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Sushant Singh Rajput receives posthumous award at Dadasaheb Phalke Festival

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The Commune
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sushant singh rajput

Actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who allegedly committed suicide in 2020, was awarded the Critic’s Best Actor award at the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival 2021.

The official Instagram account of Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival announced the award and wrote, “Celebrating the dedication you’ve shown on the way to this achievement. Congratulations to Late Sushant Singh Rajput for winning the Critic’s Best Actor award at Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2021. We miss you!”

Rajput started his career as an actor in Zee TV’s serial Pavitra Rishta but left due to creative differences. He later made his big-screen debut in the critically acclaimed movie Kai Po Che. His last film was Dil Bechara opposite Sanjana Sanghi was released in July last year just after his death.

The young actor died in his apartment last year on 14 June, in what was dubbed as a suicide by hanging.

However, his father and sisters have challenged that he did not commit suicide. A case was registered in a Patna court against his former girlfriend and actress Rhea Chakraborty and Rhea’s brother Showik Chakraborty under charges of abetment to suicide and siphoning off Rajput’s assets.

At present, Sushant’s death is under investigation with three central agencies – the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

His death caused a major furore in Bollywood, including allegations of harassment and drug use. These issues have long afflicted an industry which allegedly has intimate ties with the underworld.

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Bombay HC grants bail to Maoist ideologue and poet-activist Varavara Rao

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The Commune
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varavara rao

On Monday, the Bombay High Court granted bail to poet-activist and Maoist ideologue Varavara Rao in the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case on medical grounds. 81-year old Rao has been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention Act (UAPA) for his alleged involvement in the Elgar-Parishad-Bhima Koregaon violence.

The court observed that there were inadequate facilities in the Taloja jail hospital ,where the octogenarian Marxist-Maoist activist has been lodged. It was a “genuine and fit” case for granting bail, the court added, in view of Rao’s advanced age.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had asked for Rao’s release to be put off for three weeks, which the bench comprising Justices SS Shinde and Manish Pithale refused.

“Crime of conscience”?

Pendyala Hemalatha, Rao’s wife, had petitioned that her husband’s fundamental rights to health, dignity and life, and therefore his rights under Article 21 of the Constitution had been violated.

Indira Jaising, the advocate appearing for Rao and Hemalatha, argued that Varavara’s crime was “in his mind”. “His crime is in his mind, it’s a crime of conscience. If he disagrees with the policies of the government… he does. If for that he is prosecuted, it will be prosecution for ideas”, she had argued.

Throughout his life, Varavara Rao has been associated with Marxist and Maoist groups who often advocated a violent, revolutionary overthrow of government. Rao was deeply influenced by the Naxalbari uprisings in West Bengal, which also inspired waves of violence in Rao’s home-state of Andhra Pradesh. Pune police had even arrested Rao in connection with an alleged conspiracy to assassinate Prime Minister Modi in June 2018.

Varavara Rao was arrested on August 28, 2018 for his alleged involvement in the Bhima-Koregaon violence on January 1, 2018. An FIR filed in Pune alleged that on the eve of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon, an evening programme called Elgar Parishad had been organised, in which noted Leftist activists and underground Naxalite groups had participated. Police claimed that speeches delivered at the event on December 31, 2017, were partly responsible for inciting violence the next day.

Among others arrested in the Elgar Parishad case, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention Act (UAPA), are activists Rona Wilson, Arun Ferreira, Sudha Bharadwaj , Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde. Repeated bail appeals by Rao on the ground of his failing health have been rejected in the last 22 months.

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Viral video of mahouts thrashing elephant mercilessly breaks hearts online

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The Commune
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elephant tortured

The video of the Srivilliputhur temple elephant being tied up and tortured at Coimbatore Mettupalayam Elephant Refreshment Camp has gone viral. The Elephants’ Rejuvenation Camp at the Thekkampatti Bhavani River has been going on since 8th February. During the 48-day camp, the objective was to alleviate the physical and mental problems of elephants in temples and monasteries.

Meanwhile, a video has been released of Srivilliputhur temple elephant Jaimalyada being beaten and tortured by two mahouts with a chain tied to a tree. The sight of the elephant throbbing in pain has greatly disturbed viewers, with some of them calling it a torture camp and not a rejuvenation camp. Animal welfare activists have questioned the incident recorded in this video and have demanded justice. They claimed that such cruelty to elephants occurs every year and this time it has come to light through the viral video.

Demands are mounting from various quarters to take action against the mahouts involved under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and to immediately investigate the frequency of  such incidents in elephant camps.

The district forest officer promised to investigate the incident shown in the video and take appropriate action. Meanwhile, the forest department has arrested 2 suspended mahouts and is investigating the incident in which the temple elephant was tortured.

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74 years old Christian pastor arrested in Kerala for allegedly molesting a minor girl

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The Commune
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Feature Image Credit: WSJ

Another case of a Christian pastor molesting a minor girl in Kerala has emerged, wherein a 74-year-old Christian pastor named Mathew is a resident of Mukaddam near Konnathady in Idukki district was arrested by the Kunnathunad police in Ernakulam district.

According to the police, the crime took place in January and the girl’s mother who came to know about the incident filed a complaint in Kunnathunad police station. The accused pastor, who according to police, goes around houses preaching religious matters, was arrested from Konnathady on Saturday as per reports. 

Pastor Mathew has now been charged with various provisions under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, said police. “We cannot reveal other details on where the alleged crime took place or other details as that would reveal the identity of the child,” an official of Kunnathunad police station said.

The accused has now been remanded to judicial custody by the court.

However, this is not the first case of a priest or a pastor sexually assaulting perishaners. In Ocotber 2020, a vicar of a Jacobite Syrian church in Idukki was arrested by the police for allegedly sexually assaulting a 22-year-old woman.

The women had approached him for Ayurveda treatment and Fifty-five-year-old Fr Reji Palakkadan an Ayurvedic practitioner whose firm was not officially registered was arrested.

In 2019, Father George Padayattil, the vicar of Holy Cross Church in Chendamangalam of the Syro Malabar Church in Ernakulam district was booked for allegedly assaulting three 9-year-old girls.

He was Sixty-eight-year-old when he had allegedly abused the girl while they visited the priest in his residential area adjacent to the church.

In another shocking case of taking advantage of the young and the innocent, a Christain priest, Father George TJ, alias Jerry in Kochi, who was heading boys home, was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing six minor boys who resided in the place.

Father George TJ, was the director of the boys’ home in Kochi run by Carmelites order, under the Diocese of Cochin.

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PFI holds unauthorised rally of over 5,000 people in Dakshina Kannada to showcase ‘Muslim strength’

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The Commune
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pfi rally dakshina kannada
Featured Image Credits: Swarajyamag

Popular Front of India (PFI), an Islamic fundamentalist organisation, in a blatant act of provocation, held a rally on 17 February, wherein thousands of Muslims, imitating the RSS ‘ganavesha’, marched in the coastal town of Ullal in Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka.

The organisers had not sought requisite permissions from the police and the district administration to coduct the event. The march has now created a sense of fear and insecurity in the general public after the PFI managed to demonstrate its brute force, indicating a rising subscription to Islamic fundamentalism and intolerance.
 
After the event, the Ullal police filed two suo-motu FIRs naming 14 persons among the organisers. The FIR states the organisers had not taken prior permission to hold a route march in the town disrupting traffic and disturbing public life.
 
People in this area saw over 5,000 Muslims, dressed in militia uniforms, marching and raising anti-Hindu, anti-RSS slogans. This march took place after Muslims in Malappuram held a similar rally in which men donning the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh uniform were shown handcuffed and thousands of Muslim men dressed in traditional attire marched with swords in their hands.

The video of the march has gone viral on social media. The PFI is now trying to explain that they held this march to showcase the oppression suffered by the Muslims of Malabar by the British.

Following this unsanctioned march, the Home Minister of Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai, bitterly criticised the ‘hate speech’ that was allegedly delivered by Anis Ahmed, PFI’s Karnataka General Secretary, on the occasion.

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Puducherry: Congress led government collapses, CM Narayanasamy loses majority in Assembly

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The Commune
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Puducherry Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy lost the trust vote in the Puducherry Legislative Assembly, leading to the collapse of the Congress-led government in the Union Territory.

The ruling Congress-DMK alliance failed to prove majority as it had only 11 MLAs in the 33-seat Assembly.

The Puducherry government slipped into a minority government with two MLAs, John Kumar and Malladi Krishna Rao, tendering their resignation last week. Malladi Krishna Rao was a Cabinet Minister in the current Narayanswamy government. Two of the MLAs – A Namassivayam and E.Theeppainjan – resigned on January 25. Another MLA resigned yesterday. With this, a total of 5 Congress MLAs have resigned, breaking the wafer-thin majority.

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Temple demolished to expand highway in Tirupur

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The Commune
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Sri Karuppanna Sami Temple is located at Ayyampalayam between White Temple and Muthur in Tirupur District, Tamil Nadu. Built over 60 years ago, the temple is under the control of the Hindu Charitable Trusts. The temple was demolished by the Highways Department on the 17th, who claimed that it was a nuisance to the public due to traffic congestion in the area.

The temple’s executive officer has complained to the police that the temple was demolished without the permission of the Temple Endowment Department for highway work.

Natrayasamy temple’s executive officer Devapriya complained to the Vellakoyil police that the temple, which is under the control of the Temple Endowment Board, was demolished without any prior notice. When the Highways Assistant Divisional Engineer Raja was asked about this, he said, “We told the people of the area that the temple should be removed when the road construction work was done here.”

“With the consent of the people of the village, 15 days ago, according to the rules of Agam, Yagya and special pujas were performed and the idols were erected in the garden at the bottom of the temple in the presence of the villagers. Then we removed the temple which was obstructing the traffic,” he added.

He went on to say that they were not aware that the temple was under the control of the Temple Endowment Department and if they had known so, they would have obtained permission from the Department and then demolished it. Many are questioning why the highways department, which has so callously razed the temple to the ground by calling it a nuisance to the public, is not even aware as to who is in control of the temple.

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‘For the DMK, family is the party; For the BJP, party is the family’: Tejasvi Surya thunders in Tamil Nadu

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The Commune
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The Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM TN), the youth wing of the party, held a massive public rally in Salem on Sunday (February 21) which was attended by several top brass of the party.

The event saw the participation of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who delivered the key note address. Bengaluru South MP and the National President of BJYM Tejasvi Surya too attended the rally and delivered a special address.

Starting off his speech with the war cry ‘Vetrivel Veeravel’, Tejasvi said that Tamil Nadu is a sacred land with a great history which saw the greatest of kings, poets and scholars making tremendous contribution to humanity. “I bow my head in reverence to this great land of Tamil Nadu for the great contribution it has given to India and the world.”, Tejasvi said.

He said that the coming elections was very important for Tamil Nadu and said that Tamil Nadu has been witnessing a lot of progress and development under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and the NDA leadership in the state which must continue.

Tejasvi Surya . He said that the DMK does not represent Tamil Nadu or the spirit of Tamil people.

“DMK is anti-Tamil and I will tell you the reasons”, Tejasvi Surya said launching a scathing attack on the DMK for its anti-Tamil, anti-Hindu politics and dynastic politics.

“None of us on the stage are from big political families. But DMK has changed the definition of democracy in Tamil Nadu. DMK’s definition of democracy is of the family, by the family and for the family”, Tejasvi Surya thundered adding that the people of Tamil Nadu must reject the family politics of DMK.

“Friends, I come from a very common family. My party recognized a karyakarta like me, gave me an opportunity. In only the Bharatiya Janata Party, can a common karyakarta become MP, MLA, National President and State Presidents.” the Bengaluru South MP said.

Calling out the DMK’s brand of politics, Tejasvi said that the DMK is anti-Tamil as it represents a virulent ideology which is anti-Hindu.

“Every Tamil is a proud Hindu. This is the sacred land which has the highest number of temples in the country. Every inch of Tamil Nadu is sacred. Every soil particle of Tamil Nadu is punya bhoomi. But the DMK is anti-Hindu and therefore we must defeat the DMK”, Tejasvi thundered.

Tejasvi said that whenever the DMK has been in power they had grabbed temple lands and made statements hurting Hindus and did things that insulted religious beliefs adding that when elections come, they start acting as though they are devout Hindus.

“Hindu asingam, Hindu madham asingam, Hindu nambikkai illai. Aanal Hindu vote mattrum thevai. What is this brother?“, Tejasvi said in Tamil.

He also said that if Tamil has to survive, Hindutva has to come to Tamil Nadu.

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Drones will now monitor the health of Odisha’s elephants

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The Commune
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odisha karlapat sanctuary
Representational Image

After six elephants of Karlapat wildlife sanctuary in Odisha’s Kalahandi district died of a fatal bacterial disease, forest department officials are looking at a novel tech-oriented solution to track the health of the jumbos.

Six elephants in the sanctuary have succumbed to haemorrhagic septicaemia or Pasteurellosis in a span of two weeks, which is the highest in any forest in India. Odisha’s forest department has started using drone cameras in the wildlife range to track the movement of the elephants and keep tabs on their health.

The drones, which are fitted with thermal sensing cameras, will detect the body temperature of the elephants and help veterinary physicians, forest department officials and wildlife experts diagnose any disease the tuskers may be suffering from.

Officials have also placed bananas laced with antibiotics at various places in the forest. The cameras will help in tracking the elephants consuming the bananas and to keep an eye out on the effect of the antibiotics on them.Over a dozen jumbos in the sanctuary will be monitored.

Between February 1 and 12, six females in an elephant herd in the Karlapat wildlife sanctuary died of haemorrhagic septicaemia, alarming the state’s forest department officials.

Veterinary experts from the Centre of Wildlife Health in Bhubaneswar’s Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology examined the viscera of the elephant carcasses and conducted molecular tests. The experts believe the bacteria may have been transmitted from water buffaloes or cattle reared by the people of 4-5 villages living inside the sanctuary.

Symptoms of the disease include high fever ranging 104°–106°F, restlessness and reluctance to move, hypersalivation and a nasal discharge. The disease mainly affects water buffaloes, cattle, and bison in tropical areas of southeast Asia where the population of water buffaloes is high. Acute infection can persist for up to three days.

The forest department staff are trying to separate the healthy elephants away from the ones which have been infected by the bacterial disease.

“The female elephants move together in a herd and they seem to have been infected by the bacterial disease. We are trying our best to contain the spread and keep a close watch on the infected water bodies. The challenge for us is to keep the infected elephant herd from coming in contact with other herds and animals,” said T Ashok Kumar, divisional forest officer of Kalahandi (south) .

He added that the veterinary staff are vaccinating the domestic cattle in the villages located inside the sanctuary. Villagers have also been alerted about the outbreak.

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Tenth round of India-China talks last 16 hours

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The Commune
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India China talks

The tenth round of military talks between India and China, regarding troop disengagement at the border, lasted for around 16 hours from Saturday morning till after midnight on Sunday. Talks at the Corps Commander-level took place at the Moldo border point on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control. The dialogue began at around 10 AM on Saturday and ended at 2 AM on Sunday, according to reports.

The focus of the talks was to take the disengagement process ahead in other friction points like Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang in eastern Ladakh. India has reportedly insisted on a faster disengagement process.

The current talks are in continuation with the earlier bilateral military dialogue held to resolve the situation in Ladakh. This round of talks took place two days after the Indian and Chinese military concluded the disengagement of troops and weapons from north and south banks of Pangong Tso lake after a nearly nine month long military stand-off.

India has maintained all along that disengagement at all the friction points on the India-China border was necessary to de-escalate tensions in the region.

On February 11, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced in Parliament that India and China reached an agreement on disengagement in the North and South banks of Pangong lake that mandates both sides to “cease” forward deployment of troops in a “phased, coordinated and verifiable” manner.

Under the agreement, he said, China will pull back its troops to east of Finger 8 areas in the northern bank of Pangong lake while the Indian personnel will be based at their permanent base at Dhan Singh Thapa Post near Finger 3 in the region. Similar action would take place on the south bank of the lake as well, he added.

In the earlier nine rounds of military talks, India had specifically insisted that Chinese troops retreat from Finger 4 to Finger 8 on the North bank of Pangong Lake. The mountain spurs in the area are referred to as ‘Fingers’.

According to reports, troops on both sides have withdrawn to positions in line with the agreement.

China recently revealed the names of its soldiers who died in the violent June 2020 Galwan Valley clash as a face-saving measure and to stoke nationalist feelings among its people.

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