Woman writes to DMK chief Stalin to take action on his party office bearer who grabbed her land

February 15, 2021

A petition has been submitted by a citizen belonging to the Poigainalloor village in Nagapattinam district, accusing a DMK office bearer named Edison of grabbing her land.

The petitioner Rani*, accused Thomas Alva Edison, a Union Secretary of the Keezhaiyur constituency in Nagapattinam, of encroaching upon her land. She alleged that Edison illegally occupied her land by threatening her with his political clout.

In her petition to MK Stalin, she stated that her 39.5 cents of land situated in Keezhaiyur had been illegally grabbed by a DMK party member and asked if Stalin could help get her land back. However, it is not clear if the DMK chief has acted on it or atleast taken cognizance of the complaint.

Meanwhile, the DMK chief has promised that he would resolve all the complaints and demands of the people within 100 days if he comes to power.

Taking jibes at the DMK chief, AIADMK leader Kovai Sathyan posted on Facebook and satirically asked him why he thought he had to wait until he came to power to solve the woes of the citizens, while he could take action on his party men immediately.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

White House lawyers tell Meena Harris not to use her aunt’s name to boost her brand

The Commune

February 15, 2021

The new White House under President Joe Biden has instructed Meena Harris, the niece of Vice-President Kamala Harris, to stop using her aunt’s name to promote her brands.

In a report published in the New York Post, White House lawyers have made it very clear to Meena Harris to stop using her aunt to promote her personal business ventures.

As per the report, the Vice President’s aides are becoming increasingly concerned over the ethics of Meena’s promotions. “Some things can’t be undone…That being said: Behaviour needs to change”, a White House official has been quoted as saying.

According to the LA Times, White House ethics lawyers “told Meena that she could no longer produce clothing or write new books with her aunt’s name or likeness.”

This instruction will now hurt Meena’s business ambitions and she is yet to clarify whether she is collecting royalties over her book named “Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea” which contains the VP’s name and likeness on the front cover.

Under the ethics rule, Meena is not allowed to have profit in the name of her aunt.

Meena Harris has taken full advantage of her relationship and even launched sweatshirts with her aunt’s quotes like “I’m Speaking” which have sold like hot cakes.

Even after Meena Harris was warned by the White House lawyers, she flew to the Biden-Harris inauguration on a private jet along with a Biden donor and posted about it on Instagram.

But what is now bothering the new Biden administration even more are her comments on the farmer protests.

In a tweet Meena Harris said she was “outraged” by “paramilitary violence against farmer protesters” in New Delhi, when in fact it was the protesters who had unleashed violence in Delhi, attacking security personnel with swords, stabbing cops and trying to run them over with their tractors.

The US Vice President’s niece, when faced with a barrage of criticism, called her detractors a “mob of angry misogynists” and continued her rant against India in subsequent tweets as the Joe Biden administration took a more measured view of the issue and even welcomed moves aimed at “improving the efficiency of Indian markets” and attracting “greater private sector investment” in agriculture.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

World’s oldest beer factory unearthed in Egypt

The Commune

February 15, 2021

Pottery basins which archaeologists say had been used to heat up a mixture of grains and water to produce
beer, in Abydos, Egypt, image provided February 13, 2021. Image Credits: AP

An archaeological excavation by American and Egyptian archaeologists has uncovered what is believed to be the world’s oldest beer factory. Over eight huge units, each of which was 20 metres in diameter and 8 ft in depth, were discovered during the excavations.

Mostafa Waziri, the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said that the factory was found in Abydos, an ancient burial ground located in the desert west of the Nile River, more than 450km (280 miles) south of Cairo. The factory apparently dates back to the reign of King Narmer, who is widely known for his unification of ancient Egypt at the beginning of the first dynastic period (3150 BCE – 2613 BCE), Waziri said.

With its vast cemeteries and temples from the earliest times of ancient Egypt, Abydos is known for monuments honouring Osiris, ancient Egypt’s god of the underworld and the deity responsible for judging souls in the afterlife. The necropolis had been used in every period of early Egyptian history, from the prehistoric age to the Roman times.

Several discoveries have been announced by the Egyptian government over the last few years, in hopes of attracting tourists. The country’s major GDP contribution is from the Tourism sector, and it was heavily hit by the pandemic. It was earlier also affected by the protests and dissent against the ruling government by Egypt’s citizens.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

Indian and Saudi armies to hold first ever joint bilateral military exercise in Saudi Arabia

The Commune

February 15, 2021

Feature Image: General MM Naravane in Saudi Arabia in December 2020

After the first official visit by the Indian Army Chief of Staff General MM Naravane to Saudi Arabia in December 2020, the armies of both countries are going to undertake a joint bilateral military exercise, reports WION.

It is quite likely that both countries reached this agreement when the Indian Army Chief had visited the Headquarters of Royal Saudi Land Force, the Joint Force Command Headquarters and King Abdul Aziz Military Academy.

The Indian contingent will be travelling to Saudi Arabia for the exercises in the next financial year when the coronavirus pandemic is expected to have diminished.

India and Saudi Arabia have enjoyed long diplomatic relations since 1947. Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth-largest trade partner and India imports around 18 per cent of its crude oil requirement from the Kingdom.

Also, there is a 2.6 million-strong Indian community that lives and works in Saudi Arabia, making it the largest Indian expatriate community in the region.

After Narendra Modi became Prime Minister of India, the relationship between the two countries has further strengthened. The visit of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to India in February 2019 cemented the ties between the two nations in various fields.

Saudi Arabia has identified India as one of the Kingdom’s eight Strategic Partner Countries under ‘Vision 2030’. The oil-rich Kingdom also made the announcement to invest $100 billion in India as bilateral ties move in an upward trajectory.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

Kerala nun found dead in quarry pond near her convent

The Commune

February 15, 2021

The lifeless body of a 44-year-old nun was discovered in a water-filled quarry close to the St Thomas Convent she was staying at Vazhakkala in Kochi on Sunday. The deceased has been identified as Jaseena Thomas, a local of Koruthodu in Mundakkayam in Kottayam district, stated police. A case of unnatural death has been registered.

The body was discovered at around 4 PM on February 14 in an abandoned granite quarry. The deep, waterlogged quarry, which has long been deserted, is situated right behind the convent.

Missing since breakfast

“Because the nun was discovered missing from St Thomas Convent since around 11 AM on Sunday, the convent authorities informed us. Later, several residents of the convent formed a search party and found her body floating in the water within the quarry,” stated an officer with the Thrikkakara police.

Jaseena had been missing since breakfast at around 10 AM in the morning. She did not join the other nuns in their prayers, as she complained of a headache. At 1 PM, when her roommate went to invite her for lunch, Jaseena was not in her room. The residents of the convent then searched the premises and found her missing. They enquired with Jaseena’s parents who informed them that they had not heard from her either. It was then that the convent informed the police.

Even as the police were conducting their enquiries, the convent informed them that Jaseena’s body had been found in the quarry. The police and the fire services immediately reached the spot and retrieved the body. The police also sealed off the room used by the deceased.

‘Mental instability’, say convent authorities

Authorities at the convent claimed that Jaseena suffered from a history of ‘mental instability’ for the past ten years.

However, her relatives, who reached the convent by 9 PM, denied Jaseena having any mental issues. They also denied knowledge of the nun being under any prescription drugs, to explain her alleged psychiatric episodes.

Jaseena joined the convent, which houses as many as twelve nuns, in 2018. According to media reports, Jaseena had been working in Kusumagiri Hospital for the past three years. Kusumagiri Hospital is a mental health clinic run by Christian missionaries.

Cases of nuns dying under mysterious and suspicious circumstances is common in the Communist-ruled state of Kerala. In one such incident, the body of 21 year-old nun Abhaya was found in a well at the St. Pius Convent in Kottayam, Kerala. It was only 28 years after Abhaya’s death, in December last year, that the perpetrators – a priest and a nun – were sentenced by the court. Abhaya had chanced upon her killers having sex in the convent, which is why they killed her.

Other nuns who died in similar circumstances over the years in Kerala are Divya P. Johnny, Susan Mathew and Stella Maria. Since 1987, more than twenty cases of nuns found dead in wells have been reported from various convents in Kerala.

Citing the track record of Christian convents in the state, the public expects closer scrutiny and vigilance from the investigators, to bring the culprits to book.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

Chennai’s seniors citizens can now travel for free in MTC buses

The Commune

February 15, 2021

The Corporation of Chennai has called for eligible senior citizens of Chennai to produce the relevant documents and obtain tokens for free bus travel at their nearby bus stations. This is in light of the recent announcement by the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) which states that free travel tokens for senior citizens will be distributed on city buses from the 15th of February.

The scheme, which provides free bus travel to senior citizens over the age of 60, was launched in 2016 by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. The project, which was put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, has now been re-implemented.

Accordingly, eligible senior citizens of the city of Chennai are advised to come with the relevant documents and obtain tokens for free bus travel at their nearest bus stations. Senior citizens over 60 years of age residing under the jurisdiction of the Chennai Municipal Corporation can obtain the required tokens for 6 months at the rate of 10 tokens per month, by showing proof of age and proof of residence at the Municipal Corporation bus stands and workshops.

The following are the list of areas where this can be availed by the respective senior citizens:

Adyar, Thiruvanmiyur, Manthaiveli, The Nagar, Saitai, Central Workshop, Chrompet – 1, Alandur, Ayyappanthangal, Vadapalani, KK Nagar, Adambakkam, Anna Nagar, Ambattur Estate, Avadi, Ayanavaram, Thandayar Pettai-1, Ennore, Vyasarpadi, Madhavaram, Padiyanallur, Central Railway Station, Broadway, Pallavaram, Tambaram Maps, Kindi Estate, Poonamallee, Velachery, Coimbatore, Ambattur Odi, Villivakkam, Perambur, Tiruvottiyur, Sungachavadi, Vallalar Nagar, MKP Nagar, Chengunram, Chemmancheri, Saitai, Besant Nagar.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

8 day old baby ‘kidnapped’ by monkeys in Thanjavur

The Commune

February 15, 2021

Representational Image

In a strange but unfortunate incident, a baby girl ― who was barely 8 days old ― was kidnapped by monkeys in Thanjavur, and sadly, did not survive.

Twin girls were born to a family in Thanjavur about 8 days ago. On Saturday, Bhuvaneswari, the mother of the two infants, had laid the children to sleep and had gone about doing her chores.

Monkeys entered the house by means of a broken tile on the roof. They had deftly jumped in through the gap, and had started wreaking havoc in the house. The animals caught Bhuvaneswari by surprise, who screamed when she noticed their presence. The monkeys then left the house.

It was only several minutes after they had left that Bhuvaneshwari noticed that her children had gone missing. A search party to find the infants ensued soon after. Her neighbours had come to help and reportedly retrieved one baby from the roof. Sadly, the other child was nowhere to be found. A few days later, the police found the infant lying dead in a water body nearby. Following this, the local police have initiated an investigation to look into this bizarre incident.

According to the reports, Thanjavur forest ranger G Jothikumar has sent a team to find and cage the monkeys. The district forest officer also said that such kind of incidents rarely happen in the area.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

Delhi police arrest 21 year-old ‘climate activist’ from Bengaluru in Greta Thunberg ‘toolkit’ case

The Commune

February 15, 2021

Delhi police on Saturday arrested Bengaluru-based climate activist Disha Ravi in connection with the Greta Thunberg ‘toolkit’ case.

Thunberg, a Swedish radical activist fighting for extreme action to be taken to halt climate change on Earth, had shared a ‘toolkit’ on social media platform Twitter with instructions on how to build international pressure on the Indian government to force it to repeal the farm laws.

Disha Ravi is one of the founders of the ‘Fridays For Future’ campaign in India. She was arrested from her house in the Soladevanahalli police station limits in Bengaluru by a Special Cell of the Delhi Police. A Delhi Magistrate on Sunday remanded the accused to five days of police custody.

According to the police, Disha Ravi played an important role in spreading the “toolkit” that was shared to Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg to show support for the farmers agitating near the national capital. The police said that her custody was necessary to probe an alleged larger conspiracy against the government of India and to ascertain her involvement, if any, in the Khalistan movement.

Inside the courtroom, Disha Ravi broke down during the hearing and admitted to the judge that she had edited only two lines as she wanted to support the farmers’ protest. Duty Magistrate Dev Saroha allowed the Delhi Police to quiz Ravi for five days.

While seeking her custody, the police told the court that the activist had allegedly edited the “toolkit” on February 3 and many other people are involved in the matter. According to the police, Disha Ravi is an Editor of the Toolkit Google Document and a key conspirator in document’s formulation and dissemination. She started a WhatsApp group and collaborated to make the Toolkit document. She worked closely with others to draft the Document. In this process, they all collaborated with the Poetic Justice Foundation, a pro-Khalistani organisation based in Canada, to spread disaffection against the Indian State. Disha Ravi was the one who shared the Toolkit Doc with Greta Thunberg. Later, the police allege, she also asked Greta to remove the main document after its incriminating details were accidentally released into the public domain. The police also informed the court that they have recovered the mobile phone of the activist.

Earlier, the Delhi Police had asked Google and some social media giants to provide information about email ID, URLs and certain social media accounts related to the creators of the “toolkit” shared by Thunberg and others on Twitter in connection with the farmers’ protest. The Cyber Cell had lodged an FIR against “pro-Khalistan” creators of the “toolkit” for waging a “social, cultural and economic war against the government of India”. The case against unnamed persons was registered on charges of criminal conspiracy, sedition and various other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The “toolkit” was aimed at spreading disaffection and ill-will against the government of India and creating disharmony among various social, religious and cultural groups, the police had claimed.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

Villagers in Andhra Pradesh complain against conversion activities, get slapped with SC/ST Act

The Commune

February 15, 2021

Villagers of Kotthapalem in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district have complained to the authorities against members of the Believers’ Eastern Church alleging the misuse of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Atrocities (Prevention) Act for nefarious purposes and money laundering.

In a letter dated 5 February to the Joint Collector, a copy of which is with The Commune, the villagers have stated that for the last one year, Anand Paul, an itinerant pastor with the Believers’ Eastern Church has been proselytizing Christianity among the economically weaker section of their village by offering them financial inducements. Paul allegedly offers ₹5000 per month to a prospective convert to Christianity. The letter also accuses Paul of attempting to have a church constructed in the village against the wishes of the villagers without proper building permissions and approvals.

Objecting villagers threatened with SC/ST Act

Five other residents of the village, including a former Deputy Inspector-General of police, are encouraging the pastor, the villagers complain. In shocking terms, the villagers’ complaint also outlines how they also threatened the objecting villagers with the SC/ST Atrocities Act. “He[Anand Paul] has enlisted the help of 5 other natives of the village, namely, Mr. Anil, Mr. Doma Koti Reddy, Doma Nageswara Reddy, Mr. Ramesh Babu (Retired DIG of Police) and Ms. Mallisetty Prasanna Latha who have been encouraging this Christian Pastor Mr. Ananda Paul and threatening our villagers that if any one objects to the proposal of Christian conversion and Church construction activities they will have to face SC ST Atrocity Act provisions. This Christian Pastor Mr. Ananda Paul is destroying the peaceful atmosphere in the village and creating communal tensions and creating enmity between different groups through caste-based and religion-based enmity among our villagers. We are being abused by Sri Ananda Paul and his associates in unprintable and abusive language”, the villagers stated in their letter.

The Commune has often reported on how the SC/ST Act is regularly used by people for malevolent purposes.

On February 12, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said that converts cannot avail any of the benefits that are given to SCs. “No person who professes a religion different from Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist religion shall be deemed to be a member of a Scheduled Caste”, he said.

According to the letter, when the villagers opposed the proselytization and the building activities on 24 January, Anand Paul openly threatened them that he would sue them under the provisions of the SC/ST Act. The same day the villagers lodged a formal, written complaint against Paul, and the police registered an FIR in this regard. Subsequently, the pastor too complained against the villagers in the same police station and an FIR was filed against the villagers. They were charged under, among others, the SC/ST Atrocities Act.

“As you are aware that SCs who have converted to Christianity or Islam will no longer be recognized as SCs. Sri Ananda Paul is a Christian and as such he cannot be treated as SC and he cannot invoke the provisions of SC ST POA Act. This is a clear of misuse of legal protection given to SCs by a non-SC Christian namely, Sri. Ananda Paul”, the complaint states.

“The villagers of different castes and communities of Hindu religion are living together with peace and harmony by helping each other irrespective of political ideologies and caste-based bias or feelings. Unfortunately, few months ago, some persons who are not native to our village have conspired to create tensions with a view to divide the people of our village on the basis of Caste and Religion”, the villagers add.

They further state in their letter, “Ananda Paul has in his complaint, clearly admitted the fact that he is a Christian and that for the last 10 years he is administering a Christian congregation in the capacity of a Christian pastor at the residence of Doma Koti Reddy of Pittalavanipalem village. Despite admission of being a Christian, the police officials have erred in applying the provisions of SC ST POA Act in the FIR registered against us.”

The villagers have also asked the authorities to “cancel the SC Caste certificate of Christian pastor Sri Ananda Paul and other Christians of this village who are still holding SC caste certificates even after conversion to Christianity.” Furthermore, they also demanded an inquiry into who issued these certificates to the pastor and his congregation. They requested the authorities to conduct an investigation into the sources of funding of the Believer’s Eastern Church.

Sources have told The Commune that Believer’s Eastern Church is currently under investigation by Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax Department and other law enforcement agencies in the country for alleged violation of Prevention of Money Laundering Act and the Foreign Exchange Management Act.

A copy of the complaint letter was also sent to the Joint Director, Income Tax Department, Home Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs and Mandal Revenue Officer, Pittalavaanipalem, Guntur District.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

RTI reveals shocking info about Paul Dhinakaran’s Karunya

The Commune

February 15, 2021

paul dinakaran karunya jesus calls Coimbatore churches

In Nallurvayal (now known as Karunya Nagar) near Coimbatore, it has come to light that no permission has been granted for the construction of churches that have been mushrooming in several localities in and around the area over the last 10 years.

Many prayer halls and churches are being built in and around Nallurvayal near Coimbatore. They have been built without the consent of the respective panchayats, according to information obtained under the Right to Information Act. Advocate Rangaraju, who filed the RTI application, said: “Prayer halls have sprung up in Madwarayapuram, Puluvapatti, Ikkarai, Poluvampatti, Alandurai panchayats in Coimbatore district and many new churches around them in the last 10 years.”

The RTI application filed sought information on whether the 18 churches and prayer halls in these four panchayats were built with the approval of the local administration. The information officer of Madwarayapuram and Puluvapatti panchayats responded to the same, stating that no permission had been given for churches and prayer halls over the last 10 years. He also revealed that the Pentecostal Mission, CSI in Madvarayapuram area, and several others, including the Christ Church, Bethesda International Prayer Hall, did not receive requisite permissions.

A feast is organized at these places of worship every Sunday to attract the tribal people. Then they are gradually converted to Christianity. No reply has been received so far on similar petitions seeking information on two churches located in the Poluvampatti panchayat.

Meanwhile, Karunya University Vice-Chancellor Mannar Jawahar responded to these allegations and said, “Karunya did not build any illegal structures. Karunya is a charity institution. Educational institutions, hospitals and places of worship are all there to serve the community. ”

When Collector Rajamani was asked about the above, he said that new construction is not allowed in the middle of residential areas. He added that there have been no clear guidelines for this in the past.

Speaking to The Commune, Indu Makkal Katchi leader Arjun Sampath said, “Karunya is building these churches for the purpose of religious conversion. If we try to register a complaint, the police who join hands with Karunya will not register the complaints. Already Kanyakumari and Thoothukudi districts have come under the control of the Church. Now it seems like Coimbatore is also on its way to become like these two districts. IMK urges the Tamil Nadu government to take strict legal actions against Paul Dhinakaran and his institutions.”

(With inputs from Dinamalar)

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

1...1,5151,5161,517...1,840 Page 1,516 of 1,840

The Commune

Woman writes to DMK chief Stalin to take action on his party office bearer who grabbed her land

White House lawyers tell Meena Harris not to use her aunt’s name to boost her brand

World’s oldest beer factory unearthed in Egypt

Indian and Saudi armies to hold first ever joint bilateral military exercise in Saudi Arabia

Kerala nun found dead in quarry pond near her convent

Missing since breakfast

‘Mental instability’, say convent authorities

Chennai’s seniors citizens can now travel for free in MTC buses

8 day old baby ‘kidnapped’ by monkeys in Thanjavur

Delhi police arrest 21 year-old ‘climate activist’ from Bengaluru in Greta Thunberg ‘toolkit’ case

Villagers in Andhra Pradesh complain against conversion activities, get slapped with SC/ST Act

Objecting villagers threatened with SC/ST Act

RTI reveals shocking info about Paul Dhinakaran’s Karunya

NATIONAL NEWS

The Real Kerala Story: Population-Based Delimitation In Kerala Increased Seats To...