, to MP Veerendra Kumar...We won't see it as our leniency.   There has also been criticism that Puthuppally has not been developed compared to Pala (the constituency in Kottayam represented by KM Mani for decades). What do you have to say? I have been trying to bring in maximum development as possible. The exception is drinking water. My aim is to bring drinking water to all houses of the eight panchayats of the state.  Over these 50 years, which political leader do you have a personal rapport with? I have been close to AK Antony and Vayalar Ravi. I got into the KPCC Executive Committee when Vayalar Ravi was president of the Kerala Students Union (KSU). Till then I was the District Secretary of KSU in Kottayam. Two years after that, AK Antony was KSU president and I became the General Secretary. I was General Secretary for three years when Antony was the President. I succeeded him in the post.  Are you close to anyone in the Left? Three leaders whom I love and respect outside the Congress are no more now-  MN Govindan Nair, TV Thomas (both doyens of the CPI) and TK Divakaran (erstwhile leader of the Revolutionary Socialist Party).   But there are accusations that you caused the fall of AK Antony in state politics?  I have always backed him in whatever responsibilities he had. The Congress in the state has been supportive of him too. And his one time failure in Kerala proved to be a huge success for him in national politics. He has been elevated to one of the tallest leaders at the national level. Do you agree with criticism that Congress leaders use the party to build their own careers while neglecting the party’s growth in recent times?  I can't agree with that. There are some issues that Congress is not a cadre party. But don't forget that we won 19 out of the 20 seats in the Lok Sabha elections in Kerala.  You have been unable to nurture a close relationship with the Gandhi family unlike many other Congress leaders both inside and outside Kerala? I have been into state politics only. Soniaji appointed me  as in-charge of Andhra Pradesh, which was my first responsibility outside the state. I have no interest outside Kerala, but have a long relationship with Sonia Gandhi and Rahil Gandhi. There’s some buzz that a few Congress MPs want to be back to state politics? There is no problem for MLAs to contest in Lok Sabha elections and MPs to be back to the state in Congress, only that the High Command should be convinced of the reasons. You would always be surrounded by people. Do you miss the people amid the pandemic?   I have worked among people since the beginning. What I fear the most is loneliness. It's tough for me to be alone somewhere even during the day time. I have grown since my student politics years. I am particularly committed to the people of Puthuppally.  It has been a long time, since 1970 to till now, how has political activity changed over the years?  Political activity was a service then, to build up the nation from nothingness, it was a journey through the path laid down by Mahatma Gandhi. Now, politics has become pragmatic. In a democracy what matters most is to get power and to somehow retain power. This has not strengthened but weakened our democracies.The real strength of democracy lies in the faith of people.  This interview has been edited for length and clarity 

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Video: Baby elephant that got carried away in Kerala flash flood rescued

September 13, 2020, 3:38 am

≫ Next: Remembering ‘Lambo’, the hilarious DD Malayalam telefilm, 29 years later

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Animal Rescue

The baby jumbo, said to be one-month-old, was rescued from the river in Malappuram district and was let off into the forest.

Shiba Kurian

On the wee hours of Sunday morning, the residents of Chokkad in Malappuram district’s Nilambur heard a loud thud during the flash flood caused by heavy rains in parts of Kerala. When they stepped out to see what was happening, they saw a baby elephant floating in the river. The residents soon alerted the forest department. Armed with ropes, the forest officials rescued the elephant calf and managed to bring it to the banks of the river. The baby jumbo, said to be one-month-old, was later let off into the forest. However, it was not an easy task to guide the calf to the forest. According to visuals, the baby elephant could be seen crying, probably from the shock of being drifted by the water body. With ropes tied to its neck, the baby elephant was visibly terrified and was resisting the group of people helping the calf walk. The Forest Department officials then took the calf to a nearby forest area, said to be frequented by elephants, and released it there. Speaking to TNM, an official from Kalikavu Forest Range under Nilambur South Division said that the incident took place around 2 am on Sunday. “The baby elephant drifted about one kilometre downstream before it somehow managed to reach near the banks of the river. The calf was so terrified that it stood there not knowing what to do. When we tried to bring it up, it was trying to run away from us,” the official recounted. After walking for a few metres, the baby jumbo was transported in a vehicle to the nearest forest under the Nilambur South Division. “It even tried to jump off the vehicle. We could not examine it properly as the need of the hour then was releasing it into the forest,” added the official. According to the report, the elephant calf was rescued without any injuries. Parts of Kerala has been witnessing intermittent heavy rain for the past two days. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted isolated heavy rainfall in many districts, including Malappuram, for Sunday and coming days. Yellow colour code warning, implying district authorities to be updated on the weather situation, was also issued to 12 districts on Sunday. Kasaragod district has been issued an orange colour code warning, which means that the district authorities should be prepared. Watch Manorama News report showing the baby elephant being rescued:

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Remembering ‘Lambo’, the hilarious DD Malayalam telefilm, 29 years later

September 13, 2020, 3:58 am

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Telefilm

The telefilm was recently uploaded on DD Malayalam’s YouTube channel and the 100 odd comments on the video suggest how adored the film was when it released.

Cris

Prem Kumar as Lambo / All images from Doordarshan Malayalam

It’s a very cosy setting, a desk and a chair facing a window that opens into the charming backyard of a house in a village. No wonder that Lambodaran, that smart young man with a strange beard, wanted to sit there and write poetry on nights he couldn’t sleep. Back in the early 1990s when the Internet was still a few years away and telephones only rang noisily on front-room table-tops, Lambodaran loved to write, recite and sing poetry every time he met someone, especially when it was someone pretty and young. Television viewers in those days had only Doordarshan (DD) and they embraced the story of Lambodaran, broadcast as a telefilm on the DD Malayalam channel. Lambo was new, unlike the regular 13-episode serials or the more serious telefilms. The hero was funny, full of himself and absolutely flawed. In other words, he was likeable. More than 29 years later, Lambo is once again out there, uploaded on DD Malayalam’s YouTube channel. The 100 odd comments on the video suggest how much people had adored the film back then and still have nostalgic feelings about. “The wait is over ! A favourite ..Premkumar was terrific as lambo (sic),” a user commented. Prem Kumar indeed was terrific. He went on to win the state award for best television actor in 1993 for his role as Lambodaran. He then slipped into movies, doing many memorable comic characters and the occasional serious ones. Speaking to TNM, Prem Kumar recalls, “It was first telecast as a New Year’s programme by DD in 1991. A little more than an hour, Lambo was novel in many ways – the way it was presented as a 70-year-old’s memories of his younger days, the comical hero and so on. Nambeesan sir, who was a senior photographer in DD and brother-in-law of filmmaker Harihararan, directed it. He scripted it based on a story by KS Krishnan.” For a long time, people continued to call him Lambo, the role they just couldn’t forget. If you watch Lambo now, you may not laugh like you once did or for the same reasons. Three decades can change your perception about a lot of things, comedy included. But you can still see why Lambo worked, why it charmed a generation of television viewers. Lambodaran is, when the film begins, an established old poet, attending an interview by Shashankan (Ravi Vallathol). The wife (Lathika) looks shyly from behind the curtains when Lambo tells the interviewer of their old love, a time when they used to stand on either side of a window. Lalitha was a domestic worker who used to help his mother (Mavelikkara Ponnamma), and the latter seemed to believe everything her weirdo son told her. Mavelikkara Ponnamma and Narayanan as Lambo's parents Lambodaran – who liked to be called Lambo – has failed his Class 10 exams several years in a row and this has upset his dad (Narayanan), a policeman who is due to retire in two years. Who will bring rice to the table, his dad asks his wife who seems disinterested. Achan does not understand him, Lambo says. Their paths are parallel, they can never meet. But Lambo does take that year’s exams seriously, laboriously pasting answers of possible questions all over his upper body. “This is for 10 marks, this for 20,” he tells his bewildered mother. “It was all recorded on the spot, there was no dubbing. So it would feel all the more natural. Sound Engineer Das sir made sure that there was no external noise,” Prem Kumar says. The comedy would often come from the seriousness with which he delivers his dialogue. He doesn’t mean to be funny. He just says his lines and erupts into song every few minutes. To a lovesick Lalitha, it feels romantic, no matter that the poems are often rip-offs of film songs. Their love exchanges sometimes become nauseatingly cheesy and you’re not sure if it is satirical or not, because the rest of Lambo goes beyond many stereotypes of the time. Lathika and Prem Kumar played lovers in Lambo “It was a satire of sorts. We used to improvise a lot on the sets, sometimes including contemporary events into the dialogue. There’s a line I say about refusing an award that I’d get – it’s based on a real-life incident of a poet refusing the award,” Prem Kumar recalls. That's the kind of thing Lambo would do - refuse an award. He thinks highly of himself. Several times during the present-day interview, he not only welcomes all of Shashankan’s praises but adds to it. “He is someone who thinks of himself as a great poet,” says the actor who played the character. Lambo has other issues. He sounds casteist when he raises the issue of caste difference with his girlfriend, due to which he says they can’t be together. Here, his mother surprises you by brushing aside such petty things as caste and religion coming in the way of love. “I don’t care about all that,” she says, “but I don’t express it, maybe because I’m not so educated.” Wow, a middle-aged woman from 30 years ago, uneducated, living in a village, thinking more progressively than her so-called poet son! Nambeesan deserves credit for creating that character at the most unexpected place. But then it is from the villages of Kerala that women rose to rebellion once upon a time. You don’t, however, hold it against Lambo because nothing that he says can be taken too seriously. His mind drifts from one random poem to another, everything else appears to hold little interest for him. You get this when he finally has a job with the police force – and sticks to it for all of one-and-a-half months. The best part of the film comes towards that last half when Lambo works as a police constable. He has of course no interest in the job and, at the slightest provocation, recites poetry. The Sub Inspector (Gilbert) has enough of him when Lambo for no earthly reason breaks into song just as they close in on a sleeping suspect, who jumps up awake and escapes. Leaving the police force all too happily, Lambo makes his grand exit with the ‘Vida’ song that had become very popular back in the 1990s. “Ee thokkinum vida,” (Goodbye to this gun), he recites looking at the rifle in the station and bids adieu to one and all. In that final exit, Lambo becomes all the more adorable with his enormous pride and all too big head. No wonder that Prem Kumar got the state television award the year it was instituted. Renowned director KG George was the jury chairman who chose to give the award for a character that was so laced with humour. Despite the years that have passed and the changes of perception you might have had, Lambo can still make you laugh, either for the adorably honest and totally immodest poet of a man, or for the memories of a younger self who once held him dear. “It makes me happy that people still laugh for Lambo and remember it so fondly. It’s what brought me to cinema and to comedy. Interestingly, I did a feature film before Lambo – Sakhavu Krishna Pillai directed by PA Backer, where I play the Communist revolutionary. It was a very serious character, the opposite of Lambo. But the film didn’t release for various reasons. If it did, my fate too might have been different,” Prem Kumar says. Watch: Lambo, the telefilm

Body 2: 

Kerala issues advisory on testing for tuberculosis in COVID-19 context

September 13, 2020, 4:34 am

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Health

Both the diseases may present similar symptoms as cough, fever and difficulty in breathing.

TNM Staff

Image for representation

Kerala health department has released an advisory regarding the diagnosis of tuberculosis in the context of COVID-19. The government of India had released guidelines which the state has customised based on local epidemiology of TB and COVID-19. Both the diseases may present similar symptoms as cough, fever and difficulty in breathing. TB however has a longer incubation period and slower disease onset. "Studies have shown that the history of active or latent TB is an important risk factor for COVID-19. Vulnerability to develop TB and fatal COVID-19 are also the same -- elderly, malnutrition, tobacco use, chronic respiratory illness, diabetes and immunocompromised conditions," says the advisory. At present all influenza like illness (ILI) cases are tested for COVID-19. If these persons have any of the above-mentioned vulnerabilities or contact with TB patients, they shall also be tested for TB. All COVID-19 negative cases with ILI or severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) are to be followed up by the health centres where the patient is residing (primary/family/community health centres or Taluk Head Quarters hospitals). If the symptoms persist for more than 14 days, TB tests are to be offered, irrespective of the vulnerability or contact status of the patient. Read: Woman in isolation for 2 yrs gives a reality check to those complaining about quarantine The patient shall not be referred to another centre for the tests but samples shall be collected at the centres and taken to the nearest lab. The samples collected from confirmed cases of COVID-19 shall be handled in a lab with Biosafety Level 2. All precautions advised by the Union Ministry as well the State TB Cell will be taken while performing TB tests. All COVID-19 patients shall be screened for TB depending on these factors: if they have fever or cough for more than two weeks, weight loss and night sweats. Any patient with one of these symptoms shall be tested. A COVID-19 patient with abnormality in chest X-ray shall also be tested for TB. On the other hand, a diagnosed or cured TB patient developing symptoms of COVID-19 shall be tested for the latter as per the guidelines issued by the state government. Also read: With over 2000 cases every year, how Karnataka is tackling drug-resistant tuberculosis Watch: Similarities between COVID-19 and TB explained by microbiologist on NDTV 

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On the birthday of one of the Walayar sisters, parents hold hunger strike for justice

September 13, 2020, 6:59 am

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Justice

The parents burnt a copy of the government order symbolizing their protest in promoting the investigation officer in the case.

TNM Staff

Her parents would have cut a cake for her and celebrated her 14th birthday on Sunday. But instead of celebrating their daughter's birthday, the parents of the Walayar sisters stood in front of the Kochi Commissionerate Office on Sunday, marking their protest, once again, on justice being denied to the family. It was in 2017 that the two sisters, a eleven-year-old and a nine-year-old, were found dead within a gap of a few months, after being sexually assaulted. Though four men and a juvenile were arrested in the case, a shoddy probe paved way for the acquittal of the four accused men last year. Following a day’s hunger strike, the parents burned a copy of the government order which promoted MJ Sojan, who was the investigation officer in the case. Sojan has been promoted from Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) to Superintendent of Police at the Crime Branch central unit 2 in Ernakulam. The parents of the children, who came from Walayar in Palakkad to Kochi on Sunday, held a hunger strike in front of the Gandhi Statue, before heading to the Kochi Commissionerate Office along with the members of Justice for Walayar Kids Forum. “Instead of punishing the officer who sabotaged the case, they (government) protected and promoted him. We will continue our protest till we get justice,” said the mother. MJ Sojan, who was the Deputy Superintendent of Police back in 2017, had earlier come in a spot after he told the media that the elder sister “enjoyed” the sexual harassment. “That is the way evidence was collected in the case. It’s not because Kerala Police don’t know what to do, but police have become puppets with the intervention of the ruling government,” said retired Justice B Kemal Pasha, while addressing the media through a video. The mother of the children had in June written a letter to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan opposing promoting MJ Sojan. Watch Pembilai Orumai leader Gomathi extending support to protest The Justice for Walayar Kids Forum has been organising various protest programs including long marches, trying to grab the attention of the government since January. The protests were stopped in March following the COVID-19 induced lockdown. Activist CR Neelakandan, who is part of the  Justice for Walayar Kids Forum, alleged that with the promotion, the state government is now going to confer the police officer with IPS. Though only a handful of people participated in the protest held on Sunday due to COVID-19 regulations, many extended support to the protesting parents through social media. Read: Walayar sisters death: Kerala police admit to laxity in preliminary investigation Watch Walayar sisters mother speaking during protest:

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Kerala actor assault case: Prosecution moves court to cancel Dileep’s bail plea

September 13, 2020, 7:41 am

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Actor Assault Case

The prosecution reportedly made the move as Dileep allegedly tried to influence a witness in the case.

TNM Staff

PTI

The prosecution counsel in the Kerala actor assault case has moved the trial court, seeking to cancel the bail plea of Malayalam actor Dileep, who is a key accused in the case. The prosecution, appearing for the survivor actor, reportedly made the move as Dileep allegedly tried to influence a witness in the case. The prosecution counsel’s plea will be considered by the trial court in Ernakulam on Tuesday. As per reports, Dileep, who is accused of being the mastermind behind the abduction and sexual assault of a leading female actor in Kerala, allegedly tried to influence one of the witnesses, who had seen him along with the first accused in the case, Pulsar Suni. Trial proceedings in the case are presently underway and witness examination is being held. Dileep, who is the eighth accused in the case, was arrested on July 20, 2017, five months after the crime took place. Though initially Dileep’s name did not surface in the case, in June, first accused Pulsar Suni confessed that the crime was allegedly plotted by Dileep. It is alleged that he held a grudge against the survivor actor for personal reasons. Dileep has been out on bail since October 2017. He spent 85 days in jail. Ever since the actor has been out on bail, the prosecution has been alleging that there have been constant attempts to delay the trial proceedings. After he moved the Supreme Court asking to get a copy of a controversial video of the assault, the trial proceedings were stayed for six months. This was despite the fact that he had already seen the visuals pertaining to the case in the lower court. Though the trial proceedings finally started last December and the SC giving a time frame of six months to complete the proceedings, the trial got delayed again due to the lockdown. Last month, the trial court judge Justice Honey M Varghese moved SC and got an extension of three more months to complete the trial. There are 355 witnesses in the case, including many prominent Malayalam actors. Read:  Kerala actor assault case: AMMA Gen Secy Edavela Babu turns hostile, changes statement Survivor actor breaks down in court, Dileep appears with battery of lawyers Watch Dileep deposing in trial court in Kochi:

Body 2: 

Heavy rains in Kerala, yellow warning issued in many districts

September 13, 2020, 9:04 pm

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Heavy rains are likely to prevail in Kerala until September 17, Thursday.

TNM Staff

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rainfall in Kerala this week. A yellow warning has been issued for several districts this week, until Thursday, September 17. Ten districts have been issued a yellow warning (Asking authorities to stay updated) on Monday. Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod are expected to receive isolated heavy showers on Monday.  For Tuesday, September 15, a yellow warning has been issued in eight districts. These are Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Thrissur and the northern districts of Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod.  The yellow warnings will be in place only in five districts on September 16, Wednesday, which will receive isolated heavy showers. These are Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod. These districts are expected to get 64.5 to 115.5 mm of rainfall per day. On September 17, Thursday, a yellow warning has been issued for seven districts, namely Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod.  On Sunday, the district of Kasargod received heavy showers with the IMD issuing an orange warning (Asking authorities to be prepared) to the district.  With strong wind speeds going up to 45-55 kilometres per hour likely to prevail in Kerala’s coast, fishermen too have been issued a warning against venturing out into the sea during these days. A high wave alert in the range of 2.5-3.1 meters is forecast till 11:30 pm of September 15, along the coast of Kerala from Pozhiyoor to Kasargod, with surface current speeds between 49-75 cm/sec. Apart from the IMD, the Kerala government has involved private weather agencies to improve weather forecasting and climate change alerts in the state. The state government has roped in Skymet Weather, IBM Weather company and Earth Networks to source their expert services. The firms have been roped in for “ensemble predictions to improve extreme weather alert services in the state.”

Body 2: 

Four BJP Yuva Morcha cadres try to ram vehicle into Kerala Min KT Jaleel’s car, held

September 13, 2020, 10:23 pm

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Politics

The incident happened at Paripally in Kollam.

TNM Staff

Image for representation

Four members of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the BJP, have been arrested in Kerala for trying to ram their vehicle into the ministerial car of Minister KT Jaleel at Paripally in Kollam on Sunday evening. A collision was avoided as the driver in the minister’s car applied the brakes at the right time. A First Information Report was registered by the police and the car used has been taken into custody. According to reports, Yuva Morcha workers from Ellipuram in Kalluvathukal were arrested in the case. The accused have been identified as Abhijit, Vipin Raj, Praveen and Vaishnav. They were arrested by the Pallipuram police shortly after the incident. The four have been booked under Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 145 (joining or continuing in unlawful assembly), 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal Code, read with Section 3(1) of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act (mischief causing damage to public property). Reports state that the investigation has been intensified as the police believe there are more accused in the case. Across Kerala, protests have broken out demanding the resignation of KT Jaleel, Minister for Higher Education, after he was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a consignment of copies of the Holy Quaran brought from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The minister was quizzed by the ED with regard to an alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) as it is alleged that he accepted the consignments through diplomatic channels violating FCRA norms. The ED recorded his statement on Sunday. Despite heavy rainfall in several places, opposition parties mainly the Congress and the BJP staged protests in several places including Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Idukki etc, demanding Jaleel’s resignation. The protest also turned violent in many places in Thiruvananthapuram and the police had to resort to batons, water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowd. The alleged FCRA violation was exposed after the Minister’s name came up in connection with Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the gold smuggling case in Kerala. The Minister said that Swapna was contacted on the directions of the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram, where she was an employee, in connection with gifts distributed from the consulate as part of Ramadan celebrations.

Body 2: 

Actor and dubbing artiste Prabeesh Chakkalakkal collapses and dies on set

September 14, 2020, 12:54 am

≫ Next: Govt-run barbershop for all opens in Kerala village after Dalits were denied haircuts

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Obituary

He was shooting for a tele film on spreading awareness about waste management in Kochi.

TNM Staff

Prabeesh Chakkalakkal / Courtesy - Facebook

Malayalam actor and dubbing artiste Prabeesh Chakkalakkal collapsed and died during a film shooting in Kerala’s Kochi. He was 44 years old. He collapsed during the shooting for the YouTube channel Cochin Collage, reports Samakalika Malayalam. Coworkers allege that no vehicle had stopped when they tried to take him to a hospital. By the time they could reach a hospital, the artiste breathed his last. The tele film that the team was shooting was to spread awareness about waste management in Kerala. It showed waste being disposed of at the Kundannoor Bund Road in Kochi. Prabeesh played a foreigner who reacts to the sight of the garbage in an otherwise beautiful region. It was after he finished his portion and also took a group photo with his coworkers that Prabeesh collapsed on the set. He had told the film’s videographer Sujith that his tongue was going dry and he needed some water to drink, reports One India. As soon as he drank the water, however, Prabeesh collapsed. His friends immediately tried to get him help but they could not get a vehicle in time. When no vehicle stopped, someone from the team found the keys to Prabeesh’s car from his pocket and drove it to the hospital. Prabeesh had played Mahabali in a recent Onam show for the Cochin Collage channel. He has acted in a number of tele films and worked as a dubbing artiste in several films. He did dubbing for the villain character in Abrid Shine’s recent movie Kung Fu Master. He was an employee of JSW Cements Limited. He was also a Christian Service Society (CSS) state committee member. He leaves behind his father Joseph, wife Jansy and child Taniya. He will be buried at the Maradu Moothedam church on Monday afternoon. Watch: Prabeesh as Mahabali for Cochin Collage channel

Body 2: 

Govt-run barbershop for all opens in Kerala village after Dalits were denied haircuts

September 14, 2020, 3:59 am

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Caste

TNM had earlier broken the news that the Chakkiliyan community members were denied haircuts by higher caste barbers of the Vattavada panchayat.

Abhish K Bose

Image for representation

On Sunday, a barbershop launched by the Vattavada panchayat in Kerala’s Idukki was inaugurated by Devikulam Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) S Rajendran. The shop was launched after it recently emerged that barbershops in the area refuse to cut the hair of people who belong to the Chakkiliyan community. The government-run shop, it was announced, would cater to all sections of the society and until the other shops in the area also complied, they would remain shut. According to Vattavada panchayat president Ramaraju, 13 people came to have their hair cut on Sunday, after the inauguration. “Eight of them were from the general category and five from the Scheduled Caste community. The reports that some of the youths belonging to the Chakkiliyan community are abstaining from availing the service of the barbershop is baseless,” Ramaraju said. It was TNM that broke the news regarding the ostracism meted out to the Chakkiliyan community members by the higher caste members and the barbers of the existing two barbershops.  Read: Denied access to barbershops due to caste, Dalit community in Kerala village pushes back Ramaraju said that there is no specific time frame for the functioning of the new barber shop and it is as per the needs of the locality that the shop will function. The panchayat had constructed a shopping complex of four rooms and when the issue came up, it was decided that one room could be used to open a barbershop. A total fund of 10 lakh rupees were allotted for the construction of the building, Ramaraju said.  The Vattavada panchayat is governed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist).  VM Mariyappan, a local political activist, told TNM that people belonging to all social segments are visiting the barbershop and no one is abstaining from its services. Barber Pakiaraj, who is a native of Vattavada, charges as per the clauses of the barbers association for a haircut.     The local panchayat had decided to construct a barbershop at Koviloor at its expense following petition from the Chakkiliyan community members that they are not allowed entry into the existing shops. Following this the panchayat had cancelled the license of two of the existing barbershops. Meanwhile, Ramaraju said that the private barbershop owners have written a letter to the panchayat expressing their willingness to serve all people including the Chakkiliyan community members.    “We have received their letter on Monday requesting to permit license for the shops. We will discuss the issue at the panchayat committee meeting and after observing their activities we will take a decision,” Ramaraju added.      Watch: Asianet News report on the new barbershop

Body 2: 

Actor Anaswara Rajan abused online for wearing shorts, she slams trolls

September 14, 2020, 7:28 am

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Social

The actor reacted to the trolls by posting two more pictures of her in shorts and asked people ‘not to worry about her’.

TNM Staff

Budding actor Anaswara Rajan has been appreciated by Malayali audiences for her roles in Thanneer Mathan Dinangal, Udaharanam Sujatha and other films. But recently, the 18-year-old was at the receiving end of online abuse, for a picture she posted on Instagram where she was seen wearing shorts. Soon after the young actor posted the picture, several comments were seen abusing her for her clothes. Most of the comments slut-shamed her and some even referenced her age. “Stop with this. If you post such pictures without wearing clothes, we will not give likes,” wrote one user under the picture. Other chauvinistic users wondered why she had already decided to ‘take her clothes off by the age of 18’.      View this post on Instagram          @ranjitbhaskr Bow from @littlefairy_bows A post shared by ANUTTY  (@anaswara.rajan) on Sep 10, 2020 at 3:06am PDT However, several users commented in support of the young actor on her picture. The actor however was not to be bogged down, and retorted by posting two more pictures of her in shorts and wrote, “Don't worry about what I'm doing . Worry about why you're worried about what I'm doing…”      View this post on Instagram          X O X O Don't worry about what I'm doing . Worry about why you're worried about what I'm doing... @ranjitbhaskr A post shared by ANUTTY (@anaswara.rajan) on Sep 13, 2020 at 8:12am PDT Among the voices of support, one user said, “Live according to what she feels is right and ignore what these idiots say. Another user, by the name im_b_in, told the 'moral police' that she would live as she pleases, it is not their money she spends, so ‘get lost’. Others on Facebook also pointed out the rampant sexism in fans’ reaction to male and female actors’ pictures on social media. Posting a picture of actor Prithviraj’s body transformation picture where he poses shirtless, film critic Neelima Menon pointed out the appreciative comments under the picture, comparing it to the abuse showered upon 18-year-old Anaswara. Anaswara made her acting debut in the Manju Warrier starrer Udaharanam Sujatha three years ago. She played Manju's rebellious teenage daughter in the film. Last year she played the female lead in the coming-of-age movie Thanneer Mathan Dinangal which won a lot of critical appreciation. She also got to play a role in the Trisha starrer Raangi, being filmed this year. Among her upcoming films are Vaanku based on a story by Unni R, and Super Sharanya, which is directed by Thanneer Mathan's director Girish AD.

Body 2: 

Amidst allegations against EP Jayarajan’s son, legal notice sent to media house

September 14, 2020, 7:54 am

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Controversy

EP Jayarajan’s wife sent a legal notice to Malayala Manorama, accusing the media house of publishing fake news.

Saritha S Balan

Controversies related to the gold smuggling case in Kerala just refuse to die down. The latest in the saga are allegations that Industries Minister and CPI(M) Central Committee member EP Jayarajan’s son Jaison Raj was a friend of gold scam accused Swapna Suresh.  Some media reports have said that Jaison will soon be questioned over the Life Mission Project. This is a housing project for the poor by the Kerala government which received funds from UAE and Swapna has admitted to receiving commission for the same. The allegation against Jaison is that he acted as an intermediary for the Life Mission Project and helped Swapna Suresh.  There are also allegations that the minister’s son threw a party for Swapna Suresh at a high-end hotel in 2018. A picture of Jaison with Swapna has been shared on the internet.  The Chief Minister and CPI(M) have brushed aside these allegations and have called them half-baked theories by the Opposition to target the party as elections are slated to be held in 2021.  Meanwhile, EP Jayarajan’s wife has sent a legal notice to Malayala Manorama and accused the media house of publishing fake news in relation to a bank locker transaction she did on September 10.  On Monday, Malayala Manorama reported that PK Indira had made a sudden bank locker transaction. “PK Indira, who retired as senior manager from the Kannur bank of Kerala, breached quarantine to go to the bank. She was on quarantine after giving a sample for the COVID-19 test,” the Manorama report stated. In a video posted Monday evening, Indira stated that the news was fake and that she wasn’t in quarantine at the time. In a statement, she noted that her son will file a separate complaint against the ‘fake news’ about him. The report, she stated, has defamed her and her family, and has humiliated them. She added that she had gone to the locker to withdraw something that she wanted to gift her grandchild on his/her birthday. 

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First phase of Konni Medical College in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta becomes functional

September 14, 2020, 7:57 am

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Health

Paediatric haematology and oncology ward at Malabar Cancer Centre was also opened.

TNM Staff

Kerala on Monday witnessed two developments in the public health sector with one more medical college being inaugurated in the state and the Malabar Cancer Care Centre in Kannur getting two new specialised departments. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the Konni Medical College in Pathanmathitta district and the Malabar Cancer Care Centre at Thalassery through video conferencing, with this the first phase of the Medical College has become operational. The number of government medical colleges in Kerala has increased to ten with Konni Medical College added to the list.“The Konni Medical College in the Pathanamthitta District would be useful not just for the people of the district, but for those in the eastern part of Kollam district as well as for Sabarimala temple pilgrims,”  Pinarayi said. Pinarayi also lashed out at the Opposition for boycotting the inaugural function. He said that thise who are not happy at the happiness of people in the state boycotted the function."The government resumed a project that was stalled because of the laxity of the previous United Democratic Front government. It's natural that those who abandoned the project would feel shame.  A full fledged medical college has become a reality in Konni, these people can't be happy at this development. They don’t like anything good that happen. There has been a lot of development in the past four and half years in the health sector that is outstanding," he said. The other phases of the medical college will be completed in a time bound manner, he said. "Administrative sanction has been given for Rs 351 crore,” he added.                                            Peadtric ward at Malabar Cancer Centre Meanwhile, the Paediatric Haematology wing of the Malabar Cancer Centre at Thalassery in Kannur district has been completed a project cost of Rs 11.39 crore. A chemotherapy ward, operation theatre, Intensive Care Unit, a play ground for children, library and cinemas have been set up in the block. The block also has a special facility to allow students admitted to continue with their studies along with the treatment. "Cancer treatment for children is really tough and lands parents in financial and mental struggle. The paediatric oncology wing has been designed keeping in view of all this with the notion that it would be a second home for the children,” Health Minister KK Shailaja said.  Also Read: Explained: Why farmers are against 3 agri Bills to be tabled in Parliament

Body 2: 

Kerala nursing student suicide: Family alleges harassment by boyfriend

September 14, 2020, 9:00 am

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Controversy

The family allege that her boyfriend fixed his marriage with another woman as the deceased student's family denied to give the demanded dowry.

Neethu Joseph

Two days after the suicide of a nursing student in Kerala’s Alappuzha, the family of the 21-year-old woman has alleged that she was harassed by her ‘boyfriend’ who left her to marry someone else. On Friday, Arattupuzha native Archana died after consuming poison. Archana’s relatives had alleged that though the man’s family had come with an alliance some months back but they had backed off after her humble family said they could not afford to give the huge dowry allegedly the boyfriend’s family was demanding. According to the family, Archana and the man, who lives in Arattupuzha itself, had been in a relationship since the past seven years. “Seven months back, he and his family had come home with a marriage proposal. They were demanding to give 100 sovereigns of gold as dowry. My father, a daily wage labourer said we cannot afford to give that much and can provide only 30 sovereign gold for wedding. But they were not happy with it,” Archana’s sister Arya told TNM. Some weeks back, it surfaced that his wedding was fixed with another girl, who was his distant relative, said Archana’s uncle Sreekumar. “The woman with whom he fixed the wedding was also Archana’s junior in college. On Friday, someone sent her a picture of the function of the wedding officially being fixed. On the same day, she consumed poison. Though she was taken to a government hospital, she succumbed,” says Sreekumar. The family came out with the allegation of harassment after discovering the sucide note Archana had written and also after accessing the message she left to her friends. In the WhatsApp audio messages which Archana sent to her friends, accessed by TNM, she can be heard saying to a friend that the man said to her that he cannot back off from the new alliance and that he will continue the relationship with her even after the wedding. Archana also revealed that she had tried to kill herself before. Meanwhile, officials of Thrikkunnapuzha police station have registered a case of unnatural death on Archana's suicide. “We are probing various angles, as of now, no one has been accused in the case,” said a police official. Watch visuals of Archana's family's allegation:

Body 2: 

Mini Train and Water Metro: Kerala harnesses solar energy for two transport projects

September 14, 2020, 9:15 am

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Environment

While the mini train project at Veli is nearing completion, the Water Metro Project is expected to soon be in the works.

TNM Staff

Two new solar powered projects will be launched in a major boost to eco-friendly tourism and transport services in Kerala. On Saturday, the trial run of a mini train at the Veli tourism village in Thiruvananthapuram was completed. The train, installed at a cost of Rs 9 crore, is entirely solar powered and is expected to attract tourist attention to the village. “This is an initiative to improve eco-friendly tourism in the state. The Veli Tourist Village is a tourist hub and the train, which is modelled on yesteryear steam engines, will puff artificial steam and chug across the artificial lake for 1.5 kilometres up and down,” an official at the site told news channels. Photo credits: Kerala Tourism website  The artificial lake at Veli meets the Arabian Sea. The mini train, which has a 50-person capacity (48 passengers and two staff members including driver) will run past the lake and the beach, through a railway tunnel and a 60-metre railway bridge. Most importantly, the roof of the three train coaches will have solar panels installed, which will directly power its engine. The extra solar energy generated will also be directed to the Kerala State Electricity Board grid. “It will start at the entrance of the Veli village and stop at the Pozhikara railway station. A mini railway station modelled in the old school way has also been constructed for the train,” the official added. The 10 feet long train will take its passengers on a 25-minute ride and will go at a maximum speed of 15 kilometres per hour. To add some old-world charm, old fashioned arm signals will also be added to the coaches. In addition to this, track changing points, turntables to turn the engines around, wood meshing, fibreglass partition and a steel frame will also be installed to ensure passenger safety. Each coach of the train can carry 12-16 passengers and its rolling stock has been designed based on international standards. The 9-crore miniature project has been executed by the Uralungal Labour Contract Society. The village of Veli itself will see Rs 30 crore worth of development work including a swimming pool, a tourist facilitation centre and a convention centre on 20 acres of land. Soon tourists can enjoy a joy ride in a mini train modelled in the form of a vintage steam engine at Veli in Thiruvananthapuram. #Trial run ⁦⁦@NewIndianXpress⁩ ⁦⁦@xpresskerala⁩ ⁦⁦@KeralaTourism⁩ ⁦⁦@balakiran_ias⁩ pic.twitter.com/ve0cpkk6UM — Dhinesh Kallungal (@Dinesh_TNIE) September 10, 2020 The mini train will officially be inaugurated and carry passengers once the COVID-19 restrictions have been removed. Kochi Water Metro project  Another big budget solar powered feeder service project is the Kochi Water Metro. Last week, when Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced the completion of Phase 1 of Kochi Metro, he also said that works for the Water Metro project will soon begin.  The Water Metro is essentially a fleet of aluminium ferries that will be introduced, mainly to connect passengers to Kochi metro stations. The project will be completed at a cost of Rs 747 crore and will include 78 such ferries, which will be solar powered. The ferries will operate on solar power, mainly from land based solar plants located on top of boat terminals or floating boats known as pontoons. In order to run air-conditioned ferries, the KMRL is also thinking of setting up a solar power plant in the vicinity to increase the amount of power generated. As a back-up however, each of the ferries will also have diesel generators which will be used in case there is a power shortage from the solar panels. 

Body 2: 

Kerala toddler who got washed away in beach found dead

September 14, 2020, 11:15 pm

≫ Next: One size fits all: The Kerala lungi and its relevance in culture

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Accident

The two year old got washed away in an Alappuzha beach after his mother attempted a selfie with the kids.

TNM Staff

Image for representation / Alappuzha Beach / Courtesy - Premdasan / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0

A two-year-old child who got washed away at a beach in Kerala's Alappuzha on Sunday afternoon, was found dead on Tuesday. After two days of intense search, the body of the child was found at the Galileo beach in Alappuzha. The Hindu reports that the boy's name is Adhikrishna and he went missing in the sea on Sunday after his mother tried to take a selfie with him and two other children while they were all at the beach. The search for the missing boy was carried out with the help of the Marine Enforcement wing and fishermen. Police were reported as saying that the mother had reached Alappuzha with three children - two of her own and one of her brother's — after attending a wedding. They were staying at a relative's house. They were at first denied permission to enter the beach on Sunday, by the police, because of the rough sea. However, they apparently reached the beach near the ESI hospital, evading security. The woman, the three children and another relative were present at the beach. When the woman tried to take a selfie with the children, strong waves of the sea hit them, causing them to lose their balance and fall. While they were being swept away, the relative who had accompanied them ran to the spot and pulled out the woman and the two older children aged six and seven. The little boy, aged two-and-a-half, had by then been washed away. Selfie-related tragedies have happened in Kerala before. In 2014, at least two teenage boys died while attempting to take selfies with trains. A 14-year-old got electrocuted while taking a selfie on top of a stationary train while another 15-year-old posed for a photo on a track and got killed by a speeding train. Last year, a man was grievously injured when he tried to take a selfie with an elephant in Alappuzha. Watch: Report on the toddler's death Read: Kerala nursing student suicide: Family alleges harassment by boyfriend

Body 2: 

One size fits all: The Kerala lungi and its relevance in culture

September 15, 2020, 12:13 am

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Fashion

Spanning across a mosaic of communities, gender no bar, the lungi was and still continues to be hugely popular in Kerala.

Neethu Joseph

Still from 'Premam' movie

Bollywood may have attributed the 'lungi dance' to Rajinikanth, but the dress is not just equally common in Kerala, it's also worn by people of all genders, cutting across communities. It’s usually a two-metre long cloth, in floral prints or in colourful check patterns, draped around one’s waist or at times pulled up to the knees to make a knot. The lungi is a simple, single piece of cloth that is worn as casual wear, mostly by men, across south India. But in Kerala, the lungi or kalli mundu, as it's popularly called, is much more than that. Spanning across a mosaic of communities, gender no bar, the lungi was and still continues to be hugely popular in Kerala. And at times, it's also used to make strong political statements. Largely seen as a dress representing the working class, the lungi is widely worn by people ranging from auto drivers and streetside vendors to fisher folk in Kerala. But time and again, lungis have broken the ‘proletariat’ tag to become trendy wear for youngsters. Kerala lungis are also distinct from their counterparts in other states for their vibrant hues. Lungi clad vegetable vendor in a Kerala market Influence of Malayalam cinema Many a time, Malayalam films have created trends for lungis in Kerala. From the black lungi with a golden border inspired by the 2005 Mammootty hit Rajamanickam to the double coloured lungi trend inspired by Jayasurya’s Aadu 2 (2017), and the multicoloured lungi inspired by the 2015 blockbuster Premam, cinema has influenced lungi fashion in Kerala campuses over the years. Mamootty in Rajamanickam But according to experts in the textile industry, the trends are often short-lived and what has persisted over time is the evergreen kalli mundu, that often comes in shades of blue, white and black checks and the ones in floral prints. Watch the trendy lungi from Aadu 2: “The trends are periodical. Though there will be a huge demand for the trendy lungi at a certain point in time, the demand will mostly not persist. After the release of Premam, we came up with the rainbow lungi, with seven differently coloured plain lungis. It was a huge hit. The double coloured lungi from Aadu 2 is still in demand,” says KC Pillai, Director of the Anna Group, which owns KITEX Garments Ltd, a famous lungi brand inside and outside the state. From Rs 250 to Rs 1,000, the cost of lungis varies depending on the quality of the material and brands. Watch visuals from 'Premam': “KITEX, Mazhavil, Ansel, Shanku Mark etc., are the main brands. People often look at the material while purchasing the garment. Cotton lungis are the most in demand. There are also handloom lungis which cost Rs 1,000 and above,” says an executive of Kalyan Silks in Kochi. Lungi in various Kerala communities Though lungis are mainly considered to be bottom wear meant for men, in various communities in Kerala, the lungi is still the preferred casual wear for women. A fisherwoman carrying a large vessel, and walking from home to home, selling fish, while dressed in a lungi used to be a common sight in Kerala. Malayalam films set in the backdrop of fishing communities have also represented the female characters wearing lungis. From the 1965 hit film Chemmeen, starring Sheela, Madhu and Sathyan to the 2012 Nivin Pauly-Namitha Pramod starrer Puthiya Theerangal, women can be seen wearing the lungi as bottom wear onscreen. Woman clad in lungi selling fish The lungi is still widely used as casual wear by the older generation of women in many Christian communities. Though Chattayum Mundum, a dress worn by elderly women in some Christain families usually consists of a white top and white mundu, the latter is often replaced by the lungi when the women are at home. The lungi is also worn in a unique style, creating a small fishtail at the back. In Muslim communities too, there are a significant number of older women who wear the lungi at home as bottom wear. In the Malayalam hit Sudani from Nigeria, which portrays a typical Malabar Muslim household, one of the women playing the lead role can be seen in the lungi and long blouse attire whenever she is at home. Officials at KITEX Garments, who were the first few firms in Kerala to give a brand name for the lungi, say that earlier in the state, women used to wear the lungi much more commonly than at present. “At the time KITEX garments started out as a lungi brand in the 1980s, we produced lungis in two different names — King and Queen. King was meant for men and Queen lungis for women. The only difference was in the size. Men’s lungis were lengthier and wider than women’s. Then, as nighties started to become common, the regular demand for women’s lungis died down,” says KC Pillai. He adds that now, the firm makes only unisex lungis, which are purchased by a section of women. Still from 'Sudani from Nigeria' Interestingly, in the Muslim community, most often, the lungis are worn draped from the right to the left. Others usually drape the lungi from the left to the right. The ‘political’ lungi Despite its wide popularity, the lungi has been embroiled in multiple controversies in Kerala, exposing class conflicts. As in other states, there have been reports of people being denied entry to some places because they were wearing the lungi. Last year, in Kozhikode, a man was denied entry in a hotel in the city because he was wearing a lungi.  The incident escalated into a ‘lungi protest’, with many coming out to the street to assert their right to dress according to their own preferences. The incident paved the way for the Kozhikode Corporation to release an order asking hotels to respect traditional dresses. There have even been instances in Kerala where people clad in lungi were denied entry to the visitors' gallery in the state Assembly, citing that it was an ‘informal dress’. “Sadly, the 'class' status of the lungi is still seen as low in Kerala. Since it is mostly a dress worn by working class people, some 'elite' folks have this reluctance to wear the lungi and step outside. Even a few members in my family have such ideas,” says Vadakara native Hari*. Some say that even the colour of the lungi can call for censure at times. “I'm someone who goes to malls and other public places wearing a lungi. Mostly I wear the black, plain lungi. Many have asked me why I choose to wear this colour which is not regularly worn. I don’t know why this is. I have never encountered this question while wearing a black top, but with the black lungi, I get a lot of questions. With such pestering questions, I have taken this as part of my politics. I continue to wear the black lungi in most places. I'm not sure if people have a problem with the colour black or the lungi or if it's both,” says Gautham Salim, an Ernakulam native. At the end of the day though, whatever be their politics, lungi fans swear that there's no other garment which can offer them the same comfort levels as a lungi. Watch visuals of lungi protest: *Name changed on request

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