Kerala

Politics

A source in the CPI(M) said that the decision to back Jaleel was also driven by EP Jayarajan’s hurried resignation in 2016, which later proved to be an unwanted move.

Saritha S Balan

Kerala Higher Education Minister KT Jaleel, who was questioned by NIA and ED

PC/KT Jaleel FB

The Left Democratic Front in Kerala has had a politically turbulent time in the last few months. From the Sprinklr deal to the allegations around a top bureaucrat in the gold smuggling scam and now to continuous and massive protests against state minister KT Jaleel, the ruling front has been busy dealing with one controversy after the other during a pandemic. Jaleel was first questioned by the Enforcement Directorate and then by the National Investigation Agency. And in the last few days, the Opposition has staged massive and mostly violent protests in almost every district raising one demand: KT Jaleel should resign. The LDF, however, has declared their staunch support for the minister. CPI(M) and allies guard Jaleel Minister for Law and CPI(M) leader AK Balan said that there was nothing unusual in Jaleel being summoned for a statement. While Balan has repeatedly said that Jaleel does not have to resign, CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan echoed the same in a press meet on Friday. “Jaleel is not going to resign and none need to protest for that. There was opinion in the party Secretariat held on Friday that the allegations against Jaleel were politically motivated and that goons were hired to unleash violence in the protests against Jaleel,” Kodiyeri said. “The party has decided to kick off a campaign to convince people of the truth,” he said. A source in the CPI(M) said that the decision to back Jaleel was also driven by former minister EP Jayarajan’s hurried resignation in 2016, which later proved to be an unwanted move. “There is no opinion inside the CPI(M) that Jaleel should quit. Many are of the opinion that EP Jayarajan should not have quit in 2016 over allegations of nepotism. He came back into the Cabinet in 2018 after he got a clean chit from the court. So from that experience we have learnt that reacting hastily to mere allegations is not prudent,” the source said. The CPI(M)’s decision to stick its neck out for Jaleel who had contested as an independent candidate under the party’s symbol is also a much thought out one. “We have asked our people to gauge the situation on the ground. What we have been told is that the government did face people’s anger during the Sabarimala issue, but this time it is not like that. Yes, there are people who will be questioning the party, but we will go to them with our explanation. However, with the credibility of the media under question, it is not like people are believing all the allegations against the government blindly,” the source said. MA Baby, Politburo member of the party, told TNM that ‘no one with common sense would think that Jaleel should resign’. “Everyone knows how the central investigating agencies function now. It’s either to shoot or to book in cases — what the BJP does to political opponents. If all those who are questioned by the central agencies resign, a new government may be needed to form as there will be none left,” he said. Though the CPI(M) seems adamant on its stand to back Jaleel, the Opposition too is not ready to let go. The Congress and BJP’s fury seems to be also driven by the political example set by the LDF when it was the Opposition in the state. The state had witnessed fiery protests against the previous United Democratic Front government in the bar bribery scam over the allegation that the then Finance Minister KM Mani had taken bribes from bar owners in the state. The turbulent protests led to Mani resigning from the Cabinet in November 2015. In 2018, Mani got a clean chit in the case. The LDF Secretariat siege in 2013 – that lasted for many days — demanding the resignation of then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in relation to the Solar Scam, is one of the largest protests the state has witnessed in recent years. But the CPI(M) should not be complacent, says another source close to the party. “A couple of months ago, there was the feeling that the LDF would return to power. With the gold smuggling case and the Chief Minister’s office coming into focus in connection with it, the entire political scenario has been twisted. The edge Pinarayi had, with the effective handling of two consecutive floods and the pandemic, should have shifted to the defence now. And with a Cabinet minister’s name also being connected with it, the political atmosphere has become favourable for the Opposition,” the source said. He added that with the Assembly elections due for next year, the gold smuggling case will have an impact on the winning probabilities of the Left Democratic Front. “It’s indeed a setback to the government though the government and Left leaders have been trying to tackle it by twisting the focus to the Quran,” the source added. Also Read: Did KT Jaleel violate FCRA by distributing gifts from UAE Consulate? Experts weigh in

Body 2:

Actor Assault Case

All three actors, who are also members of the Women in Cinema Collective, wrote that they were taken aback that members from the film industry were turning against their own.

TNM Staff

Collage of actors Rima, Revathy and Remya

Filmmaker and actor Revathy, actors Rima Kallingal and Remya Nambessan took to social media expressing solidarity with their colleague and survivor of sexual assault using the hashtag ‘avalkoppam’ (with her). The statements came a day after two actors in the Malayalam film industry changed their statements before the court. On Thursday, Malayalam actors Sidhique and Bhamaa had deposed before the special court in Kochi, in the case pertaining to the 2017 abduction and sexual assault of a Malayalam actor in a moving van. Malayalam actor Dileep, has been accused of masterminding the attack and is the eighth accused in the case. It is learnt that Bhamaa and Sidhique did not stick to their initial statements given to the police. Earlier two other actors, Edavela Babu and Bindhu Panicker, had turned hostile in the case. All three actors, who are also members of the Women in Cinema Collective, wrote that they were taken aback that members from the film industry were turning against their own. Filmmaker and actor Revathy expressed her shock to have learnt that actor Bhamaa, who is a friend of the survivor actor, changed her statement in court. “In the famous but not spoken much about these days, the actress assault case of 2017, Edavela Babu and Bindu Panniker pulled back on their own statements in court, we could not have expected much from them. And now it's Mr Siddique and Bhamaa. I suppose one can understand why Mr Siddique did it, but Bhamaa? Having been a friend and confidant she too denies what she told the cops soon after the incident,” wrote Revathy. She further said that those who are really with the survivor, will always be ‘with’ her. “The survivor has been going through such tough times. Why is it that no one thinks about what goes on in a survivor’s life and family for having filed a complaint?” she added. Calling the incident shameful, actor Rima Kallingal said that it is deeply hurtful to see colleagues who stood by the survivor actor, to have turned away, when their help was the most needed. “As much as we know that the women who have turned hostile are also victims in some sense who have no place in the power equation of this industry, even then, it hurts the most. Have been reading that 4 of them have changed their statement. Edavela Babu, Bindu Panikkar, Sidhique, Bhama. And still counting. If this is true it’s such a shame,” wrote Rima on Facebook. Actor Remya Nambeeshan also expressed her disappointment on the incident. “When someone you thought is fighting along with you suddenly changes colour, it hurts. Deeply. I have heard about witnesses turning hostile in cases but when the survivor is your own how can you betray her? The fight is real and ultimately truth will triumph. For both the survivor and women at large, this fight will go on. #Avalkoppam,” she said. Meanwhile, the survivor actor was also seen sharing an emotional post on social media, though she did not make any direct references to the case. “You will never understand the damage you did to someone until the same thing is done to you. That’s why I’m here -- Karma,” reads the post. Meanwhile, the trial court on Friday decided to hear the prosecution’s plea to cancel Dileep's bail on Monday. The plea was filed by the prosecution alleging that Dileep tried to influence a witness in the case. Read: Actors Sidhique and Bhamaa turn hostile witnesses in Kerala actor assault case

Body 2:

Crime

The officer had failed to appear before the court, citing various reasons despite three notices being issued to him.

PTI

A Court here on Friday directed IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman, accused of driving a car in an inebriated condition and fatally knocking down a journalist in the city on August 3 last year, to appear before it on October 12 in connection with the case. A Judicial First Class Magistrate court issued the order after Sriram Venkitaraman failed to appear citing various reasons despite three notices being issued to him. A charge sheet was filed in the court on February1 this year against the IAS officer, arraigning him as the first accused in the case. The court has issued notice to him as per section 209 of the CrPC. Section 209 deals with transferring of a case to a Sessions court when an offence is triable exclusively by it. In this case, the court had, after considering the charge sheet, observed that Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) would be chargeable against the IAS officer and it was triable by a sessions court. Section 304 deals with punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Before transferring the case, the lower court needs tocomplete certain procedural formalities and those were delayed due to his failure to appear before the court thrice. Wafa Feroze, his friend, who was also in the luxury car, is the second accused in the case and has been charged with abetting the officer to drive the car rashly. However, she appeared before court today. The around 70-page charge sheet was filed before the Judicial First Class Magistrate court here by the Special Investigation Team of the Crime branch, which probed the case. The charge sheet has listed 100 witnesses and submitted 75 materials of evidence. It states that the 33-year-old officer was drunk and was behind the wheels in the overspeeding car while returning from a private party on August 3 last year past midnight, police sources said. The car hit journalist K M Basheer, who was on his motorcycle, killing him on the spot. Sriram Venkitaraman, a doctor himself, allowed police to collect his blood sample for examination nine hours after the accident and after getting himself admitted to a private hospital here. His arrest was recorded nearly 17 hours later. The officer was shifted to the Medical college hospital after Basheer's family and media personnel protested over the "five star treatment" being given to him at the private KIMS hospital. Appointed Survey Director by the state cabinet in August 2019, Sriram Venkitaraman was booked under Sections 279 (rash driving on a public way) and 304 of the Indian Penal Code and damaging public property. He was suspended from service and his driving licence cancelled. Sriram Venkitaraman, who was suspended two days after the incident, was reinstated in March this year and appointed as Joint Secretary, Health department.

Body 2:

Crime

"The group was planning to undertake terrorist attacks at vital installations in India with an aim to kill innocent people,” an NIA spokesperson said.

TNM Staff

Following raids in West Bengal and Kerala, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday arrested nine militants linked with the Al Qaeda terror group, who were planning attacks at several key installations in Delhi-NCR, a spokesperson said. The NIA spokesperson said that the anti-terror probe agency carried out the simultaneous raids at several locations in Kerala's Ernakulam and West Bengal's Murshidabad after learning about an inter-state module of Al Qaeda operatives at various locations in India."The group was planning to undertake terrorist attacks at vital installations in India with an aim to kill innocent people and strike terror in their minds," the spokesperson said, adding that it has registered a case on September 11. The official said that NIA has arrested six terrorists from West Bengal and three from Kerala in the early morning raids. During the raids, large quantity of incriminating materials including digital devices, documents, jihadi literature, sharp weapons, country-made firearms, a locally fabricated body armour, articles and literature used for making home-made explosive devices have been seized from their possession."As per preliminary investigation, these individuals were radicalised by the Pakistan-based Al Qaeda terrorists on social media and were motivated to undertake attacks at multiple places including the National Capital Region," the official said. The official said that the module was actively indulging in fund raising and a few members of the gang were planning to travel to New Delhi to procure arms and ammunition. However, these arrests have pre-empted possible terrorist attacks in various parts of the country. Arrested terrorists have been identified as Murshid Hasan, Iyakub Biswas and Mosaraf Hossen, all three residents of Ernakulam. The others identified are Najmus Sakib, Abu Sufiyan, Mainul Mondal, Leu Yean Ahmed, Al Mamun Kamal and Atitur Rehman, all residents of Murshidabad. The official said that they will be produced before the courts concerned in Kerala and West Bengal for police custody and further investigation.

Body 2:

Crime

The accused were released on bail and reportedly given a welcome by the CPI(M) local unit.

Sreedevi Jayarajan

Police have arrested two men who abused prominent TV journalist Nisha Purushottaman on social media. On Friday, the Cyber Crime police station arrested VU Vineeth, a contract employee with Deshabhimani, a CPI(M) mouthpiece and TJ Jayajith, who works at a private firm. The duo who are Kollam natives were later let off on bail. “A third accused in the case against Nisha is a man named Gokul P. He is responsible for the vulgar content including morphing the photo of the journalist. His arrest is also imminent and we will be taking action soon,” Circle Inspector of the Cyber Crime Station told TNM. According to reports, when Jayjith came out on bail, the local CPI(M) unit led by Chavara area secretary Manoharan welcomed him. In June 2020, three Kerala based television journalists, Nisha Purushothaman, the Chief News Producer of Manorama News, Kamalesh KG, Principal Correspondent with Asianet News and Prajula Kamalesh, News Editor with Asianet News, approached the police after they were harassed on social media by CPI(M) sympathisers. The journalists stated that they were targeted by the CPI(M)’s cyber cell for asking uncomfortable questions to the CM during the coverage of the pandemic, floods and gold smuggling case in the state. Another accused Kannan Lal is yet to be arrested. However, Kannan is not an accused in the FIR lodged based on Nisha’s complaint. “He is an accused based on a complaint filed by Kamalesh. According to the complaint, Kannan is responsible for the abuse faced by the journalist couple. However, this case is being investigated by a regular police station as not cyber crime sections have been attracted,” the CI added. Following the controversy, while the CPI(M) has been alleging that they were being targeted by the media at the behest of the Congress and the BJP, many journalists have reiterated that it is their job to ask tough questions. Speaking to TNM, Nisha said, "It is unfortunate that they got bail. It questions the sincerity of the govt in such cases.This is going to set a bad precedent". Asianet News Chief Reporter Kamlesh and wife Prajula too faced personal attacks following the channel's reporting on the gold smuggling case. Several allegations cropped up linking the Chief Minister’s office to Swapna Suresh, an accused in the gold smuggling case, as she was found to be working closely with the former Principal Secretary to the CM. In one of the press meets that were held following this development, CM Pinarayi lost his cool and questioned the media for linking him with the smuggling case. Since Kalamesh was among the journalists who asked questions to the CM, posts which targeted him started appearing on social media.

Body 2:

Environment

The project has studied 10% of the state across 4,000 locations.

TNM Staff

A few young women and men standing with their bags, binoculars and cameras in the woods

Many attempts have been made by birdwatchers from across Kerala to compile an atlas of birds in Kerala. They had started once in the 1990s and then again in 2005 with surveys but it never led anywhere. Five years ago, armed with technology, they set off again and finished the survey through 600 days, studying 10% of the state and covering an area of 38,863 square kilometers. Over a thousand birdwatchers took part in the survey in 4,000 locations across Kerala. The Kerala Bird Atlas is a citizen science project to map the distribution and abundance of birds of an entire Indian state, said a press note released by the team."Thanks to the survey I could visit a village called Sreekrishnapuram, northwest of Palakkad, which I had always wanted to. I live in Bengaluru so I would go there on the weekends. It was a surprise to see eight different species of woodpeckers in the village, and this is not even close to the Western Ghats," says Praveen J, a state coordinator of the project. Curious passersby would stop to ask what was going on. Praveen would explain with an example – “Have you seen peacocks in this area 20 years ago? No right. But what about now? You see them on every tree top? Yes, that’s what we want to learn.” The team finished 95% of the identified locations in the dry season. The rest - with multiple floods and later COVID-19 - had to be restricted to 80% of the locations. Every district had a dedicated number of birdwatchers doing the survey. Dr Jeevan, who was part of the Kollam team, was surprised to see a lot of new people joining the survey. “Perhaps they were always there on the backstage and now came to the front,” he jokes. All types of birds visited Kollam since it was a mix of sea, lakes, hills, forests and marshy areas. “You’d see forest birds in Kottarakkara even though it’s rubber plantations there. Through the years, people have also become more aware of biodiversity and its importance. Wetland birds used to be caught or killed even as recently as eight years ago. But that’s reduced a lot now,” Dr Jeevan says. The adverse effects of climate change are also visible. In the Shendurney reservoir, the river tern used to nest in big numbers but now there are much fewer, Dr Jeevan says. They had the support of the Kerala Forest Department which allowed surveys in protected areas and reserve forests. In non-forest areas, the Social Forestry wing helped volunteers in reaching far off places. The volunteers used the eBird app to record bird sightings and Locus Free App to find the location. The findings were updated on Google Spreadsheets. Atlases of the districts - Alappuha, Thrissur and Kannur - have already been released. Watch: A wet season survey by Pathanamthitta birdwatchers Also read: A Kerala vegetable seller spends half his day finding blood donors for cancer patients

Body 2:

Books

B Sandhya, Additional Director General of Police, known for her literary works, is the editor of the story collection.

Cris

A Malayalam book cover in which four shadows walk hand in hand on the front cover and a woman's face appears in the back

Khaki kupayathinullil oru kavi hridyamundu, oru kalakaranundu, oru gayakanundu. Inside the khaki uniform, is a poet, an artist, a singer. Sub Inspector K Rajendran, a character played by Sreenivasan, says these words before breaking into the famous ‘Pavizhamalli’ song in the 1986 movie Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam. Now, in real life, 20 police personnel, much like Rajendran, have poured out their ‘kavi hridyam’ into stories, which have been packed into a book aptly titled Salute. B Sandhya, Additional Director General of Police, known for her literary works, is the editor of the story collection, having also added one of her own — Vembanadinte Vilapam — to it. The idea for the book came from GV Rakesh of GV Books, the publisher of Salute. “It is always the famous writers that publishers call when they think of story collections. I know there are many in the police force who are also excellent writers. So I spoke to Sandhya madam about this idea, to get policemen and women to write stories. She was very pleased with it and asked me to go ahead. So, we invited stories from police personnel and got 58 entries,” Rakesh says. The editorial board of GV Books chose 28 of the entries which were sent to Sandhya for a final selection. She chose 20 of the best. “Police personnel have good observation skills. They need it in their daily lives. So when they do creative work, you can see how their observation skills come to play. George Orwell, the great novelist, was also a noted police official. Worldover, many police officials have become renowned writers. In Kerala too, we have good writers in the police force. Some of them have now written stories for this collection that GV Books has brought out. Such a collection must be a first of its kind from Kerala,” Sandhya says. Rakesh says that some of the stories in the book are investigative ones, the kind you might expect a police official to write. There are other stories too, of different genres, he adds. Among the 20 people who wrote, there are two policewomen including Sandhya. The other is KK Premalatha who wrote a story called Ashanthiparvam. “There are stories from the newest recruit in the police force to the ADGP,” says Rakesh. The book is expected to be released in October. Also read: The 'painkili' genre in Malayalam literature and how it captured the hearts of lakhs

Body 2:

Crime

Writers NS Madhavan, KR Meera and filmmaker Aashiq Abu have come out in support of the survivor, after two more witnesses turned hostile in the actor assault case.

Sreedevi Jayarajan

Prominent personalities in Kerala have taken to social media to stand in solidarity with the survivor in the actor assault case after two more actors in the Malayalam film industry turned hostile witnesses on Thursday. One of the hostile witnesses is actor Bhaama, who was a close friend of the survivor, and had earlier supported her in the case. Speaking out against the incident, writer-journalist KR Meera said that the “survivor has already won the case, regardless of what happens in court or whichever witnesses turn hostile”. The writer also added that the message given by the survivor to the world by filing a complaint in the case is very important. “This is the biggest feminist victory seen in recent times. The retaliation given to assaulters in such cases is also not a trivial one. The defence parties are those who have money power, political clout and people to support them. It is not surprising that witnesses are turning hostile due to this,” she added. KR Meera also lauded the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) for standing in solidarity with the survivor despite several setbacks. “Despite having been founded with just 18 members, the WCC outlived all setbacks and supported her (the survivor) and that is important. Nobody can ignore or belittle that. Even if one person is standing in support of the survivor, who outlived all losses and did not expect any gains — then that is a victory,” she said. The writer also added that “...finally the winner is the survivor and that the scales are tipped in her favour,” before extending her support. Filmmaker Aashiq Abu too took to Facebook to express his solidarity with the survivor, adding that it wasn’t surprising to see a senior actor and the female actor turning hostile in the case. “By taking a favourable stand towards the cruelty that happened, these people are also morally favouring or leaning towards the crimes. Even after this, supporters of the accused who are hidden right now will go crawling back. They think that the legal system and the public can always be fooled. But whatever be the verdict of this case, I will stand with the survivor until the doors of the highest courts are closed. #Ionlystandwithher,” he wrote. Writer NS Madhavan posted a picture of Judas and wrote “any resemblance of this picture to actor Bhaama is purely coincidental,” comparing the actor who was supposedly the survivor’s close friend to Judas, one of Jesus’s twelve disciples who betrayed him. Within the picture of Judas are the lines “From absolute loyalty to ultimate betrayal.” ഈ പടത്തിനു ഭാമയുമായുള്ള സാദൃശ്യംയാദൃശ്ചികം മാത്രം. pic.twitter.com/uRmRG8SpGm — N.S. Madhavan (@NSMlive) September 18, 2020 Meanwhile, lawyer and environment activist Harish Vasudevan took to Facebook to remind people that "the legal system in the country rests solely based on the power of the witness to tell the truth”. “Only if the witness is willing to honestly divulge what he or she knows about a crime in the court, even if cross examined multiple times, will the culprit finally be punished,” he said. His post then goes on to ask what the power of truth is. “The judicial system of this country is built on the single belief that the power to speak the truth that is seen, heard and known is used and that the witness has the courage to use this power. If the witness doesn't tell the truth or lies, the criminal will come out. If you're the witness, and saved the accused by changing the statement, tomorrow you might be the victim of that criminal who is coming out. No one will be there to testify. Only then will you understand the pain,” the post reads. On Thursday, Malayalam actors Siddique and Bhaama had deposed before the special court in Kochi, in the case pertaining to the 2017 abduction and sexual assault of a Malayalam actor in a moving vehicle. Malayalam actor Dileep has been accused of masterminding the attack and is the eighth accused in the case. It is learnt that Bhamaa and Sidhique did not stick to their initial statements given to the police. While the duo had earlier spoken about a fight that broke out between actor Dileep and the survivor during a practice rehearsal for an AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists) show prior to the crime, they did not mention this point in court, according to sources. Earlier two other actors, Edavela Babu and Bindhu Panicker, had turned hostile in the case. WCC members and actors Revathy, Rima Kallingal and Remya Nambessan took to social media to express solidarity with their colleague using the hashtag ‘avalkoppam’ (with her).

Body 2:

Health

An emergency and trauma care centre at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College and a modernised casualty at RCC have been opened.

TNM Staff

A modern casualty unit at Thiruvananthauram Regional Cancer Centre

RCC Casualty Unit

On Saturday, Kerala took a further step in public health infrastructure development. An emergency and trauma care centre has been inaugurated at the Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram. Simultaneously, a casualty ward with modern facilities was opened at the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) in the city. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated both the facilities in a virtual function. People in Thiruvananthapuram and the neighbouring Kollam district rely on the Government Medical College for medical assistance. People from as far as Kanyakumari at the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border come to RCC, a premiere institute of cancer care in the state. State Health Minister KK Shailaja said that the aim of the government is to give treatment with global standards to the poor. The Emergency and Trauma Care centre at the Medical College cost Rs 33 crore to build. A garden, a new road to evade traffic, a triage facility (to provide treatment as per the severity of the condition) for emergency treatment, a modern trauma care centre, centres for cardiology and stroke, mass casualty and disaster management, operation theatres and intensive care units have been set up here. Various departments like Medicine, Surgery, Orthopaedics and ENT come under this hospital’s wing. This level 2 trauma care system (to provide care for patients with severe trauma) has been set up in consultation with doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS). Treatment will be provided by dividing patients into red (high risk condition), green (less complex condition) and yellow (minor to moderate conditions). The trauma care centre has five theatres for emergency operations, two ICUs and 21 ventilators. Speciality and super speciality facilities will be available on call. Modernised casualty ward at RCC The new casualty ward at RCC cost Re one crore to build. It resolves the drawbacks of the old casualty ward by following the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare guidelines. Emergency care can be given to ten patients at a time while ensuring their privacy. It has a triage facility, various types of beds for special needs, monitoring and life-saving equipment for each bed and a separate waiting room. Also Read: First phase of Konni Medical College in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta becomes functional

Body 2:

Weather

KSDMA has alerted the public and the government machinery to prepare to face any landslide, soil erosion and flood in low-lying areas and keep vigil.

TNM Staff

Women standing on road holding umbrella in rain

Kerala will witness extremely heavy rainfall in the coming days as a cyclone is being formed in the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned. The Kerala Disaster Management Authority has alerted the public and the government machinery to prepare to face any landslide, soil erosion and flood in low-lying areas and keep vigil. People living in disaster-prone areas of the districts where the red and orange warnings have been issued will be shifted to camps as a precautionary measure. The government officials have also been warned of strong wind and the possible uprooting of trees. The IMD has issued a warning for fishermen, asking them not to venture into the sea. A Red code warning has been issued for Idukki, Malappuram, Kannur and Kasaragod districts for Sunday. Extremely heavy rainfall has been predicted for the districts, which are likely to receive more than 204.5 millimetre rains in 24 hours. An alert for extreme vigil has been issued for these four districts. An orange code warning has been issued for Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Kozhikode and Wayanad for Sunday, as there is a possibility for very heavy rains — between 115.6 millimetre and 204.4 mm — for 24 hours. A yellow code warning has been issued for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha for Sunday. KSDMA has asked to shift those living in disaster-prone areas to relief camps. “People who live in disaster-prone areas should be mandatorily shifted to camps during day time as rains are likely to gather strength during the night,” KSDMA said in a press meet. People should avoid travelling through high-range areas during the night. An order will be issued banning vehicles to high-range areas from 7 pm to 7 am. The public should completely cooperate with it, said KSDMA. Vadakara in Kozhikode received 10 cm rain, while Hosdurg (Kasaragod) recorded 9 cm and Taliparambu in Kannur and Kudulu in Kasaragod received 7 cm each, as per the weather report on Sunday morning. In view of the alerts, the Navy, Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters, the police and fire force are all ready to swing into action in case of any emergency requests, sources said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a 'red alert' for extremely heavy rainfall for Kerala's three districts on Saturday. (With PTI inputs)

Defence

The NIA had on Saturday arrested three West Bengal natives residing in Ernakulam, who allegedly part of the Al Qaeda terror module.

PTI

Officials at the Southern Naval Command in Kochi

The security measures at the Southern Naval Command in Kochi has been beefed up after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday busted a terror module of Al Qaeda in Ernakulam district of Kerala. The NIA had revealed that the arrested terrorists intended to launch terror attacks on vital installations in the country with the aim to kill people. "The SNC will continue to take all precautions against all possible threats," a Defence source told PTI. Highly placed sources in the Kochi city police said they have been identifying the terror elements, monitoring the activities of the people visiting and camping in the city. "We are very well prepared to deal with any form of such terror threats," a senior officer said, reacting to the arrest of three West Bengal natives from Ernakulam district. Acting on a tip-off provided by central intelligence agencies, the NIA, with the help of the state police forces, carried out raids in the intervening night of September 18 and 19 at Ernakulam in Kerala. Three natives of West Bengal — Murshid Hasan, Iyakub Biswas and Mosaraf Hossen — who posed as migrant workers, were arrested from Pathalam and Perumbavoor in Ernakulam on Saturday. The arrested men lived in rented houses in Perumbavoor in Ernakulam rural and Pathalam in Kochi city, the police officer added. Another six men — Najmus Sakib, Abu Sufiyan, Mainul Mondal, Leu Yean Ahmed, Al Mamun Kamal and Atitur Rehman — were arrested during the raids that were held at Murshidabad in West Bengal. Murshid Hasan, who was arrested from Kerala, is said to be the leader of the gang. A senior police officer said the state police have been working to identify the cadres of terror groups landing in Kerala. "The people suspected to have terror links are put on surveillance. We are always on the lookout for such elements. This is an ongoing activity," the officer said when asked about the steps taken by the state police to identify the terror suspects in Kerala. The police do not publicise the type of works being done on the ground to tackle terrorists, he said. Opposition slam state govt Meanwhile, the Congress and the BJP attacked the state government over the issue, alleging the state has become a hub of terrorists under CPI(M)-led LDF rule. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President Mullappally Ramachandran alleged the state police failed to trace the presence of al-Qaeda terrorists in the soil of Kerala. "With the arrest of three al-Qaeda terrorists from the state, it is evident that that law and order machinery in the state has collapsed and the state has become fertile soil for terror groups," Ramachandran told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram. BJP state president K Surendran claimed Kerala has become a "hideout" for terrorists under the rule of both CPI(M)-led LDF and Congress-led UDF. He also claimed the state government ignored a recent UN report on terrorism that warned that there are "significant numbers" of ISIS terrorists in Kerala and about Al-Qaeda terrorists planning attacks in the country. Read: NIA busts Al Qaeda terror module, 9 arrested from Kerala and Bengal

Crime

The case pertains to the 2016 incident where a group called Ansar-ul-Khilafah Kerala reportedly conspired to carry out planned terror strikes in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

TNM Staff

Three NIA officials wearing blue jackets written letters NIA over it

Image for representation

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested an accused in the 2016 Kanakamala IS module case of Kerala. Mohammad Polakkani, who had been absconding, was arrested from an airport in Kerala on his arrival from Georgia on Saturday. The case pertains to the 2016 incident where a group called Ansar-ul-Khilafah Kerala, which allegedly has links to the terror outfit of Islamic State, reportedly conspired to carry out planned terror strikes in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The alleged conspiracy plan was held at Kanakamala in Kannur district of Kerala. The NIA had then arrested six men. Out of the nine persons named in the case, including Mohammad Polakkani, six were convicted, a Kozhikode native was acquitted and one person is still under trial. Though the six persons were convicted in the case, the trial court had concluded that NIA could not establish the alleged Islamic State link of the group. Kannur native Mohammad Polakkani was arrested from the airport as he arrived in Kerala from Georgia, said a report by Sreenath N of News 18 Malayalam. As per the report, the accused was brought to the NIA court in Cochin along with the three Al Qaeda terror accused arrested on Saturday from Ernakulam. As per The Hindu, he had been reportedly using various social media accounts in different names through which the group allegedly operated. The NIA traced his location last year and had issued a lookout notice. Mohammad Polakkani was reportedly the first accused in the case. However, as he absconded, other eight accused were named as accused one to eight. The convicted men include Manseed Muhmood alias Omar al Hindi, Swalih Mohammad from Chelad in Ernakulam, Rashid Ali from Coimbatore, Kozhikode native Ramshad, Tirur native of Safwan and Kasaragod native Meynuddin Paravakadathu. Reportedly the group had conspired to attack prominent persons in Kerala, including High Court judges, top police officers and politicians. All convicted six men were found to be sympathisers of banned outfits. The court has said that three convicts had also received funding to carry out terror activities and had recruited members to join a terror outfit. Read: Kanakamala IS Module: 6 sentenced for planning terror attacks in Kerala and TN

Politics

Pinarayi Vijayan was replying to the queries of reporters on how protests against Minister KT Jaleel could be termed as something against Quran.

TNM Staff

Pinarayi Vijayan in white with a white mask below his chin, is in front of a microphone, sitting in his office chair

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday slammed the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) for dragging the Quran into the gold smuggling controversy. He also alleged the UDF was toeing the BJP-RSS line on the issue and they need to introspect. “There was no need to drag the holy book into controversy and there was no need to attack the state government and the minister,” CM told the media. It was the RSS and the BJP that had first made the allegation that gold had been smuggled in the guise of importing Quran from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This was later picked up by the UDF's Congress and Muslim League leaders, the CM told reporters. Pinarayi Vijayan was replying to the queries of reporters on how protests against Higher Education Minister KT Jaleel and the questioning by National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) over links with UAE Consulate and gold smuggling accused Swapna Suresh, can be termed as something against the Quran. After the Quran was brought to the UAE Consulate, the Consular General had reportedly sought help from Jaleel for distributing it as ‘zakat’ (charity) during Ramzan and the Minister had obliged, CM Pinarayi said. "When the BJP-RSS makes such an allegation, it is understandable. But later, the Congress and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leaders spoke in the same vein and gave it publicity. The UDF Convenor had even shot off a letter to the Prime Minister and League leaders, and openly made the allegation. We all saw that. On what basis were the allegations made? Why did they make the allegations and for whom?” Pinarayi Vijayan asked, adding, “It seems they have understood that it has backfired. It is good they realised their blunder.” A day after CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan in an article in Deshabhimani, the party organ, attacked IUML for dragging the Quran into the gold smuggling controversy, Pinarayi Vijayan took on the League, a prominent ally of the opposition front, saying they should not have insulted the sacred text. "Congress and IUML need to introspect. RSS have their own agenda. Why did UDF toe the RSS stand?" the Chief Minister asked. Also read: Why the LDF has decided to stick its neck out for KT Jaleel Will not back out from protests: Congress Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly Ramesh Chennithala said the Marxist party should not be under the impression that people can be fooled. They are aware that Kodiyeri Balakrishnan is playing the communal card to give space to BJP and help the saffron party in the state, Chennithala alleged. "We all respect religious texts — the Bible, Quran, Gita. In the name of a religious text, CPI(M) is trying to unleash communal propaganda to prevent the UDF from speaking about the gold smuggling case," he said. He claimed the LDF ministry was a "sinking ship" and asserted that the opposition will not back out from its demand for Jaleel's resignation. Protests demanding Jaleel’s resignation by various opposition youth organisations have been going on in the state for the last eight days. (With PTI input) Also read: IUML wants KT Jaleel to resign, but tread carefully on the Quran issue Watch: Protests demanding Jaleel's resignation turn violent

Crime

NIA has said to have busted an inter-state terror module and arrested nine people — three from Ernakulam in Kerala and six from Murshidabad in West Bengal.

TNM Staff

Alleged al Qaeda terrorists (L-R) Abu Sufiyan, Murshid Hasan and Mosaref Hossen after being arrested by National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. NIA on Saturday arrested nine al Qaeda terrorists planning attacks in several places in the country

3 of the men arrested (PTI)

The nine men arrested from Kerala’s Ernakulam and West Bengal on Saturday by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), alleged to be part of an inter-state terror module of Al Qaeda, had plans to travel to Jammu and Kashmir to deliver weapons, the agency has said. The weapons and home-made explosives were to be delivered for their associates, as they continued to take orders from their Pakistan-based handlers, NIA officials said. The revelations came as the NIA busted the inter-state terror module after it carried out searches at multiple locations in Murshidabad in West Bengal and Ernakulam in Kerala. The NIA arrested nine Al Qaeda terrorists — three from Kerala and six from West Bengal. The Al Qaeda men have been identified as Murshid Hassan, Yakoob Bishwas and Morshraf Hussien, all three residents of Ernakulam. They were picked up from Kochi. The others have been identified as Najmus Sakib, Abu Sufiyan, Mainul Mondal, Leu Yean Ahmed, Al Mamun Kamal and Atitur Rehman, were all residents of Murshidabad. An NIA official related to the probe told IANS, "These terrorists were planning to go to Kashmir for weapons delivery to their handlers." They had amassed potassium nitrate from firecrackers bought in large amounts. Reportedly, while NIA has not seized weapons from men arrested from Ernakulam, it has seized explosives from those arrested from West Bengal."During the raids the agency got a huge cache of firecrackers. They bought the firecrackers to hide procurement of huge amounts of potassium required to make the IEDs," a senior NIA official related to the probe told IANS. The official said that the arrested were in touch with their Pakistan-based handler Hamza. They planned attacks on several vital installations in Delhi-NCR and other parts of the country with an aim to kill innocent people and strike terror in their minds. The agency registered a case on September 11. "NIA also recovered the crude IEDs along with the switches, batteries etc from terrorist Sufiyan's residential premises in Murshidabad," the official said. The official said that Hassan was the main leader of the terror module. The NIA also recovered sharp weapons, country-made firearms, a locally fabricated body armour, articles and literature used for making home-made explosive devices from their possession. Kerala Police discovered that Morshraf Hussien was in Kerala for the past one decade and was working in a textile shop at Perumbavoor, near Aluva. Hassan had started to live in Kerala since the beginning of the nationwide lockdown. These men were from diverse walks of life from second year graduate student to farmer, tailor, cook, electrician, computer science graduate. Those arrested from Kerala were also originally from West Bengal. A man who was staying in the same building as Hassan, said the men came to stay on rent during the pandemic-induced lockdown. According to NIA officials, Hassan was a casual labourer, Bishwas was a salesman in a garment shop and Hussein was a cook. Meanwhile, among those arrested from West Bengal, Rahman has been pursuing graduation and is a second year arts student, Sufiyan is engaged in farming and was a tailor earlier, Ahmed is an electrician in a college, Mondal is a cook, Sakib is pursuing graduation in computer science and Mamun is a mason and also a driver. With IANS inputs

Lawyer Harish Vasudevan said that "the legal system in the country rests solely based on the power of the witness to tell the truth”.

Sreedevi Jayarajan

A collage with two rows, Malayalam actors Parvathy, Rima Kallingal, author NS Madhavan and KR Meera on top row, Remya Nambeessan, Revathy and Anjali menon on second row.

Many prominent personalities in Kerala have taken to social media to stand in solidarity with the survivor in the actor assault case after two more actors in the Malayalam film industry changed their statements in court. One of the hostile witnesses is actor Bhaama, who was a close friend of the survivor, and had earlier told the police that there was an argument between the survivor and actor Dileep during an event, which was proof of his hostility towards her. Actors Revathy, Rima Kallingal and Remya Nambeessan were the first to react after four witnesses from the film industry changed their statements. Many have been using the hashtag #Avalkoppam or 'with her' to express solidarity. Speaking out against the incident, writer-journalist KR Meera said that the “survivor has already won the case, regardless of what happens in court or whichever witnesses turn hostile”. The writer also added that the message given by the survivor to the world by filing a complaint in the case is very important. “This is the biggest feminist victory seen in recent times. The retaliation given to assaulters in such cases is also not a trivial one. The defence parties are those who have money power, political clout and people to support them. It is not surprising that witnesses are turning hostile due to this,” she added. KR Meera also lauded the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) for standing in solidarity with the survivor despite several setbacks. “Despite having been founded with just 18 members, the WCC outlived all setbacks and supported her (the survivor) and that is important. Nobody can ignore or belittle that. Even if one person is standing in support of the survivor, who outlived all losses and did not expect any gains — then that is a victory,” she said. The writer also added that “...finally the winner is the survivor and that the scales are tipped in her favour,” before extending her support. Courage in real life is vry different frm courage onscreen. Courage is abt standing up despite anything. It is abt looking fear in the eye. In her incredibly difficult journey made worse by those who cld have made it better, she has shown courage. I stand by her. #Avalkoppam pic.twitter.com/dfEXsyNcWt — Anjali Menon (@AnjaliMenonFilm) September 19, 2020 Filmmaker Aashiq Abu too took to Facebook to express his solidarity with the survivor, adding that it wasn’t surprising to see a senior actor and the female actor turning hostile in the case. “By taking a favourable stand towards the cruelty that happened, these people are also morally favouring or leaning towards the crimes. Even after this, supporters of the accused who are hidden right now will go crawling back. They think that the legal system and the public can always be fooled. But whatever be the verdict of this case, I will stand with the survivor until the doors of the highest courts are closed. #Ionlystandwithher,” he wrote. Writer NS Madhavan posted a picture of Judas and wrote “any resemblance of this picture to actor Bhaama is purely coincidental,” comparing the actor who was supposedly the survivor’s close friend to Judas, one of Jesus’s twelve disciples who betrayed him. Within the picture of Judas are the lines “From absolute loyalty to ultimate betrayal.” ഈ പടത്തിനു ഭാമയുമായുള്ള സാദൃശ്യംയാദൃശ്ചികം മാത്രം. pic.twitter.com/uRmRG8SpGm — N.S. Madhavan (@NSMlive) September 18, 2020 Reason behind the anger and disappoinment On Thursday, Malayalam actors Siddique and Bhaama had deposed before the special court in Kochi, in the case pertaining to the 2017 abduction and sexual assault of a Malayalam actor in a moving vehicle. Malayalam actor Dileep has been accused of masterminding the attack and is the eighth accused in the case. It is learnt that Bhamaa and Sidhique did not stick to their initial statements given to the police. While the duo had earlier spoken about a fight that broke out between actor Dileep and the survivor during a practice rehearsal for an AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists) show prior to the crime, they did not mention this point in court, according to sources. Earlier two other actors, Edavela Babu and Bindhu Panicker, had turned hostile in the case. A survivor has been put through hoops of fire and constant trauma for over three years. We have seen her stand tall and fight for justice. It has a been plain torture. I’m in shock at how witnesses are turning hostile. #Avalkoppam #IStandByTheSurvivor pic.twitter.com/P5Q4I62kZr — Parvathy Thiruvothu (@parvatweets) September 19, 2020 Meanwhile, lawyer and environment activist Harish Vasudevan took to Facebook to remind people that "the legal system in the country rests solely based on the power of the witness to tell the truth”. “Only if the witness is willing to honestly divulge what he or she knows about a crime in the court, even if cross examined multiple times, will the culprit finally be punished,” he said. His post then goes on to ask what the power of truth is. “The judicial system of this country is built on the single belief that the power to speak the truth that is seen, heard and known is used and that the witness has the courage to use this power. If the witness doesn't tell the truth or lies, the criminal will come out. If you're the witness, and saved the accused by changing the statement, tomorrow you might be the victim of that criminal who is coming out. No one will be there to testify. Only then will you understand the pain,” the post reads.

Kerala Rains

Several districts have reported severe damage to vehicles, properties and crops due to heavy rains and wind.

TNM Staff

A road in Kerala has been submerged in water. Water has submerged onto the adjacent fields. Cars, tempo travellers and a bike are seen are travelling through the road. People, too, can be seen walking along. A few shops and trees are also seen in this image.

Following low pressure in the Bay of Bengal, Kerala has been witnessing heavy rains and winds. The Indian Meteorology Department (IMD) has issued a warning of continuous heavy rains and wind in the state for the next few days. A red warning has been issued for eight districts in Kerala due to heavy rains — Idukki, Malappuram, Kasaragod, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Palakkad, Thrissur and Kannur districts. For the last few days, the districts have been receiving continuous rains. The Kerala government has asked the Defence personnel to be alert in districts with the red warning. On Saturday, Kasaragod district saw rains that lasted for about 24 hours. It was on Sunday morning that the intensity of the rainfall reduced. The Madhuvahini river in Madhur, a village in Kasaragod, is in full spate and waterlogging has been reported in neighbouring areas. Debris flow was reported in Belal panchayath of the district, two times in last week. The district administration has relocated 12 families residing in the area. A few mild landslides were also reported from the district. Heavy rains continued in Kannur district also. There was waterlogging in many low-lying areas in the district, including Sreekantapuram and Chengalayi. Waterlogging was reported at the Thaliparambu bus stand also. In Kannur, a lot of agricultural crops were lost due to rains. In Idukki district, the water levels have increased in all small dams. A person who slept under a bridge in Kunjithanni of Idukki was trapped there as the water level of the river increased. Babychan, a native of Byson Valley in Udumbanchola taluk of the district, who used to sleep regularly under the bridge at night, was later rescued by fire force officials. Watch: Man being rescued and other scenes of rainfall from Kerala In Palakkad district, the four shutters of Malampuzha dam were opened at 5 cm. Three shutters of Pothundi dam were also lifted. Since Saturday night, the district has been receiving heavy rains. Watch: Shutters of Malampuzha dam being opened Kottayam district, where there is an orange warning, received around 67 mm of rains on Sunday. Last year, when the rains crossed 100 mm, Kottayam had faced severe floods. An orange warning has been declared in Ernakulam district. In Aluva, a cyclone and heavy rains overturned some of the parked vehicles. Electric lines snapped and trees also fell due to the severe wind. The sheet roof of some waiting sheds and houses also were blown off in the wind. An Orange warning has been declared in various other districts. Kerala Chief Minister informed that three teams from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has reached Kerala and they were deployed in Thrissur and Malappuram districts on Sunday. Two other NDRF teams were earlier deployed in Idukki and Thrissur. Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has informed fishermen not to venture out into the sea. Night travel to the hilly regions has been temporarily banned across the state.

Coronavirus

Dr MS Abdeen who ran a private clinic in Thiruvananthapuram had treated COVID-19 patients until last Saturday.

TNM Staff

Doctor Abdeen with his French beard wearing a white shirt against a red background

For the first time in Kerala, a doctor who was treating COVID-19 patients, has died of the disease. Dr MS Abdeen, who ran the KBM Clinic in Attakulangara, Thiruvananthapuram, passed away on Tuesday morning after less a week of being under treatment for COVID-19. He was 73 years old. Confirming the news on Facebook, Dr Sulphi Noohu of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Kerala chapter, wrote that Dr Abdeen had treated COVID-19 patients until last Saturday. On Monday he was diagnosed with the disease and began treatment. By Tuesday, he was infected with pneumonia and other bodily ailments, reports Manorama News. He also had to be put on ventillator support. The doctor had diabetics and heart related ailments, it's reported. More than 350 doctors have lost their lives to COVID-19 across India. This is the first death of a doctor in Kerala, Dr Sulphi writes. Two people associated with healthcare work have earlier succumbed to the disease in Kerala – a mortuary worker in Ernakulam and a clerk at the Kannur District Hospital. However, this is the first time that a health worker – a doctor – who has been in direct contact with the patients, dies of the disease. The daily number of new cases of COVID-19 in the state has increased by thousands in recent weeks. On Sunday 4,644 new cases and 18 deaths of COVID-19 patients were reported. The state has had 1,26,381 cases in total since the outbreak of the disease in January end. The number of patients who recovered are 90,089. The total number of deaths due to COVID-19 crossed 500 on Sunday. The total number of health workers who have been infected with the virus is not out. However, by mid-July, 267 health workers across the state were reported to have been infected, according to a study released by the Directorate of Health Services. Read: Improper use and lack of PPE main reasons for COVID-19 among Kerala health workers

Crime

One of the three arrested men had been living in Perumbavoor for the past seven years.

Neethu Joseph

Muppathadam Road in Pathalam in Ernakulam. The street is deserted except for a two wheeler

Muppathadam Road in Pathalam where one of the accused lived

The Muppathadam Road near Pathalam, leading to the Edayar industrial sector, was eerily silent on Sunday. Almost all the shops in the spot remained shut, the area resembling a hartal, and wary eyes met those entering the few shops that remained open. It was from this region, from a small house painted yellow, that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested a West Bengal native in the wee hours of Saturday, who is now accused to be part of the terror outfit Al Qaeda. The man, Murshid Hassan, who had been working at a shop in the region for the past two and half months, is accused to be the leader of the three-member Al Qaeda module which allegedly aimed to carry out terror strikes in the country. Two others, Iyakub Biswas and Mosaraf Hossen, were arrested from Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district. House where Murshid Hassan -- man allegedly part of Al Qaeda module busted by NIA from Kerala -- lived pic.twitter.com/91F0Zc4wVf — Neethu Joseph (@neethujoseph_15) September 20, 2020 The NIA has said that all the three arrested men had been posing as migrant labourers and had sheltered in two of spots in Ernakulam with a dense population of migrant workers — Perumbavoor and Eloor. Their arrest has come as a shock for the people in the region. While two of them have been working here since the past few months, Mosaraf Hossen, had been living in Ernakulam for the past seven years. “It was shocking! I had known the man for the past seven years that he has been working here. He lives with his wife and children. The elder child is studying in class four and the younger child is in kindergarten. Who can imagine such a family man to have terror links,” says bewildered Abubacker, a native of Perumbavoor, at whose textile shop Mosaraf Hossen had been working as a salesman. It was hours after Mosaraf was taken into NIA custody, that Abubacker came to know such an incident had happened. “He was very punctual to work here. We don’t know many personal details about him, apart from the fact that he hailed from Murshidabad in West Bengal. When he started working here, he had submitted a copy of his voter identity card,” Abubacker recollects. From left: Iyakub Biswas, Murshid Hasan and Mosaref Hossen, West Bengal natives arrested by NIA from Kerala. The men are allegedly part of Al Qaeda module that planned for terror strikes in India. pic.twitter.com/ZcpXH9rdbE — Neethu Joseph (@neethujoseph_15) September 20, 2020 Meanwhile, Iyakub Biswas, who is also said to be a resident of Murshidabad in West Bengal, had only started working in Perumbavoor three months ago, at an eatery. “He came three months ago searching for a job. Since most of my workers had returned to their hometown due to the COVID-19 lockdown, I gave him a job. I am not sure about any other details, nor have I observed anything suspicious. He had been living in the house which I rented out for my workers. There are Malayali families near this house where he was living. All of them are in shock now, he used to talk very cordially with everyone,” says Haris, owner of the eatery where Iyakub worked. Residents in Eloor also have very little information about Murshid Hassan, who had been working there for the past two-and-half-months. “A section of migrant workers had gone back during the lockdown. It is learnt that he came here asking for work during the lockdown period,” says Jasmin, the councillor of Pathalam in the Eloor municipality. Following the arrest of the three men who lived around spots with a migrant worker population, the Ernakulam rural police on Sunday held checks at the labour camps in Perumbavoor and other similar places. According to reports, the NIA has said that the three arrested accused will be shifted to Delhi on Sunday for further investigation. The central agency has also reportedly zeroed in on more people who were allegedly part of the group. Read: Suspected Al Qaeda men planned to travel to Kashmir to deliver weapons, says NIA

Coronavirus

The Kerala High Court had earlier banned all protests in light of the COVID-19 situation till August 31.

TNM Staff

Three boxes each containing a young political leader with beard, in violet, red and white shirts respectively

From left - Saithali, Akhil and Nabeel

Three young political leaders who have been leading protests against Minister KT Jaleel in Kerala have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Two youth leaders of the Congress party and former district secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) have been infected with the novel coronavirus, they revealed on their respective Facebook pages. Youth leaders of rival political parties of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been protesting for several days, demanding the resignation of minister Jaleel, after he was questioned by multiple investigative agencies about a consignment of Qurans received from the United Arab Emirates consulate during Ramzan. Read: Did KT Jaleel violate FCRA by distributing gifts from UAE Consulate? Experts weigh in Nabeel Kallambalam, state general secretary of Kerala Students Union (KSU) - youth wing of the Congress party, who was recently elected as national coordinator of National Students Union of India (NSUI), wrote amid congratulatory messages on his Facebook page of having contracted COVID-19."Thanks to everyone who has wished me. I could not attend or return many calls. I have been having health issues for two days. Today I have tested positive for the coronavirus. I request everyone who has been in contact with me in the past few days to go under observation," Nabeel wrote on Sunday. Videos of his taking part in the protests which have been rocking the state the past few days are on his Facebook. Saithali Kaippadi, Thiruvananthapuram district president of the KSU, too has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. "Dear friends, since my close relative is confirmed to have got COVID-19, I have been in quarantine since last Tuesday, September 15. Today I have tested positive," he wrote on Saturday. He has posted live videos of the protest march in Secretariat on September 14. Meanwhile, TP Akhil Dev - national youth volunteer at Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, who was former Palakkad district secretary of ABVP -- wrote that he had not hidden that he had tested positive and there was a campaign against him. Akhil had posted earlier that he tested positive after an antigen test at Perinthalmanna KIMS Al Shifa hospital. On Tuesday, he wrote that he had found out the source of his disease and informed it to the health authorities."The person who is the source of my disease has not taken part in the march at Palakkad Collectorate. It is after the march that I travelled in a vehicle with him," Akhil wrote. The police had registered 385 cases against the protesters and arrested 1,131 of them towards the end of last week. The protests had turned violent in many parts of the state. Last week the Kerala High Court heard a public interest litigation to ban protests of political parties to contain the spread of COVID-19. The court had earlier banned all protests for this reason till July 31, which it later extended to August 31. Watch: Protests demanding KT Jaleel's resignation turn violent in Kerala

Death

A migrant worker from Tamil Nadu and one from Karnataka were killed in the explosion.

TNM Staff

Quarry in ernakulam where blast took place

A blast in a quarry in Ernakulam, Kerala, has killed two people. The blast took place in a quarry in Illithodu near Malayattoor in the wee hours of Monday. Two migrant workers were killed in the incident. The deceased have been identified as Tamil Nadu native Periyannan and Karnataka native Dhanapalan. The blast reportedly took place after explosive substances burst. The blast took place inside the building where the explosives were stored. The building was located very close to the crusher in Illithodu. The blast took place with a loud noise and the two deceased who were inside the building at the time of the incident, died. Kerala: Two labourers dead after explosion at a quarry in Malayattoor area of Ernakulam district today. pic.twitter.com/CoA5yCqySJ — ANI (@ANI) September 21, 2020 While the Tamil Nadu native’s mortal remains have been shifted to a private hospital in Angamaly, the Karnataka native’s body was charred beyond recognition. The police are currently making arrangements to move the Karnataka native’s body to the hospital. Despite heavy rains in the state, a detailed investigation will be undertaken on how the blast took place. Experts on explosives too, have been summoned in order to help with investigations. The Ernakulam rural police are also investigating if explosive material was stored beyond permissible limits in the building. While the incident took place early on Monday morning, the information quickly spread after residents of nearby Adivaram got wind of the blast. Illithodu is eight kilometres away from Malayatoor and borders the forests. By 5:30, news about the blast started trickling in and one of the deceased was moved to a private hospital in Angamaly. Initially, the Kaladi police station officials reportedly arrived at the scene. However, senior officials of the Ernakulam police and explosive experts later arrived at the spot of the explosion for further investigations. Further details regarding the explosion is awaited. Also read: Avalkoppam: Why Kerala celebs are rallying behind the actor who survived sexual assault

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