Malavalli: A case has been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the in-charge headmaster (HM) of a local school, following allegations of sexual harassment by students.

The Block Education Officer (BEO), V. E. Uma, lodged the complaint after students reported incidents of harassment involving the headmaster, who had been serving in the school for the past 13 years. Upon receiving the complaint, Uma, along with members of the district children’s protection committee, visited the school to gather information from students and parents. The investigation is on going.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan

New Delhi: The Hindu newspaper has expressed regret over the controversial remarks in the interview of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The publication clarified that the reference to Malappuram was inserted by a PR agency and was not part of the interview conducted by its journalist, Shobhana Nair.

According to the statement issued by The Hindu, a PR agency named Kaizen had approached them, offering the opportunity to interview the Chief Minister. However, the remarks in question, including references to gold smuggling and claims that the money was used for anti-national activities, were not stated by the Chief Minister but were written by the agency.

The newspaper’s clarification follows an investigation conducted after the interview stirred controversy and drew criticism from various quarters. In its explanation, The Hindu admitted to a lapse in editorial oversight and offered an unconditional apology.

The clarification was prompted by a letter from the Chief Minister’s office to the editor of The Hindu, seeking a correction and explanation for the erroneous report. The Chief Minister’s office had stressed that no region or specific words like ‘anti-national’ were mentioned during the interview. The office expressed concerns that the published report misrepresented the Chief Minister’s statements, causing unnecessary controversy and misinterpretation.

Thane: As many as 38 children fell ill and were hospitalised on Tuesday for suspected food poisoning after they ate a mid-day meal at a private school near Thane city in Maharashtra, officials said.

The children, aged between 8 and 11 years, were admitted to the civic hospital in Kalwa town after they complained of giddiness, nausea, headache and pain in the abdomen after lunch, according to medical officials at the hospital.

All the children are out of danger and responding to the medical treatment, Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) Additional Commissioner Sandeep Malvi told PTI.

He confirmed that the children had eaten a mid-day meal at the private school.

Another medical official said the students were served rice and moth bean (matki) curry as the meal.

“Samples of food served to students have been collected by FDA officials. It was immediately not known if matki was stale,” officials said.

According to officials, initially, five students complained of uneasiness and their number swelled gradually.

“Ambulances were summoned by the school administration and the students were rushed to the hospital,” they added.

The parents of the children are also present at the hospital.

Baramulla Lok Sabha MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Tuesday extended the interim bail of Baramulla Lok Sabha MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, till October 12, his lawyer said.

The 57-year-old will have to surrender the next day, Vikhyat Oberoi told PTI here.

Rashid’s counsel had moved an application seeking extension of the interim bail.

Rashid, who faces terror funding charges, was granted interim bail on September 10 and he walked out of the Tihar Jail on September 11.

The judge had on September 10 granted interim bail to Rashid till October 2.

He campaigned in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections.