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Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
CBCI, Oppn parties slam arrest of two nuns by Chhattisgarh Police
Thiruvananthapuram: The president of the Catholics Bishop Conference of India ( CBCI) Reverend Andrews Thazhath, who is also the Metropolitan Archbishop of Thrissur, on Monday slammed the Chhattisgarh Police for arresting two nuns from Kerala and a man on accusations of alleged human trafficking and religious conversion by the Bajrang Dal. 'This has happened in a country where freedom of religion is allowed and hence this act should be seen very seriously. The nuns were attacked by the Bajrang Dal activists and none should forget that nuns always stand and work for the uplift of the downtrodden,' said Thazhath. 'Irrespective of whoever governs the country, the freedom of religion should be protected and upheld. Incidentally across the country at some places Christians are living in a state of fear. We have already brought this to the attention of our Prime Minister Modi,' added Thazhath. On Monday, lawmakers from Kerala, barring the BJP, brought the issue of the harassment of the nuns and their arrest, to the attention of the House by way of a notice for an adjournment motion, but it was disallowed. Thazhath however thanked the lawmakers for raising this issue in the Parliament. The nuns, Preeti Mary and Vandana Francis attached to the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate, a congregation under the Syro-Malabar Church in Alappuzha district, were working at a hospital in Agra. On Saturday, the two nuns and the man, identified as Sukhman Mandavi, were accompanying three women from Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district to Agra, where they had been offered jobs of kitchen helpers at a Convent. At the railway station they were accosted by Bajrang Dal activists and the police also arrived on the scene. Both the nuns and the man were soon taken into custody and later produced before a local court which sent them to judicial custody. Close relatives of the two nuns are aghast at this act of jailing the hapless nuns whose only interest was the welfare of the downtrodden girls. 'This should not be seen as a one off incident, as we have been told that things do not augur well now in certain places in North India,' said the family of the nuns. The CPI-M state secretariat in a statement condemned the Chhattisgarh Police and the Railway officials and accused them of dancing to the tunes of Bajrang Dal activists. 'This issue should not just be seen as a Christian issue but also a gross violation of the Constitution as this is nothing but an intrusion on minority rights. There is every right not just to practice religion but also propagate it. Grave charges have been slapped on the arrested, this is in no way acceptable,' read the CPI-M statement. Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan said he had just spoken to the aged parents of one of the arrested nuns. 'This incident is not just a one off incident as incidence of attacking Christian nuns and priests in several states in North India are increasing by the day. It has come to a stage when Christian priests and nuns cannot even wear their official dress for fear of being attacked. This has to end quickly and authorities have to do the needful,' said Satheesan. Union Minister of State for Fisheries, George Kurian, said that since the matter was sub judice and he was a Minister, he would not make any comment on the issue. Kerala state BJP vice-president Shone George said, 'I will say that let the court take the call and if the nuns are innocent, we have made all arrangement to ensure they are safely taken back to their respective places.'
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Bihar SIR aimed to remove poor voters from rolls: Brinda
Ranchi: Former CPI-M politburo member Brinda Karat on Friday claimed that the Election Commission's (EC) decision to remove around 52 lakh individuals from the electoral roll in Bihar through the special intensive revision (SIR) would deprive poor people of voting rights, which have been provided by the Constitution. Speaking to media persons at her party office in Ranchi, Karat stated that there is a large-scale migration for work from Jharkhand and Bihar. "How proper is it for the EC officials to reach their homes and remove their names in their absence," she said. The veteran politician alleged that the step is aimed to remove the poor voters as they would not vote for BJP. "The BJP is trying to use EC as it's agent under circumstances. Bihar is a rehearsal as the same method would be used in other parts of the country as well," she said. When asked that RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has spoken of boycotting the Bihar state assembly elections, she said that opposition parties are staging agitation against the EC move in Parliament and in Bihar. "The future mode of protests would be determined after discussion," she said. Karat claimed that the Union govt is yet to announce a separate column for the tribal communities in the upcoming national census. "Jharkhand govt had sent a resolution passed by its state assembly in this regard. Chief minister Hemant Soren should apply pressure on the Centre," she said. Karat also attacked the BJP for not accepting the demand and claimed that the saffron party wants that the tribal people register themselves as Hindus in the census.
Indian Express
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
When VS Achuthanandan's ultimatum prompted Mammootty to backtrack on Rs 2 crore Coca-Cola ad deal: ‘He can't do both'
Celebrities becoming brand ambassadors for soft drink companies is nothing new, especially in India. From Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Akshay Kumar and Ranbir Kapoor to Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Mahesh Babu and Yash, the list is very long. Hence, when he received an offer from soft drink manufacturer giant Coca-Cola in the early 2000s to become its face in South India, it might not have taken Malayalam megastar Mammootty long to agree to the lucrative deal. However, he soon realised that he had made an impetuous mistake, mainly since the company was embroiled in the Plachimada legal battle. But by then, the controversy had escalated significantly, with even Marxist party strongman VS Achuthanandan, the then Leader of the Opposition (LoP), issuing an ultimatum to the actor. For the unversed, Mammootty has been serving as the chairman of Malayalam Communications Ltd, which runs the television channels Kairali TV, Kairali News, and Kairali We, since the time it was established in 2000. Kairali Channel group is backed by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), which was at the forefront of the Plachimada struggle, and CPI-M leader VS Achuthanandan was one of the leading proponents of the anti-Coca-Cola plant movement that spread across Kerala like wildfire. After Mammootty signed a deal, reportedly worth Rs 2 crore (Rs 20 million), with the Coca-Cola company, many stepped forward denouncing the megastar's move. Both Plachimada activists and CPI-M leaders and workers came down heavily on him for accepting the offer while they were all protesting against the plant that severely damaged local water sources in the village of Plachimada, Palakkad district. Soon after his decision courted controversy, Mammootty pointed out that the product was not banned in the country and claimed that 'it is, after all, a good drink'. He reportedly told media persons, 'When I accept the offer, I will seek a guarantee that Coke does not overexploit groundwater as alleged and whatever water it uses is replaced or that it finds alternative sources without dipping into the common person's sources of drinking water. Also, there is no bar on the channel (Kairali) accepting Coke advertisements.' Responding to reporters' queries regarding Mammootty's decision to collaborate with Coca-Cola, VS Achuthanandan was quoted as saying by Madhyamam, 'He can't do both. Either Mammootty can continue as the chairman of Kairali, or he can become the ambassador of Coca-Cola.' Talking to Rediff, VS said back then, 'I think Mammootty should not take up the advertising deal because everyone knows how companies like Coca Cola have left the people of a village dry.' According to the protestors, the plant had been depleting groundwater, leading to drying up of water resources in the area and eventually resulting in a drought. However, with VS — known for his strong stances on anti-corruption, environmentalism and land rights — making both his and the party's position unequivocally clear, Mammootty soon withdrew his decision. Given that the party strongman, who passed away on July 21, consistently took unwavering positions on matters concerning public welfare, the megastar knew more than well that reversing his decision was the only plausible solution here. The Plachimada Coca-Cola plant was eventually closed forever.
NDTV
16-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
'No Pardon, It's A Crime': Brother Of Yemeni Man Killed By Kerala Nurse
New Delhi: Abdelfattah Mehdi, brother of Talal Abdo Mehdi, who was allegedly murdered by Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya in 2017, has asserted that there can be no pardon for the crime. He said that Nimisha Priya has to be executed. Abdelfattah also expressed firmly the family's deep displeasure in the manner in which the Indian media has been "distorting things to portray the convicted as a victim". Incidentally, Nimisha Priya was to be executed on Wednesday, but following the lengthy period of multipronged negotiations, her execution has been kept in abeyance. Numerous efforts from several quarters, which included full support of the Indian government, besides agencies based in Saudi Arabia and religious intervention from the Grand Mufti, Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar, who reportedly reached out to a friend in Yemen's Shoora Council to help mediate, all led to the decision of deferring the execution until further orders. State CPI-M secretary M. V. Govindan on Wednesday morning met Musliyar, and negotiations are underway. "Musliyar has told me that the execution has been kept in abeyance, and there are more aspects which are being discussed. He said people are engaged in talks with authorities in Yemen and also the family who has to give the pardon," said Govindan. Meanwhile, the biggest relief that has come is that the execution has been kept in abeyance until further orders. It's the family of the victim that can pardon Nimisha Priya. However, with a difference of opinion surfacing in the family, the religious people involved in the negotiations, besides officials, are trying their best to resolve the issue. The biggest hurdle now seems to be making the family understand the tragedy, and once that's done, the 'blood money' will be handed over. Meanwhile, it has been learnt that the next part of the negotiation will centre around the 'blood money' that will be given. For the unversed, 'blood money' is monetary compensation to the family of the person killed in exchange for forgiveness. It is an accepted practice under Sharia law. Kerala billionaire M A Yusuf Ali has expressed his willingness to chip in with whatever financial support is needed. The efforts of the Indian government have been vital, and all eyes are on the negotiations, which are underway in full earnestness. Priya is currently lodged in a jail in Yemen, facing the death penalty for the alleged murder of her former business partner Mehdi, in 2017. Since the announcement of the execution date, politicians across party lines in Kerala have appealed to the Union government and the President for urgent intervention. Priya moved to Yemen in 2008 to support her family and initially worked as a nurse before opening her clinic. In 2017, following a dispute with Mehdi -- her business partner -- she allegedly administered sedatives to him in a bid to retrieve her confiscated passport. However, the sedatives proved fatal. She was arrested while attempting to flee the country and was convicted of murder in 2018. A death sentence was handed down in 2020 and upheld by Yemen's Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023. However, the court allowed the possibility of clemency through a blood money arrangement.
Hans India
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Kerala defers black magic legislation, but reaffirms commitment to regulate harmful practices
Kochi: The CPI-M government, on Tuesday, told the Kerala High Court that it is committed to regulate harmful practices carried out under the guise of supernatural and magical acts, even after deferring a proposed legislation on the issue. This was submitted before the division bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji when it was considering a PIL filed by a popular rationalist organisation seeking enactment and implementation of 'The Kerala Prevention of Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices, Sorcery and Black Magic Bill, 2019'. Previously, the court had expressed its discontent with the state Cabinet resolving to not proceed with the Bill. But in the counter affidavit filed by the state on Tuesday, it highlighted that though the proposed legislation has been deferred, the state government has no intention to step away from the subject matter as the subject is under active consideration of the state. It also told the court that the reason the state Cabinet decided to withdraw from the agenda is due to complex legal and constitutional issues. It further said that in absence of specific statute, the existing legal framework is also adequately equipped to address the issue. According to the state, criminal acts committed under the veil of magical or supernatural practices have been prosecuted under these existing statutes. The court, however, has sought further clarification on two specific points -- a brief explanation of the legal and constitutional complexities that led to the withdrawal of the proposed legislation and the details of prosecutions in the last five years involving cases arising from magical or supernatural practices under the general laws. The court emphasised that if these offences have indeed been effectively handled under the current legal framework, the state must provide a documented record of such cases. The state government in its affidavit reiterates that the formulation of special legislation remains under active governmental review. The court has directed that the next affidavit filed by the state should specify by when this "active consideration" is expected to conclude and indicate the timeline for a final decision on the matter and posted the case for August 5.
