Archives for 2024

Union Minister Suresh Gopi

Thrissur (Kerala): The Thrissur city police have launched a preliminary inquiry into allegations that Union Minister Suresh Gopi misused an ambulance during the Thrissur Pooram festival held in April this year, a police source said on Monday.

The police initiated the inquiry against the Union Minister of State for Tourism and Petroleum based on a complaint lodged by a local CPI leader.

According to a police source, the preliminary inquiry aims to determine whether there is sufficient merit to register an FIR regarding the incident, which occurred before the Lok Sabha elections.

The complaint has been forwarded to the Thrissur city Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) for the preliminary inquiry, the source told PTI.

Gopi won the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat on a BJP ticket in the elections held after the Pooram festival, defeating his nearest rivals, V S Sunil Kumar of the CPI and K Muraleedharan of the Congress.

The complaint, filed by the local CPI leader, claims that Gopi arrived at the Pooram grounds in a Seva Bharati ambulance after the Thiruvambady faction temporarily paused the festival. It alleges that the ambulance, meant for medical emergencies, was used for non-medical purposes.

Additionally, the complaint states that Gopi was transported to a restricted area where other vehicles were prohibited.

This year’s Pooram festivities were marred by controversy, allegedly due to police interventions and subsequent disputes.

The Kerala government has ordered a three-level probe, including an investigation into the alleged role of the police in the matter.

For the first time in the history of the festival, the display of fireworks–a major attraction of the event–was held in broad daylight the following day instead of the early morning hours, leading to disappointment among festival-goers.

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday took stock of the preparations and steps taken by authorities to tackle the situation that may arise in view of the heavy rain predicted by met office in the next four days.

He has directed the authorities to declare a holiday for schools and colleges in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram, and Chengalpattu districts on October 15, and also asked them to issue an advisory to IT firms to allow their employees to work from home from October 15 to 18.

The RMC said Tamil Nadu would receive heavy rain due to a low pressure area over the southeast Bay of Bengal at 5.30 am today. “It is likely to become a well marked low pressure area and move west-northwestwards towards north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts during the next two days,” it said.

There would be enhanced rainfall activity associated with the movement of this system, the IMD said.

The chief minister directed that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Tamil Nadu Disaster Response Force be deployed in advance in the areas prone to be affected.

“Rescue boats should be deployed in flood-prone areas today. District monitoring officers should immediately carry out the preparatory work, including relief and rehabilitation in coordination with the district administration,” he said.

Further, the frequency of metro trains and MRTS should be enhanced for the convenience of the public, he added.

Steps should be taken to keep the price of essential commodities under control and efforts should be made to adequately stock food and medicine in old age and destitute homes, Stalin stressed.

During the review meeting, the Greater Chennai Corporation officials informed that the civic body has readied 990 pumps, 57 tractors equipped with pump sets, and 36 mechanised boats to be used in case of any emergency. In addition, 46 MT bleaching powder and phenyl were available for sanitation purposes. About 169 fully equipped relief centers would become operational based on the situation.

The collectors of the four districts said they were fully geared up to cope with the situation arising due to inundation.

Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, state ministers, Chief Secretary N Muruganandam, DGP Shankar Jiwal, and senior officials participated.

Heavy to very heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places over Ranipet, Tiruvallur, Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Kallakurichi, Ariyalur, Perambalur and Thanjavur districts and Puducherry on Oct 15, the RMC said.

Heavy to very heavy rain at a few places with extremely heavy rain at one or two places is likely to occur over Tiruvallur, Chennai, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, and Tiruvarur districts, Puducherry and Karaikal area, on Oct 16.

Heavy to very heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places over Ranipet, Vellore, Tirupattur and Krishnagiri districts on October 17, it said. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea during this period.

Meanwhile, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami alleged that people in rain-hit Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Pudukottai, Salem, and many districts in interior Tamil Nadu were facing hardship as the administration has not taken up relief and rescue activities.

The DMK government functioned as if Chennai alone mattered, thus making the people frown, he claimed. It was not known if the Revenue, Municipal Administration, Health, and Electricity ministers were involved in the rescue and relief activities.

“Stalin should stop promoting his Deputy Chief Minister-son and instead involve himself in protecting the people in the rain-affected areas,” the former chief minister said in a statement here.

Palaniswami recalled that during the previous AIADMK regime, he ensured the participation of all state government departments in tackling the monsoon and in taking up the relief work on a war footing. “The ministers and officials were on the field to help the people then,” he added.

Meanwhile, Puducherry District Collector A Kulothungan said all schools and colleges including privately managed institutions would remain closed on Tuesday in view of the heavy rain forecast under the influence of south east monsoon.

He said that the government machinery is fully geared to rise to any exigency.

Three teams of National Disaster Rescue Force from Arakkonam (Tamil Nadu) have arrived in Puducherry to take up rescue operations whenever it becomes necessary. While two teams would be on duty in Puducherry, the remaining team would camp in Karaikal. Each of the three groups has 30 members, he added.

Relief camps and control rooms have been opened and food packets would be distributed to the people accommodated in the camps, he said.

Bengaluru: A 44-year-old English lecturer, identified as Shabana, attempted suicide by consuming tablets in the classroom of a private PU college in Tilak Nagar on Monday.

Reports suggest that Shabana, distressed by alleged harassment from the college principal, took this drastic step. Earlier that morning, she had visited the principal’s office for a conversation before returning to her classroom, where the incident occurred.

She was immediately rushed to a nearby private hospital and is now out of danger, according to DCP (Southeast) Sarah Fatima.

Tilak Nagar police visited the college and are conducting an investigation based on hospital information. A case has been registered.

Mumbai: The murder of former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique has sent shockwaves through Bollywood, with authorities investigating the possible involvement of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Known for its violent history, the gang had previously issued threats to several high-profile individuals, including Bollywood superstar Salman Khan.

Siddique, who had close ties with Bollywood stars such as Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Sanjay Dutt, was allegedly murdered by members of the Bishnoi gang. Investigations are ongoing, with the gang reportedly claiming responsibility for the assassination.

The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has targeted several other celebrities in the past. Salman Khan, who was threatened in connection to the 1998 blackbuck poaching case, remains a prime target. Earlier this year, gunshots were fired outside his residence in Bandra, though no injuries were reported.

Comedian Munawar Faruqui, known for winning Bigg Boss 17, is also on the hit list. Intelligence agencies recently foiled an alleged attempt on his life during an event in Delhi.

Other notable names include Shaganpreet Singh, manager of slain singer Sidhu Moosewala, and Zeeshan Siddiqui, son of Baba Siddique, both of whom have been threatened by the gang.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has sought response from the Centre and the the Election Commission on a fresh plea against the practice of political parties promising freebies during elections.

A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra issued notices to the Union of India and the poll panel on a petition filed by Bengaluru resident Shashank J Sreedhara.

The petition filed by advocate Srinivasan has also sought a direction to poll panel to take effective steps to restrain political parties from making promises of freebies during the pre-election period.

“The unregulated promise of freebies imposes a significant and unaccounted financial burden on the public exchequer. Further, there exists no mechanism to ensure the fulfilment of pre-poll promises on which votes were secured,” the plea said.

The top court tagged the matter with other pleas on similar issue.

The apex court had earlier agreed to list for hearing pleas against the practice of political parties promising freebies during elections after senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, appearing for lawyer and PIL petitioner Ashwini Upadhyay, sought urgent hearing of the matter.

Upadhyay’s plea said there should be a total ban on populist measures to gain undue political favour from voters as they violate the Constitution, and the EC should take suitable deterrent measures.

It also urged the court to declare that the promise of irrational freebies from public funds before elections unduly influences the voters, disturbs the level playing field and vitiates the purity of the poll process.

“Petitioner submits that the recent trend of political parties to influence voters by offering freebies with an eye on elections is not only the greatest threat to the survival of democratic values but also injures the spirit of the Constitution,” the plea said.

“This unethical practice is just like giving bribes to the electorate at the cost of the exchequer to stay in power and must be avoided to preserve democratic principles and practices,” it said.

The petition sought a direction to the EC to insert an additional condition in the relevant paragraphs of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order 1968, which deals with conditions for recognition as a state party, that a “political party shall not promise/distribute irrational freebies from the public fund before the election”.

The petitioner has urged the apex court to declare that the promise or distribution of private goods or services, which are not for public purposes from public funds, before the elections violates several articles of the Constitution, including Article 14.