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Hindustan Times
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Street dancer heckled for singing ‘Allah ke bande' at Tripura temple, CPI(M) seeks action
AGARTALA: A street dancer was allegedly heckled for singing Kailash Kher's 'Allah ke bande' at the famous Tripurasundari temple in Tripura's Gomati district, sparking political outrage. The opposition CPI(M) on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, demanding swift action from the state government and accusing it of fostering an atmosphere of intolerance. The video of the incident that went viral on social media on Sunday shows the street dancer, Shanu Malakar, is purportedly being threatened by another person (not seen in the video) and questioned him for his choice of song on the temple premises, saying that praise of Allah could not be done at a temple. In the video, Malakar is seen replying that he does street dance performances to raise funds for donations to the poor. In reference to the video, CPIM politburo member and leader of opposition Jitendra Chaudhury said, 'A youth, Sanu Malakar, a local singer who also earns money through his street dance performances and displaying physical acrobatics, was seen, in a social media video, singing the song which is devotional as well to appeal for humanity. A person threatened him in front of a huge gathering and questioned him why he uttered Allah. I appeal to the state government and the police to step in at the earliest.' He further said that the person who threatened Malakar did so by declaring that this is 'Hindustan", claiming that those who worship Allah or follow that faith are 'jihadis", and asserting that such songs have no place on Indian soil. Asserting that every Indian has constitutionally approved right to express their opinions through devotional songs of any religion, be it Hindu, Muslim, Christian or Buddhist, Chaudhury said the state government and police didn't take any action against the perpetrators till now. 'We often see that several people were arrested with different charges after the Pahalgam terror attack, and harassing them for 10-12 days... Why has no arrest been made here?' Chaudhury asked. Reacting to the incident, BJP state spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharya said, 'It's natural that neither Azaan can be performed in temples nor Durga Puja can be performed in mosques.' A senior police officer stated, 'We have seen the video as well, but so far, no one has come forward to lodge a complaint.' Last year, the Gomati district magistrate served a notice prohibiting shooting of any such dance, music videos, reels and posting on social media after netizens raise objections against objectionable dance performances by social media influencers in Tripurasundari temple.
New Indian Express
21-05-2025
- New Indian Express
Death toll rises to three due to suffocation while cleaning septic tank in Tamil Nadu
TIRUPPUR: Death toll rose to three in the incident where daily wage labourers suffocated to death while cleaning the septic tank at the workers quarters in a dyeing factory here on Tuesday. The police registered a case against four people, including the plant owner. Daily wagers Saravanan (30) and R Venugopal (31) died on Monday and A Harikrishnan (26) of Sundamedu near Iduvai died on Tuesday. Police said, 'Alaya dyeing mill in Karaipudur has about 30 workers staying living in the quarters within the plant premises. Chinnasamy (36) of Sundamedu, who owns a septic tank cleaning vehicle, received a call on Monday to clean the tank.' 'Chinnasamy went there with the three workers. However, the four suffocated as they did not use safety equipment. Subsequently, worker Muthukumar (30), and a few others rescued and admitted them to a private hospital. However, Saravanan and Venugopal died on Monday,' police added. Muthukumar, who was involved in the rescue task, was also admitted to the hospital as a precaution. Chinnasamy and Muthukumar are receiving treatment at the hospital. Meanwhile, the Palladam police registered a case against plant owner Naveen, Manager Dhanabal, Supervisor Balasubramaniam and vehicle owner Chinnasamy under sections 125 (a), 106 (1) of BNS and Prohibition of Employment As Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act 2013, 3 (i) (j) 3 (2) (va) of SC/ST Act 2015. Further investigation is on. Various outfits and trade unions staged protests in Tiruppur on Tuesday, demanding compensation for the families of the deceased. The district administration took steps to provide an initial compensation of Rs 30 lakh each to the families. Speaking to TNIE, K Karthikeyan DRO of Tiruppur said, 'Following government norms, we have taken steps to provide compensation from the concerned company to the affected families. After this, the police will continue to investigate the case.' The CPIM also urged appropriate action to be taken against officials related to this matter.
The Print
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Kerala CPIM in spot after ex-minister Sudhakaran's ‘big reveal'—he tampered with LS postal votes in 1989
However, Congress's Vakkom Purushothaman, in 1989, defeated Devadas in Alappuzha though by a small margin of 25,123 votes. Speaking at an event, Sudhakaran Wednesday made claims of altering postal votes in the 1989 parliamentary polls. The ballots for opposition candidates were, he claimed, changed in favour of the then-CPIM candidate of Alappuzha, K.V. Devadas. Sudhakaran, at that time, was the secretary of the party's election committee. Thiruvananthapuram: The State Election Commission Kerala on Thursday launched a probe against Kerala Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and ex-minister G. Sudhakaran, a day after the leader admitted to tampering with postal ballots in the 1989 Lok Sabha elections. CPIM leader Sudhakaran, who hails from Alappuzha, made the 'big reveal' before ex-members of the NGO Union in Alappuzha—who organised the event. NGO Union is a Left-leaning organisation representing non-gazetted State employees. At the event, Sudhakaran, also the Public Works Department (PWD) minister in the first Pinarayi cabinet of 2016-2021, said that the NGO Union members need not vote for the Left. Discounting their political affiliation, he said they, however, should openly tell which party candidate they support. 'Do not do a postal ballot; give it to us if you vote for others. Post it yourself. Do not think it will be left unopened—even if sealed. We will open it. When K.V. Devadas contested as the candidate here [Alappuzha], we opened all the postal votes. Fifteen percent of the members [of service organisations] had voted for the other party. We altered them,' Sudhakaran boasted. On Wednesday afternoon, a team of election commission officials and Ambalappuzha tahsildar Anvar reached Sudhakaran's house in the district and recorded his statements. Afterwards, an official said the team would submit a report to the district collector soon, and the collector would decide on further action. Sudhakaran responded to the probe, saying he was not afraid. 'I am not scared. I have not committed any murders. Let the collector take action,' the leader told media persons. However, the incident has led to widespread criticism from the opposition leaders of Congress. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Sunny Joseph said that the CPIM had always practised electoral fraud. 'We have been saying this for a long time, especially that election manipulation is the CPIM's biggest tactic. Sudhakaran's statement is a big reveal. There should be action against this,' Sunny Joseph said. However, the CPIM denied any such malpractices. 'It can never happen. Once a postal ballot is open, the vote becomes invalid. If he is saying that he has done it, let him give the proof. He might have said it in the spirit of the event. It was unnecessary.' (Edited by Madhurita Goswami) Also Read: After investment summit, a 'New Kerala' plan. CPI(M)-led LDF eyes a hat-trick in the state
India Today
15-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Kerala CPM leader admits to rigging 1989 Lok Sabha election postal ballots
Senior CPIM leader and former Kerala minister G Sudhakaran stirred up a political controversy after he revealed that during the 1989 Lok Sabha elections, postal ballots were tampered with in favour of his admitted that the postal ballots were unsealed to identify which members of the party-backed NGO union had voted for the opposition party at a recent event of former non-gazetted officers' (NGO) union in Alappuzha, Sudhakaran said that the party members opened to see who got the votes. 'We opened it at the office. About 15 per cent of voters had cast their ballots for the opposition candidate. We opened, verified and changed it.' He was referring to the Alappuzha seat where the CPIM had fielded KV Devdas as its candidate. Devdas lost to Congress's Vakkom Purushothaman by over 25,000 Sudhakaran's further comments also challenged the legitimacy and security of postal ballots. 'It's not like one should vote only for CPIM. But don't think that if you seal the postal ballot and hand it over, no one will know your decision. We will open it at the party office. Otherwise, don't give it to us, you can post it directly.' He added, 'It's okay even if a case is registered against me.'Sudhakaran's comment drew sharp criticism and triggered calls for legal Chief Electoral Officer, Rathan U Khelkar, directed the Alappuzha District Election Officer to register an FIR and conduct a detailed investigation. The CEO said in a statement, 'Tampering with postal votes is a serious violation of the law,' under sections 136 and 128 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, and relevant sections of the Indian Penal also criticised the NGO Union members who didn't vote for the Left, claiming that 80–85 per cent of them voted for CPIM, but implied it should have been more. He maintained that while people can vote for anyone, they should do so openly. IN THIS STORY#Kerala
Indian Express
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Bengal CPIM seeks to float ‘alternative schools', tuition centres, health camps ahead of 2026 Assembly polls
In its first letter of the year to its ranks, the CPIM has called for the formation of grassroots-level 'alternative' schools, tuition centres, and health camps to reach out to the people of West Bengal. Named 'Mission 360', the party's directive was made with determination to make significant gains in the upcoming 2026 Assembly polls. However, some leaders feels the party is also placing emphasis on rebuilding its credibility through these initiatives. In its first organisational message of 2025, called the 'party chithi', the West Bengal CPIM stated, 'The struggle to present alternatives is very relevant in the present time.' The party has instructed its cadre to establish at least two fully functional teaching centres in every district of the state. The message noted that party-affiliated teachers, professors and older students in higher education can be involved in the initiative. Similarly, the party has directed that health centres be set up in every area committee, where medical advice and medicines can be provided at reasonable prices. These centres can involve local doctors, nurses, medical representatives, Red Volunteers, student and youth front workers, and various other organisations. The party chithi further instructed every district committee to launch such initiatives and submit reports by August this year. Beyond these social initiatives, the CPIM's message stressed that the 2026 assembly election is a crucial 'political struggle' and must not be neglected. The party has mandated the formation of permanent organisational structures and members at every booth. It instructed that committees be formed at every booth across the state by June 30. The memo also read, 'Individual campaigns on social media should be stopped. Party members expressing personal opinions – especially when they contradict party decisions – must refrain from doing so. Social media must not be used for inner-party struggles.' A senior CPIM leader said, 'The party has not only lost vote shares but also its support base across the state. This decline happened because we lost social credibility. Regaining that credibility will automatically bring votes.' He added, 'In the past, we gained workers and activists through various movements, but we failed to integrate them into the party structure. After the RG Kar movement, many from the broader society joined us, and we must now involve them in future movements to strengthen the party.' CPIM state secretary and politburo member Md Salim said, 'We are not challenging the public health or education systems. However, it is true that both sectors in our state have serious gaps. Because of these gaps, the working class is suffering – they go to other states or spend large amounts of money on healthcare and education. We want to bridge that gap and help the poorer sections of society.' He added, 'Our Red Volunteers did commendable work during the Covid-19 pandemic. We are engaging them and similar forces in these alternative health and education systems. (The project is) named Mission 360 because it is a project through which the party will intervene in all sectors of society to help the people.' Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More
