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Physically-challenged Dalit man dies hours after release from police custody; 3 police officials suspended

By
The Commune
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In yet another incident of police brutality, a physically-challenged man belonging to the Dalit community in Salem district who was implicated in a theft case, died hours after release from police custody.

Prabhakaran (45) is a resident of the Adi Dravidar colony of Karuppur in Salem district and stays with his wife Samsala (40) and children. Both Prabhakaran and Samsala were taken into custody by police officials from Senthamangalam police station located in the adjacent Namakkal district. Prabhakaran was jailed in Salem sub-jail while his wife was lodged in the sub-jail for women.

Prabhakaran, who was in jail, was admitted in the Salem Government Hospital after his health deteriorated at the supervision of jail wardens. He reportedly got bail in the alleged theft case a few days back and was sent back home from the hospital. However, Prabhakaran died on the same night at 11:30 PM.

His mother Govindammal alleged that Prabhakaran died due to police torture. Later that morning, Govindammal and other relatives laid seige to the government hospital refusing to take Prabhakaran’s body. They along with a few cadres from the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) petitioned to the Salem District Collector to take action and register a case against the police officials.

Following this, three police officials namely L. Poonkodi, Sub-Inspector of Pudhuchathiram Police Station; Contable Kulanthaivel of Thiruchengode Rural Police Station; Sub-Inspector A. Chandran of Sendamangalam Police Station have been suspended.

BJP Tamil Nadu President K. Annamalai, condemning the incident questioned the DMK government in the state asking if this government has set any goal of killing at least one person a month in Tamil Nadu due to police brutality.

He demanded that justice be done for the family and address the lacunae in the police system instead of just mere suspension of the officials and compensation for the family.

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Indian Army unveils monumental national flag at Jaisalmer

By
The Commune
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On the occasion of Army Day, on 15 January 22, the Indian Army unveiled a Monumental National Flag of size 225 feet by 150 feet at Jaisalmer Military Station.

This flag is a befitting tribute to the Indian heritage, as it is made of hundred percent Khadi material. The hoisting of flag also commemorates the 75th year of India’s Independence being celebrated as Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

In an event organised under strict protocols, GOC of the Battle Axe Division unveiled the National Flag amidst select dignitaries who were amongst those present.

This National Flag, which is clearly visible from a distance of several kilometers, truly showcases the pride, aspirations and spirit of nationalism of our citizens. The flag hoisting was followed by national anthem and a military band display.

(Published from PIB)

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10th century Goat Head Yogini stone idol illegally removed from UP temple being returned to India

By
The Commune
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Union Minister  of  Culture, Tourism and DONER, Shri G. Kishan has announced that a 10th century stone idol of Goat Head Yogini that had been illegally removed from a temple in Lokhari, Banda, Uttar Pradesh is being returned to India.  Announcing this in a tweet  today, the Culture Minister said that the repatriation of our rightful artifacts continues.

Earlier, the High Commission of India in London said that it is happy to announce the recovery and repatriation of a very special 10th century stone idol that had been illegally removed from a temple in Lokhari, Banda, Uttar Pradesh in sometimes the 1980s.

The sculpture is of a goat headed Yogini that originally belonged to a group of stone deities in sandstone and installed in Lokhari temple. These had been the subject of a study by Indian scholar Vidya Dahejia on behalf of National Museum in New Delhi in 1986 which was later published under the title,  “Yogini Cult and Temples: A Tantrik Tradition.

It is learned that the said sculpture had briefly surfaced in the art market in London in 1988. In October 2021, High Commission of India received information about the finding of a goat-headed Yogini Sculpture that had matched the description of the Lokhari set, in the garden of a private residence near London.

India Pride project Singapore and Art Recovery International, London swiftly assisted High Commission of India, London in the identification and recovery of the Statue while the High Commission of India processed the requisite documentation with local and Indian authorities.

Interestingly, a similar sculpture of the buffalo-headed Vrishanana Yogini, apparently stolen from the same temple at Lokhari village had been recovered and repatriated by Embassy of India, Paris in 2013. Thee Vrishanana Yogini was installed in the National Museum, New Delhi in September 2013.

Lokhari is a small village situated in the Mau sub-division in Banda district of Bundelkhand, Uttar Pradesh. Yoginis are a group of powerful females divinities associated with the Tantrik mode of worship. They are worshipped as a group, often 64 and are believed to possess infinite powers.

The Goat head Yogini received at the High Commission on the auspicious day of Makar Sankranti has been  dispatched to the Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi.

(Published from PIB)

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“Our Start-ups are changing the rules of the game”: PM Modi interacts with start-up founders

By
The Commune
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Narendra Modi bureaucrats bureaucracy IAS officers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with Startups today via video conferencing. The Startups gave presentations to the Prime Minister on six themes viz. Growing from Roots; Nudging the DNA; From Local to Global; Technology of Future; Building Champions in Manufacturing; and Sustainable Development. More than 150 startups were divided into six working groups for the purpose of these presentations. For each theme, there were presentations by two Startup representatives, who spoke on behalf of all the startups selected for that particular theme.

During their presentation, the startup representatives  thanked the Prime Minister for the opportunity to provide such a platform to share their ideas, and praised his vision and support to the startup ecosystem. They shared ideas and inputs on a variety of sectors and areas including robust data collection mechanism in agriculture; making India preferred agri business hub; boosting healthcare through use of technology; tackling issue of mental health; promoting travel and tourism through innovations like virtual tours; ed-tech and job identification; space sector; connecting offline retail market with digital commerce; increasing manufacturing efficiency; defence exports; promoting green sustainable products and sustainable means of transport, among others.

Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Ashwini Vaisnaw, Sarbananda Sonowal, Parshottam Rupala, G. Kishan Reddy, Pashupati Kumar Paras, Dr Jitendra Singh, Som Parkash were among those present on the occasion.

Speaking after the presentations, the Prime Minister said that organization of this Start Up India Innovation week is all the more important in this year of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav as the role of the Start Ups will be critical when Indian freedom reaches its centenary year. “I congratulate all the start-ups of the country, all the innovative youth, who are raising the flag of India in the world of start-ups. For this culture of start-ups to reach the far-flung parts of the country, it has been decided to celebrate January 16 as National Start-up Day”, the Prime Minister announced.

Recalling the concept of the current  decade as the ‘techade’ of India, the Prime Minister listed three important aspects of the massive changes that the government is making in this decade to strengthen the innovation, entrepreneurship and start-up ecosystem. First, to liberate entrepreneurship and innovation from the web of government processes, bureaucratic silos. Second, creating an institutional mechanism to promote innovation. And third, handholding of young innovators and young enterprises. He listed programmes like Startup India and Standup India as part of the efforts. Measures like removing problems of ‘angel tax’, simplification of tax procedure, arranging for government funding, allowing self certification of 9 labour and 3 environment laws and removal of more than 25 thousand compliances have taken the process further. Startup runway on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) platform is facilitating the provision of startup services to the government.

The Prime Minister said the Government’s effort is to institutionalize innovation in the country by creating attraction for innovation among students since childhood. More than 9000 Atal Tinkering Labs are giving children a chance to innovate in schools and work on new ideas. He added that whether it is new drone rules, or new space policy, the priority of the government is to provide opportunities for innovation to as many youth as possible. Our government has simplified the rules related to IPR registration too, he added.

The Prime Minister noted the exponential rise in the indicators of innovation. He said that in the year 2013-14, 4000 patents were approved, last year, more than 28 thousand patents were granted. In the year 2013-14, where about 70000 trademarks were registered, in 2020-21 more than 2.5 lakh trademarks have been registered. In the year 2013-14, where only 4000 copyrights were granted, last year their number has crossed 16000. The Prime Minister pointed out that India’s campaign for innovation has resulted in improvement of India’s ranking in Global innovation index where India stood at 81 rank but now India stands at 46 rank in the index.

PM Modi informed that startups of India are working with 55 separate industries and the number of startups has increased from less than 500 five years ago to more than 60 thousand today. The Prime Minister said “Our Start-ups are changing the rules of the game. That’s why I believe Start-ups are going to be the backbone of new India.” The Prime Minister noted that last year, 42 unicorns came up in the country. These companies worth thousands of crores of rupees are the hallmark of self-reliant and self-confident India. “Today India is rapidly moving towards hitting the century of the unicorns. I believe the golden era of India’s start-ups is starting now”, he added.

The Prime Minister underlined the role of empowerment by entrepreneurship in addressing the problems of development and regional-gender disparities. He mentioned that today, there is at least one startup in each of the 625 districts of the country and more than half of the startups are from tier 2 and tier 3 cities. These are converting ideas from ordinary poor families into businesses and lakhs of young Indians are getting employment.

PM Modi singled out India’s diversity as a key strength and keystone of India’s global identity. He said that Indian unicorns and startups are the messenger of this diversity. The Prime Minister said start-ups from India can easily reach other countries of the world. So “don’t just keep your dreams local, make them global. Remember this mantra- let’s Innovate for India, innovate from India”, he exhorted the innovators.

The Prime Minister suggested many areas where the startup ecosystem can play a major role. He said that extra space on the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan can be used for EV charging infrastructure. Similarly, areas like defence manufacturing, chip manufacturing offer many possibilities. He dwelled on the drone sector and said that many investors have been investing in drone startups after the new drone policy. Army, Navy and Air Force have given 500 crore rupee worth orders to drone startups. In urban planning, the Prime Minister touched upon ‘walk to work concepts’,  integrated industrial estates and smart mobility as potential areas.

The Prime Minister remarked that the millennials today are the cornerstone of both the prosperity of their families and the self-reliance of the nation. ‘From rural economy to Industry 4.0, both our needs and our potential are limitless. Investment on research and development related to future technology is the priority of the government today”, he said.

Referring to the future prospects, the Prime Minister said that as of now only half of our population is online, therefore future possibilities are immense and he appealed to the start- ups to move towards villages also. “Whether it is mobile internet, broadband connectivity or physical connectivity, aspirations of villages are rising and rural and semi-urban areas are waiting for a new wave of expansion”, he said.

The Prime Minister told the startups that this is a new era of innovation i.e. ideas, industry and investment and their labor, enterprise, wealth creation and job creation should be for India. “I am standing with you, the government is with you and the entire country is standing with you”, he concluded.

(Published from PIB)

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Police officer who investigated rape charge against Bishop Franco Mulakkal stunned with court’s verdict

By
The Commune
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After the Kerala High Court acquitted the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jalandhar, Bishop Franco Mulakkal of the Catholic Church in the nun rape case, many people expressed anguish over the verdict.

The Kerala police officer who headed the investigation against the Bishop called the decision of the Kottayam Additional Sessions Court ‘shocking’.

Former Kottayam SP Harishankar said the police probe had built a water-tight case against Bishop Franco and called the verdict as “extremely unfortunate.”

A teary-eyed Sister Anupama, who had spearheaded the protests against Bishop Franco Mulakkal and at the same time suffer the wrath of the Church said,  “We cannot believe this verdict. We will continue this fight until the day our fellow sister gets justice, even if it means we have to die. All the testimonies were in our favour so we don’t know what happened in court. We will definitely appeal in the higher court,”.

Bishop Franco Mulakkal was accused of raping a 44-year-old nun at a guest house in Kuravilangad in May 2014 and his subsequent sexual exploitations against the nun.

Former Karnataka HC Judge, Justice Michael Francis Saldanha told the Republic TV, “This is a miscarriage of justice and it’s intolerable,”.

“I am absolutely shocked and horrified because I had the opportunity to look at the case and a good amount of evidence and one of the reasons why I cannot accept this decision is because he had gone to the High Court during the investigation and asked to quash the complaint. The HC had said that there is absolutely no doubt about the evidence and charges, against that he carried the matter to Supreme Court. The High Court has seen the case and in my mind, there was absolutely zero possibility for him to get acquitted. I think the High Court must intervene in the matter and re-examine the case. This is globally shocking,” stated Michael Francis Saldanha.

According to the court, the acquittal of Bishop Franco Mulakkal was based on a variety of factors, including the victim’s conflicting version of events and the prosecution’s lack of corroborative evidence and Judge G Gopakumar single-liner “not guilty” verdict.

“This is a case in which the grain and chaff are inextricably mixed up. It is impossible to separate the grain from the chaff. There are exaggerations and embellishments in the version of the victim. She has also made every attempt to hide certain facts. It is also evident that the victim was swayed under the influence of others who had other vested interest in the matter,” the Kottayam Additional Sessions Judge G Gopakumar had written in his 289-page order, that was made available only by Friday night.

Judge Gopakumar stated in the order said, “when it is not feasible to separate truth from falsehood, when grain and chaff are inextricably mixed up, the only available course is to discard the evidence in toto,”.

It further read, “It is true that the hymen of the victim was found torn in her medical examination. But defence contends that there was a complaint against the victim, by her own cousin that she had indulged in sexual intercourse with her husband. Even if it is assumed that the complaint was a false complaint, from the mere fact that the victim’s hymen was found torn, penile penetration or forceful sexual intercourse cannot be inferred,”.

The court said the nun who had alleged rape against the powerful Bishop was inconsistent in her statements and hence “she cannot be classified as a sterling witness or a wholly reliable witness.”

The case had many other victims also and one of them is Sister Lucy Kalapura who had raised her voice in protest and that led her to be permanently expelled from the Church via a Vatican directive.

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Philippines agrees to purchase BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from India

By
The Commune
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In one of the most significant moments for India, the Philippines has accepted India’s offer to buy BrahMos supersonic cruise missile in a deal worth $375 million for its shore-based anti-ship missile system.

The announcement acquisition project, the country’s Department of National Defence has said in a letter dated 31 December 2021.The purchase of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile by the Philippines was making rounds for several years and now with this approval, the Philippines will become the first international customer of this variant cruise missile.

The acquisition of the missile will significantly boost the Philippines ‘ capabilities and this will pose a direct threat to China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) as China claims almost all of the South China Sea, including the parts that are claimed by the Philippines, based on the “nine-dash line”.

China has maritime disputes in the South China Sea with Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan are also party, is driven by overlapping claims to land features in the South China Sea and the maritime entitlements around them.

Over the last decade, China has built artificial islands in the region and militarised them to solidify its claims and has bullied other claimants, including the Philippines.

In 2016, the International Tribunal in The Hague dismissed China’s claims in the South China Sea as part of a ruling in a case brought by the Philippines in 2013.

However, China not only refused to participate in the proceedings, but it also rejected its ruling in the case.

In the event of a conflict started by China, BrahMos supersonic cruise missile could be used in its shore-based anti-ship missile system to target Chinese vessels in parts of the South China Sea.

However, what is important is that once the export of the BrahMos missile takes place, it will lead to other nations, including Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam who have border conflict with China have expressed interest in the BrahMos missile.

In 2018, a BrahMos aerospace team had visited Indonesia’s state-run shipyard in Surabaya to assess and set up fitting of the naval version of the BrahMos cruise missile on Indonesian warships.

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USA: People wait for days to get tested for omicron

By
The Commune
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As the New York Times keeps writing articles on the so-called out-of-control Covid-19 situation in India, there is no actual reporting of how out of control this pandemic is in the United States. 

As per a news report by Stands Of Kentucky, people across the US, the richest country on earth are waiting hours in line to get a COVID-19 test amid a surge in omicron cases.

There are several cases across the US, where people have been turned away from testing centers after waiting for several hours and in many cases, even several days.

As the New York Times keeps publishing copious amounts of news on how India is dealing with this global crisis, it remains quiet on the home front and has been acting as a shill for President Joe Biden and the Democrats who are the beneficiary of the liberal privilege.

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Karnataka: Converted Christian family to return back to Hinduism after 50 years

By
The Commune
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In a latest case of Gharwapsi, a man, whose family converted to Christianity 50 years back, has decided to convert back to Hinduism, in the Yadgir district of Karnataka. The individual, identified as Timothy Hosmani, is a 55-yr-old labourer who lives in the Kanikal village of the district. He has decided to return back to Hinduism, along with his wife and three children.

In an interview with Times of India, Timothy said that he is not aware of the reason behind his parents leaving Hinduism and embracing Christianity, half a century ago. But now he is all set to return back to his religion. Timothy also said that his family belonged to the Scheduled Caste, and that his wife, Sharadamma, and children, Abhishek, Jnanamithra and Neil Armstrong, have been following traditional Hindu practices for a long time now. Timothy’s older son is currently working as a labourer, while his other children are still pursuing their studies.

According to him, his father who passed away 10 years ago, and mother, 6 years ago, were against their reconversion to Hinduism. They are all set to return back to the religion, by organising a simple ceremony.

While this is the first reconversion to happen in Yadgir, across Karnataka, many have recently converted back to Hinduism recently. Even earlier last month, 9 members of a Christian household converted back to Hinduism.

(With inputs from Opindia)

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‘Sticker DMK’: DMK MLA Durai Murugan faces backlash for crediting M Karunanidhi for Kamaraj’s accomplishments

By
The Commune
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The DMK government has recently become subject to serious criticism for their ‘Sticker’ culture, where they try and take credit for things that are not accomplished by them. Many have started calling the DMK government a ‘Sticker Government’ for this practice.

The irony is that they take credit for all the accomplishments of erstwhile governments without fail. But when it comes to taking ownership for the issues in their governance, they blame the previous government for that. For example, CM Stalin recently took credit for the 11 medical colleges that was built because of the joint efforts of Edappadi K Palaniswami government and the Modi government. However, when the public blamed the DMK government for waterlogging and flooding, they pushed the blame on the erstwhile AIADMK government.

While this is now becoming a force of habit for DMK functionaries, DMK MLA Durai Murugan was recently caught and condemned for such a ‘Sticker’ statement that he let out in the Legislative Assembly. Speaking at the Assembly, Durai Murugan said that Former Chief Ministers, Kamaraj and Bhaktavatsalam sounded sirens in their car. It was M Karunanidhi who stopped this practice when he became the Chief Minister.

Congress MLA Selvaperunthugai, who gave a fitting reply to this statement, said, “Durai Murugan is older in age and also experienced. It hurts me when he speaks of Kamaraj in this manner. The world has not seen another, as simple as Kamaraj. One has to be careful while speaking about a leader like him. When Kamaraj was the Chief Minister, he asked, “Am I in a foreign country? Why do I require the Siren. No need for the siren.” and ensured that it was done away with. But, Durai Murugan has wrongly said that the usage of sirens prevalent in Baktavatsalam and Kamaraj’s times was stopped by M Karunanidhi. Durai Murugan has to take back what he said.”

(With inputs from Kathir News)

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Karnataka: Women passengers push a man out of the bus for speaking ill of PM Modi

By
The Commune
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A group of women bus passengers have thrashed and pushed a man out of the bus, who not only taunted the women of the bus, but also spoke ill of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The bus was travelling from Mysuru Bus stop via Medahalli in Karnataka.

A male passenger of the bus had been allegedly taunting and teasing the female passengers of the bus. In addition, he had also allegedly spoken ill of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The women who heard this have condemned the man for his behavior. As a response, the man has threatened to kill the women who condemned his comments.

The women who were angered by this threatening, thrashed the man brutally and pushed him out of the bus. The video of this incident is now going viral, not only in Karnataka, but all over the country. People are appreciating the women for standing up against the man and thrashing him for taunting them.

(With inputs from Kathir News)

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TheCommune
The Commune is a news and views portal focusing on social and political issues of the southern part of India with a focus on Tamil Nadu.
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