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Hills around Subramanian Swamy temple in Tiruvannamalai encroached

By
The Commune
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Locals near the Subramanian Swamy temple in the Tiruvannamalai district have urged the district authorities to stop illegal encroachers from occupying temple property in the hills.

The Subramanian Swamy Temple, located in Vilvarani village near Kalasapakkam in the Thiruvannamalai district, is well-known among the locals. Devotees flock to this temple to worship Lord Murugan on special occasions such as the Panguni festival and take kavadi during the month of Adi and Kriththikai. Poojas are conducted three times in a day and annadanam (free lunch) is provided every afternoon to all. On special days, the hill surrounding the temple is regularly visited by devotees.

Encroachers are reportedly attempting to break the rocks in the area around the hill in order to level the ground and occupy the site.  In addition, some residents of the area are engaged in the construction of houses and cowsheds on property owned by the temple.

Devotees have also accused that these constructions are obstructing circumambulation (girivalam)  around the temple hills. They have demanded that the temple land, which is under the control of HR&CE, be immediately protected from encroachers.

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Mosque illegally built on govt and temple lands, locals allege administration is complicit in encroachment

By
The Commune
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Residents of the Kodavoour village of Karnataka’s famous temple city of Udupi have accused revenue department officials of being complicit in the illegal construction of a mosque on the land that was earlier occupied by a Jain basadi (temple).

The land, where a Jain basadi earlier existed, is now occupied by the Kalmath Masjid due to the encroachment done by the Muslim community. The issue, which has been rankling locals for decades, has caused them to bear deep resentment and distrust not only against the Muslim communities but also against the district administration.

Strangers to the area, who came from outstation places, built an illegal structure on this government land, completely ignoring the opposition of the local villagers. Locals say that the three Muslim families who live in the village of Kodavoor do not visit the illegal mosque. Only people who have migrated from other parts of the country are responsible for the construction of the building and have eroded the harmony of the area.

Adjacent to the land on which the illegal structure has been built is the Panchadhoomavati Daivasthana, a Hindu shrine.

The building, which is built illegally, does not have a door number either.

Due to the tense relations between the Hindu and Muslim communities over this issue, a police vehicle has been stationed on a permanent basis near the illegal structure.

District administration complicit in illegality, say villagers 

The villagers have been fighting against this issue for decades. The controversial issue is in the inquiry stage in the local court as well as the Wakf court of Mysuru. Locals allege that even before the verdict is out, 67 cents of the encroached land were transferred to the administrative committee of the Kalmath Masjid due to pressures applied from certain higher quarters.

People who built the structure had presented a board certificate in the court stating that the disputed land has been with them since the ancient times when the country was ruled by kings. However, the court had quashed their argument saying that the certificate presented to the court was fake.

Kodavoor villagers have also alerted their elected representatives to the issue, in addition to fighting legal battles. However, it has been of no avail.

The villagers are rightfully enraged as the disputed land, along with the land that belongs to the Daivasthana, has been transferred to the mosque.

Earlier, when some local agriculturists had approached the revenue department for the Kumki rights of the same land, they were told that Kumki rights are not given in the city area. Kumki land is defined as government wasteland where certain privileges like right to collect minor produces like timber for domestic use and to cultivate fodder for cattle are enjoyed by the neighbouring cultivators. But now, all of a sudden, the land has been given to a private company. This has aroused suspicions in the minds of the villagers.

Day by day, the situation in the area is becoming tense. The locals are accusing the former deputy commissioner (DC) and tahsildar of having colluded in the illegal act. The current DC has even written a letter to his superiors to cancel the notification and correct the mistake.

Responding to these allegations, Usman Saheb, president of the Kalmath administrative committee said, “This building was built during the time of Tipu Sultan. From 1908, the government was giving Tasdeeq. Even now the Tasdeeq is given once in four months. This building is recognised by the government also. This mosque was closed for some years. In 1993, the land was surveyed and survey number 53/6 is given to this 67-cent land.”

“Many times, the Dhoomavathi protest committee had filed petition against the mosque in the court. But the court has quashed all petitions. The petition which is filed at Mysuru against the registration of the building is under discussion now. In the midst of this, though the Dhoomavathi protest committee raised IA (Interlocutory Application) saying that this issue belongs to the revenue department and should be decided in the court of DC and not in the Wakf court, it did not materialize”, he said.

“Application for RTC was filed through Wakf board through assistant commissioner (AC) and tahsildar. In 2017, land verification was done and the AC signed the same and sent it to the DC. In 2018, this was sent to Wakf ministry as this property is that of Wakf for gazette notification. In 2020, gazette notification on the land was taken out. In January 2021, this land that belonged to the government was transferred to the mosque. We also got the RTC”, Usman added.

“Locals are giving various reasons and preventing people from holding namaz in the mosque. In addition, the protest committee has also threatened to demolish the structure. This is a conspiracy to shut the mosque. Namaz is being offered in this mosque for the last 40 years. Hindu devotees are holding their religious programmes within the 67 cents of land. We do not obstruct them. The Hindu committee should not obstruct our people from offering prayers. We have informed the police department also in the wake of maintaining law and order”, he said.

Local municipal councillor Vijay Kodavoor further clarified on the subject and said, “None of the local Muslims offer namaz in the mosque that is constructed on the disputed land. Certain Muslims arrive from faraway places to offer namaz. It can be clearly observed that there was a Jain basadi on this land earlier. Pushkarini wells can also be seen. The government land, which did not have any RTC since so many years, is given one in favour of the administrative committee of mosque. This is illegal. The land should be returned to the government. If this issue is not set right, we will resort to fierce protests.”

DC G Jagadeesha said, “The issue has come to my notice. This land does not belong to Wakf. That is why, from the district administration, we have written to the government to denotify the land. Now it is under process.”

Locals say that the concerned department should arrive at a conclusion on this issue before it disturbs the communal harmony.

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Bin Salman Vision 2030: Saudi students to learn Ramayana, Mahabharatha and Hindu culture

By
The Commune
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In a positive development emanating from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has introduced a new vision for education in this oil-rich country.

As per reports published in eastcoastdaily, the new education “Vision 2030” will include the history and culture of other countries including India.

Students in Saudi Arabia will be taught Ramayana and Mahabharata along with globally significant Indian cultures such as yoga and Ayurveda.

Also, the English language has been made mandatory in the new Vision 2030.

Nouf-al-Marwai who is the first Saudi Yogacharya and a Padmashri Awardee, and founder of @saudiyoga in a tweet said, “Saudi Arabia’s new vision-2030 and syllabus will help build a future that is inclusive, liberal, and tolerant. The screenshot of my son’s school exam today in the book of social studies includes concepts and history of Hinduism, Buddhism, Ramayana, Karma, Mahabharata, and Dharma. I enjoyed helping her study. ”

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Amnesty International UK perpetuates discrimination upon minority staffers, says report

By
The Commune
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In a scathing internal assessment, employees of Amnesty International UK (AIUK) have accused senior staff of promoting a culture of white privilege and frequent incidents of overt racism including senior staff using the N-word and micro-aggressive behaviour such as the touching of black colleagues’ hair, a report by The Guardian said.

 With the director of AIUK citing that “the uncomfortable fact that we have not been good enough”, senior office bearers of both arms of the UK-based human rights organisation apologised and pledged to make changes,.

The review pointed out the following points,

• Senior staff using the N-word and P-word, with colleagues labelled over-sensitive if they complained.

• Systemic bias including the capability of black staff being questioned consistently and without justification, and minority ethnic staff feeling disempowered and sidelined on projects.

• A lack of awareness or sensitivity to religious practices resulting in problematic comments and behaviour.

• Aggressive and dismissive behaviour, particularly over email and often directed towards staff in offices in the global south.

The report also says minority staff were consistently overlooked for promotions with pay reviews consistently favouring high-earning white senior leaders.

Kate Allen, the director of AIUK said, “We recognise that we have not done enough to ensure that our organisation is a truly inclusive one where everyone receives the same level of respect and opportunity, is valued equally and is able to be heard. We are reckoning with the uncomfortable fact that we have not been good enough and from this, we understand that we must change to become better.”

Minorities who join AIUK with hopes of campaigning for human rights and equality often get disillusioned when they realise that the organisation they hope will treat them with dignity and respect perpetuate discrimination upon them.

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‘Galatta’ Vikraman of VCK accused of sexual harassment

By
The Commune
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R. Vikraman, a self-proclaimed ‘journalist’ who later took refuge in Thol. Thirumavalavan’s Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) a few months ago, has been accused of sexual harassing a man under the pretext of conducting an audition.

Requesting anonymity, a man had shared his experience with a meme page on Instagram in which he narrates how Galatta Vikraman pushed him to the bed and sexually harassed him.

“He called me in the name of audition to a house and made me act. Then he pushed me to the bed and sexually harassed me. I couldn’t do anything at that time. His friends later called and scolded him”, the person had said in his message.

‘Galatta’ Vikraman had allegedly called the person to a house for an audition supposedly for a movie related to Jallikattu. The person stated that he was made to remove his shirt and walk like a machismo. “He put away my shirt in a cupboard and locked it. I had to struggle to get my shirt back from him”, the person said.

The person further went on to say “He (Vikraman) later begged me to not disclose this incident to anyone and that he would help me get a chance in films. Then he blocked me. I couldn’t do anything as many told me that he has many political connections and knows several bigshots. They told me that I won’t be able to do anything to him”.

He stated that as he was interested in acting, he had gone to the place Vikraman had called and that after this traumatic experience, he has stopped giving auditions and is staying away from the media industry.

The person also said in his message that he shared this as many were coming out in the open and sharing their experience. “My friends, parents and even my sister knows about this incident”, he said in his message and further added that he still has ‘Galatta’ Vikraman’s number.

As it was not clear if the person was a man/woman in the beginning of the conversation, the admin of the meme page had asked the person’s sex to which the person replied that he was a boy. According to the victim, Vikraman is allegedly a gay.

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Pandemic, vaccines and evangelists in USA

By
Balaji Subramanian
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When President Of The United States Joe Biden said that every American above 16 would be eligible to get COVID-19 vaccine, he was also concerned that many evangelists will not take the vaccination as they think God is the ultimate healer and deliverer.

What is even more surprising is that many of the evangelists are educated but their deep conviction and faith in their religion is stopping them from availing this potentially life-saving drug. For them, they are God’s chosen people and will be protected from any illness or disease.

According to the Pew Research Center, there are about 41 million white evangelical adults in the U.S. and 45 per cent said in late February that they would not get vaccinated against Covid-19. This not only put the lives of these people at risk but they also risk the lives of their family and the community.

Freedom of religion is a big thing in America and there are denominations who simply refuse modern medical treatment. Instead they rely on healing through prayer. The Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse blood transfusion. Christian Scientists refuse most medical treatment and rely on healing through prayers. The Faith Tabernacle Congregation in Altoona which is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania, believes that disease is caused by the devil.

Such strong conviction comes straight from the bible that has many passages in the Christian Scriptures (New Testament) which describe Jesus Christ healing sick people in the first century CE.

It is ironic such perversion can be seen in Western society that the leader of the Catholic Church who is also known as the Vicar of Christ has to pronounce that vaccines are safe and it is “morally acceptable,”.

It is hard to comprehend that the Pope had to go and convince that it is ok to take the vaccine as the number of dead keeps rising. But significant Catholics in America still refuse to be inoculated even when President Joe Biden is from the same denomination.

It is no secret that the Abrahamic faiths, particularly Christianity and Islam that comes from scripture and dogma perspective have always been anti-science. For the many white evangelicals, the hesitancy is driven by Biblical mythology from the Book of Revelation.

The Book of Revelation is a very powerful part of the bible and has been used several times by priests and pastors to create panic in communities and this time around, the faithful think that the beast will force his mark on people and that the vaccine is this mark.

This is a reference to an apocalyptic passage from the Book of Revelation that suggests that the Anti-christ will test Christians by asking them to put a mark on their bodies.

To compound the problem, some of the largest Christian ministries that enjoy massive online followings on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube have made the claim that the vaccines contain fetal tissue or microchips, or ingredients is associated with the devil.

In India, the Ulema or the Islamic religious leaders of various seminaries had to issue a Fatwa that vaccines can be taken during the time of Ramzan. For Catholics, it is like the same when the Pope issues a Papal Bull .

While India has been portrayed by the West as superstitious it is pertinent to note that there was no need for leaders of faith native to this land, to guide followers that the vaccine is safe.

 

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‘Political rallies allowed, but no celebration for Chithirai Thiruvizha?’ Madurai asks

By
The Commune
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Madurai, a cultural hotspot, has its biggest and most special festival approaching – the Chithirai festival, the ban on which has made the people of Madurai take to the streets in protest.

It is the largest festival in the southern part of Tamil Nadu and was cancelled last year due to the pandemic. Just 2 weeks before, the people started to accept the strict general curfew rules that had come into force. However, the ban on the Chithirai festival this year has caused a stir among the people of Madurai. Spontaneous protests are taking place in Madurai against the ban.

Small traders, pavilion organizers, florists, artisans and the general public who make a living from the Chithrai festival staged a protest in front of the Madurai Tamukkam ground on the 12th of April. This caused a roadblock, forcing the police to open fire at them. But the protests did not end. The next day, the protest took place at the same spot. Similarly, the gathering and chanting of devotees at the District Collector’s Office and the Meenakshi Amman Temple has become a huge movement.

An organization called the Madurai Kallazhagar Chithirai Festival Committee was formed for these protests and on its behalf, its Chairman KC Thirumaran, Coordinator Solaikannan and others met the District Collector and submitted a petition. The petition said, “This year’s Chithrai festival should be held in Vaigai and devotees should be allowed to participate in the festival.”

Meanwhile, the temple’s Thakkaar Karumuthu T. Kannan wrote a letter to the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu asking him to allow devotees to hold ceremonies at the temple premises without participation. Following this, the temple administration released a list of the festival with the permission of the government. It said, ‘During the festival, devotees will be allowed to perform darshan as usual at times other than the departure times of Swami and Ambal and major ceremonies’. There was opposition to this as well.

Commenting on this, Sundaravadivelu, the leader of the Hindu Temple Security Movement, was quoted saying in a report that it is a deception to allow only regular worship except during festivals. “If the festival takes place inside the temple premises, only the families of treasury officials, politicians and police officers, including Thakkar, can attend the festival. None of the people of Madurai can participate.”, he said.

It is to be noted that despite last year’s corona restrictions, all of the festival’s performances at the Azhagar Temple were held inside the temple premises and broadcast live for devotees to see. Now, half of the performances at the Meenakshi Temple have been cancelled. No live broadcast of any show. The most important event, the Pattabhishekam, was not even held.

“All the events as per the rules of Agama Veda should be held. The government’s argument that corona will spread now falls flat. Didn’t political parties conduct huge rallies? The government has to respect the feelings of the people and conduct the festival outside the temple with due care.”, Sundaravadivelu said.

Adding on to this,DMK lawyer from Madurai RM Anbunithi said, “Corona is not the only reason why the Chithra festival was not held last year.  The reason is that under the Smart City project, the streets around the temple as well where the chariot is taken on a stroll have been dug up. Therefore, there was no opportunity for the chariot festival to take place.  The reason is that the temple administration is well aware that the ceremony cannot be held. The BJP, which claims to be the representative of Hinduism as a whole, maintains a deep silence on the issue. Local ministers, who wear saffron, vibudhi on their foreheads, and sacred threads in five or six colours on their hands as a display of their devotional side, are also keeping quiet. They say if the chariot is pulled on the cement road laid under the Smart City project, it will get stuck. The BJP is as silent as the AIADMK.”

In this regard, Indhu Makkal Katchi (IMK) leader Arjun Sampath has also spoken in support of the people of Madurai. Visiting the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, he said, “The government has accepted the request of Islamic leaders to allow Muslims to perform prayers until 10 a.m. on the occasion of Ramadan. We welcome it. Similarly, devotees should be allowed to participate in the historically significant festival of Chittirai with due care. ”

As new organizations, leaders and the general public jump into the fray day by day, the protest in support of the Madurai Chithrai Festival is evolving into something similar to the Jallikkattu protests.

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Vedanta offers to supply oxygen for meeting COVID needs from its non-functional Sterlite plant in Thoothukudi

By
The Commune
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Vedanta Ltd on Tuesday (20 April) offered its services to provide oxygen from its locked Sterlite Copper premises in Tuticorin  to support the Centre and various states, including Tamil Nadu to ensure those who have been hospitalised by Covid-19 receive oxygen supply.

Sterlite has two oxygen plants capable of functioning independently with the capacity to supply around 1,000 tonnes per day (tpd) to various state governments to meet rising demand.

“The two plants have a capacity of 500 tpd each. As and when the permission is granted, we can quickly get one plant ready and start oxygen supplies to the needy states. By that time, the second plant too would be ready to enable us supply 1,000 tpd at this critical time,” sources in Sterlite Copper was quoted saying in a report by TOI.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday (18 April) gave a directive to the industries department to give temporary licences to industrial units which are willing to supply oxygen during the critical time.

This timely decision of directing industrial units to manufacture oxygen taken after reviewing the Covid-19 situation in the state is being seen by many experts as the best possible solution and excellent crises management by CM Edappadi K Palaniswami.

Sterlite Copper, part of the Vedanta Group had actually reached out to Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan and the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister through separate letters offering services to manufacture oxygen even as the company filed a petition outlining this offer of support in the Supreme Court, in view of the ongoing legal proceedings.

“The Sterlite Copper plant in Tuticorin contains two oxygen plants, with a combined capacity of producing 1,000 tonnes of Oxygen daily. We would like to now offer these facilities for your use, towards ensuring that there is no lack of this vital commodity in the nation, and also to join hands with the commendable efforts of our PM at this critical juncture,” Pankaj Kumar, CEO, Sterlite Copper said in his letter to the Union health minister.

“We would be grateful to be allowed this opportunity to support the nation’s needs. Our staff stand prepared to get these two plants operational in the shortest possible time and begin dispatching oxygen to the critical areas as per your direction,” he said in the letter.

“The oxygen plant is presently lying shut owing to the orders passed by the TNPCB and the state government… This is a humble request to grant us the necessary permission and allow us to run the oxygen plant, which will be instrumental in supporting the state governments in these critical times,” he said in his letter to the CM.

The Sterlite Copper Plant was shutdown in May 2018 after violent protests rocked Thoothukudi that led to the loss of 13 lives. 

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CSI Church in Tirunelveli caught proselytizing Dalit children, VHP registers complaint

By
The Commune
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Naduvakurichi village in Palayankottai, Tiruneveli district, has a significant population of Scheduled Caste people. People in the area alleged that on a routine basis, a CSI Church van would pick up children from the village, brainwash them, and then return them to the village in the evening.

Upon knowing of this incident, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in Tirunelveli went to the village and taught the children about the Hindu religion’s epics and glories in a manner that they could understand. Members of the VHP have advised the children not to go with any religious conversion groups, such as the CSI Church. VHP members have also decided to take legal action against CSI Church for deceiving and converting children.

In connection to this incident, Tirunelveli district VHP office bearers Muthuraj, Isakki, Chandrasekar and Ramesh met the Palayankottai Tahsildar and lodged an official complaint. Vishwa Hindu Parishad said it would mobilize villagers and organize a protest if they do not take immediate action.

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HR&CE for KN Nehru, Transport for TRB Raja? DMK said to be deciding ministerial berths

By
The Commune
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As Tamil Nadu awaits the election results to be declared on May 2, the DMK has already started deciding on who the ministers will be in the next government (if the party manages to come to power hopefully).

Credible sources in DMK camp say that both Anbil Mahesh and K.N. Nehru will become ministers for sure. Inigo Irudayaraj, the leader of the Christian Goodwill Movement, who contested against Minister Vellamandi Nadarajan, is also dreaming of becoming a minister. It is being said that he might get Ministry of Labour Welfare and K.N. Nehru might get the HR&CE Ministry. TRB Raja is being touted as the Minister for State Transport. Poondi Kalaivanan who contested from late Karunanidhi’s Thiruvarur constituency is also expecting a Ministerial post.

Meanwhile, the DMK has been fretting over the outcome with many of its top leaders including its chief expressing concerns about Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) getting ‘hacked’.

Cadres from the DMK and its alliance parties have been going after vehicles with big metal containers and demanding the removal of dish antennas over fears of EVMs getting ‘hacked’.

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