Latest news with #HinduMunnani
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Hindu Munnani members detained for staging protest against construction of STP at cremation ground in Coimbatore
Over 150 members of Hindu Munnani were detained on Friday for protesting against the construction of a sewage treatment plant (STP) at the cremation ground in Chokkampudur, Coimbatore. The protesters assembled outside the Coimbatore Corporation office at Town Hall, opposing the project on the grounds that the site—located in a densely populated area and directly opposite a private school with over 1,000 students—was inappropriate for a sewage facility. S. Satish, a member of the outfit's state executive committee, said the Corporation continued the work despite petitions to the District Collector and civic officials. Alleging that human remains were exhumed from the site, he accused the Corporation of ignoring public sentiment. He also claimed similar activity at cremation grounds in Kallampalayam and Suganapuram, where sites were reportedly used for garbage segregation. 'Across the State, Hindu cremation grounds are being repurposed for civic projects,,' he alleged. They said the work was rushed despite objections and warned of further protests. The outfit has planned to approach the court, citing religious and emotional concerns over the exhumation. The police said the protest was held without permission, and those who had gathered were detained.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Hindu Munnani members protest construction of sewage treatment plant on Chokkampudur burial ground in Coimbatore
Coimbatore: More than 150 Hindu Munnani members staged a demonstration outside the Coimbatore corporation office in Town Hall on Monday morning to protest construction of a sewage treatment plant (STP) on a Hindu burial ground in Chokkampudur. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The burial ground cum crematorium is run by the corporation. The city police detained them for conducting an unauthorised protest and let them off later. The protesters alleged that corporation officials were deliberately using a portion of the Hindu burial ground for establishing an STP while sparing those for minorities. The protesters demanded that officials halt the STP construction. They said they had already petitioned the corporation commissioner to stop it. The corporation is constructing three new STPs as part of underground drainage projects. One of them is in Chokkampudur. The protesters alleged that despite submitting multiple petitions to the district collector and the corporation administration regarding the STP construction on the Chokkampudur burial ground, no action had been taken. Hindu Munnani state executive committee member S Satish said, "The corporation is negligent in protecting Hindu rights concerning crematoriums and burial grounds. Many Hindu burial grounds are being repurposed, including the one in Sugunapuram where they are planning to construct a new garbage transfer station. The burial ground in Kallamedu was encroached upon by an individual who exhumed more than 60 graves, hurting people's sentiments. " The protesters highlighted that the proposed STP site in Chokkampudur is adjacent to a govt school where more than 1,000 students study. They expressed concerns about the potential health hazards to children and the public.
The Hindu
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
BJP's John Kumar sworn-in as Puducherry Minister; Opposition criticises move
BJP legislator representing Kamaraj Nagar constituency A. John Kumar, on Monday (July 14, 2025) sworn-in as Minister in the Puducherry Cabinet headed by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy. Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr. Kumar during a function held at Raj Nivas. Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, Speaker R. Selvam, Home Minister A. Namassivayam, Minister for Public Works K. Lakshminarayanan, Deputy Speaker P. Rajavelu, legislators belonging to AINRC and BJP were present. Originally a Congressman, Mr. Kumar, who had switched sides a few years ago, was inducted into the Cabinet after A.K. Sai J. Saravanan Kumar resigned following a prior understanding in the BJP at the time of government formation in 2021 to share the Cabinet berth among two of its legislators during government's tenure. Boycott Principal Opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Congress boycotted the swearing-in ceremony due to the controversy surrounding the appointment of Mr. Kumar as a Minister. The Opposition had criticised the government for inducting Mr. Kumar as his name had surfaced in Kamatchi Amman Temple land grabbing case. Swearing-in of nominated MLAs Earlier, Speaker R. Selvam inducted three BJP members V. Selvam, E. Theeppainthan and G.N.S Rajasekaran as Members of the Legislative Assembly. The members were nominated by the Ministry of Home Affairs last week. Protest Activists belonging to Hindu Munnani, led by Sanil Kumar, staged a demonstration near Swadeshi Mill complex in Puducherry to oppose the induction of Mr. Kumar in the Cabinet. Talking to reporters, he said the Hindu Munnani had advised the BJP not to induct Mr. Kumar into the Cabinet as he was involved in grabbing the property of Kamatchi Amman Temple. The CB-CID had arrested several officials in connection with the temple land grabbing case. The Madras High Court had even asked Mr. Kumar and his son to subject themselves for the investigation by the CB-CID, he said. 'There is clear evidence to prove that the temple land was grabbed by a group. The BJP did not consider the demand by us not to give him Ministerial berth. When the case is under investigation now, the induction of Mr. Kumar will prove detrimental to the cause taken up by devotees. People will show their anger against those who have grabbed temple land in the next Assembly polls,' he said. Cadre belonging to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) also held a separate protest in the town against AINRC-BJP government for inducting Mr. Kumar and swearing-in of three nominated MLAs. Party secretary S. Ramachandran said a person who was involved in usurping the property of a temple was inducted into the Ministry. Also, there was no need to appoint three nominated legislators as the tenure of the government was coming to end in a few months. 'It is a complete waste of public money,' Mr. Ramachandran said.
News18
14-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
'Justice After Decades': Annamalai Hails TN ATS For Arrest Of 3 Terrorists After 30 Years
Last Updated: He recalled his meeting with Muthukrishnan's family during the En Mann En Makkal Padayatra in December 2023. Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai on Monday praised the Tamil Nadu Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for arresting three long-absconding terrorists nearly three decades after their alleged involvement in a series of deadly terror attacks across the state. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Annamalai said the arrests of Sadiq Ali (also known as Tailor Raja), Mohammed Ali Mansoor, and Abubacker Siddique marked a significant milestone. 'Heartfelt appreciation to the Tamil Nadu ATS, Andhra Pradesh State Police, and all officers involved," he wrote. The three accused were key members of the banned terror outfit Al-Ummah. They were linked to the 1998 Coimbatore serial bombings that claimed 58 lives, the 1993 bombing of the RSS office in Chennai, and the 1995 targeted killing of the wife of Hindu Munnani leader Muthukrishnan in Nagore. The 1995 attack used a bomb hidden inside a Ramayana book and was intended for Muthukrishnan himself. 'These terrorists lived under false identities, hiding in plain sight," Annamalai wrote, calling the arrests 'a crack in one of the longest-standing terror cases." He recalled his meeting with Muthukrishnan's family during the En Mann En Makkal Padayatra in December 2023. 'The wounds of that loss, though decades old, were still fresh in their eyes. Their strength, resilience, and quiet hope for justice have stayed with me ever since," he added. Annamalai praised the investigation teams for combining human intelligence with artificial intelligence to track down the fugitives. He said the arrests restore faith in justice and represent a critical moment in the state's efforts against terrorism. 'This breakthrough delivers long-overdue justice and brings closure to many families," he said. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Indian Express
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Human intel and some tech: How Tamil Nadu nabbed 3 terror accused after 30 years
For over a decade, the chilli commission agent named Shahjahan Shaik was just another familiar face in the APMC yard of Vijayapura, northern Karnataka. A quiet man with three children, he worked long hours, rented a modest house, and disappeared into the crowd when the market closed. What his co-traders didn't know was that the man they greeted every day was Sadiq Ali — better known in the early 1990s as 'Tailor' Raja, a frontline cadre of the banned extremist outfit Al-Ummah and a key accused in the 1998 Coimbatore serial bombings that killed 58 and injured over 250. Raja — A18 or Accused 18, in the Coimbatore Blast case (Cr. No. 151/98) who was arrested on July 9 by the ATS — was not alone. Earlier that week, Tamil Nadu's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), in coordination with Andhra Pradesh Police, had arrested Abubacker Siddique, an alleged radicalised bomb-maker who vanished after orchestrating a deadly parcel bomb attack in 1995 that killed a Hindu Munnani leader's wife, and Mohammed Ali Mansoor, his associate, accused in the 1999 Chennai blasts. The arrests — part of 'Operation Aram' and 'Operation Agazhi' — have been hailed as the most significant breakthroughs since the formation of the ATS, 'the NIA of the state,' in November 2023. Powered by human intelligence, AI-enhanced sketches, and the hunches of field officers, the operations cracked cases gone cold for nearly three decades. The tailor and the mole Born Sadiq Ali but known widely as 'Tailor' Raja, he was once famous in South Ukkadam, Coimbatore, for stitching safari jeans — the flared, pocket-heavy trousers that were all the rage in Tamil Nadu through the 1990s. By 1996, however, his tailoring allegedly gave way to bloodier trades: petrol bombings, revenge killings, and finally, involvement in the Coimbatore blasts that targeted BJP leader L K Advani. After the attacks, Raja disappeared, allegedly wandering across Hubballi, Solapur, and Guntur, before settling down in Vijayapura under the false identity of Shahjahan Shaik — the name of his elder brother still living in Coimbatore. By then, Raja had allegedly severed contact with his first wife, remarried, and had children. They never knew who he was. While verdicts were delivered in the case between 2007 and 2008, Raja's split-up trial remains. What helped the ATS finally trace him was allegedly a black mole — a barely visible spot on an old photograph. 'We fed the photo into AI software to generate a probable aging sketch,' said a senior ATS officer. 'We showed it to a group of old tailors in Hubli. One of them remembered the mole. That cracked it open.' Armed with information that Raja allegedly left Hubli to live in Vijayapura, a historic town with at least 50 mosques, ATS officers went there and began chasing many faces before they traced him. They discreetly followed him for weeks, and once confident, they summoned him to the local police station on July 9. After a few questions, he allegedly confessed. Before leaving, he told his wife and children that he had to go to Coimbatore for an 'old case' and would be back in a few days. He was declared a proclaimed offender in 2022 for his 'role' in the 1996 murder of jail warder Boopalan, a retaliatory attack by Al-Ummah cadres against alleged harassment of Muslim inmates. Raja was also wanted in the Sayitha murder case in Nagore, where the wife of a newly converted Muslim was allegedly killed as her husband had opposed radical interpretations of Islam. In 1997, he was among the attackers who allegedly murdered jailor Jayaprakash in Madurai. The man who sent death in a parcel Abubacker Siddique was perhaps the most dangerous of the three. A quiet man from Tamil Nadu, he was allegedly radicalised by Imam Ali, the mastermind of the 1993 RSS office bombing in Chennai — the first major attack post-Babri Masjid. Siddique allegedly became skilled at assembling IEDs and parcel bombs. In 1995, he allegedly sent two such bombs — one to Hindu Munnani leader Muthukrishnan, which exploded and killed his wife, and another to BJP's Jagaveer Pandian, which was intercepted thanks to a vigilant postmaster. Siddique then allegedly fled to the UAE, returned briefly to Mumbai in 1998, and vanished again. By 1999, he had allegedly conspired in the Chennai police commissionerate and Victoria hospital bombings. Bombs were planted across 7 locations — 3 in Chennai, 1 each in Trichy and Coimbatore, and 2 in Kerala — between May 29 and 30, 1999, protesting the alleged mistreatment of Al-Ummah prisoners. Three exploded in Chennai. In 2011, he was allegedly part of a group plotting an assassination attempt on a top BJP leader — a plan that was foiled when Tamil Nadu police intercepted their team formation stage. Later, he was linked to the murder of Dr Arvind Reddy in 2012, along with Kitchen Buhari's group — a known offshoot of Bengaluru's 2013 Malleswaram blast accused. The top ATS officer who coordinated his arrest said Siddique lived in Rayachoti in Andhra Pradesh from 2002, selling used clothes on platforms, investing in small real estate deals, and running a petty shop. He allegedly married again in 2021. 'He would vanish once a month claiming he was visiting family in Tamil Nadu, but he'd be relaxing in Kerala or Bengaluru,' the officer said. 'We had 10 failed tip-offs over the last decade. The 11th one finally led us to him.' Using AI-based sketches and months of surveillance, the ATS located him. On June 30, he was summoned to a nearby station — where he allegedly gave himself up. He also allegedly gave up Mohammed Ali Mansoor, who was running a textile shop and was arrested from the same town, Rayachoti. Police found 2kg of ammonium nitrate, cotex wire, and metal bolts during the raid that followed. The Tamil Nadu ATS, created in response to the 2022 Coimbatore car bomb blast, operates with over 350 officers and state-wide jurisdiction, it focuses on old terror cases, sleeper cells, and absconders. In less than a year, the unit has cracked one of the longest-running terror hunts in southern India. DGP Shankar Jiwal said it was 'a professional, tireless effort' using both HUMINT (covert intelligence gathering) and TECHINT (using technical sources and methods). The identity of all three accused was confirmed within 24 hours of detention, he said. Chief Minister M K Stalin, in a post on X, hailed the arrests as 'a proud moment for Tamil Nadu Police' and thanked Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh Police for their cooperation.
