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IndiGo must apologise for Sofia-Tamilisai incident, says BJP youth leader

September 4, 2018, 5:29 am
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Controversy
28-year-old Sofia was arrested on Monday after shouting anti-BJP slogans at the party’s TN president Tamilisai on a flight to Thoothukudi.
TNM Staff
A BJP youth wing leader has demanded an apology from IndiGo airlines and asked the Civil Aviation Minister to take action against the airline for the incident on an IndiGo flight, where a student sloganeered at BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan. Vinoj P Selvam, President of Tamil Nadu’s Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, has written a letter to Civil Aviation Minister Suresh P Prabhu, condemning the incident and asking that action be taken against the airline for not stepping in. “After boarding the flight Ms Sophia saw Dr Tamilisai and started to shout inside the aircraft. Our leader, however, remained cool inside the flight, but politely asked her whether her in-flight behaviour was justified after both got down at Tuticorin airport. Ms Sophia, however with no question of remorse justified her behaviour and refused to apologise when the BJP supporters requested her to do the same,” Vinoj wrote in the letter, adding that Sofia had tweeted about her intentions to confront the BJP leader, prior to shouting the anti-BJP slogans at her, which he says was a “planned attempt to malign the party as well as our leader’s image.” My letter to Civil Aviation Minister @sureshpprabhu condemning yesterday's incident and have also requested immediate action against @IndiGo6E airlines and its crew for their negligence.@MoCA_GoI @DrTamilisaiBJP @BJP4India @BJP4TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/VWeyZxoggu— Vinoj P Selvam (@VinojBJP) September 4, 2018 He further went on to ask the Civil Aviation Minister to take action against the airline immediately for not stepping in when the student was shouting in the flight. On Monday morning, Tamilisai and a 28-year-old student, Lois Sofia, got into an argument after the latter shouted, “BJP’s fascist government down down,” before deboarding the plane. A video clip of Tamilisai confronting the student emerged a short while later. Sofia was arrested following a complaint lodged against her, and was remanded to 15 days of judicial custody. Sofia was taken to the Thoothukudi General Hospital on Monday evening after complaining of stomach pain, and was subsequently granted bail on Tuesday. TNM had contacted Tamilisai who justified her actions and alleged that Sofia’s actions and words were “suspicious” and that it didn’t seem like “an ordinary passenger’s behaviour.”
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'My daughter didn't want to apologise, it's her freedom of speech': Sofia's father to TNM

September 4, 2018, 5:36 am
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Controversy
Sofia’s father Dr Samy, who was on the plane, denies that his daughter shouted multiple times and raised her hands like Tamilisai had alleged.
Manasa Rao
Even as the clamour over the altercation between a Canada-based research scholar Sofia Lois and TN BJP President Tamilisai Soundararajan continues to dominate headlines, Sofia’s father, Dr Samy is still waiting on police action over his complaint against BJP cadre at the airport. Dr Samy, along with his wife and daughter, was travelling on a private airlines from Chennai to Thoothukudi on Monday- the same flight that Tamilisai was also travelling on. An eventless flight turned into a shocker for him when his daughter shouted at the TN BJP chief with the words, “BJP-yin fascist aatchi ozhiga”(Down with BJP’s fascist regime). “Tamilisai was sitting in the third row. We were sitting in the eighth row. She had to pass by us to deplane. When she was passing by, my daughter stood up and shouted ‘down with the fascist BJP government’. I didn’t expect that she would do that. Tamilisai turned and looked at my daughter and then walked out. She paid no heed to her. She couldn’t speak at that point. She should have either retorted to my daughter or gotten angry. She didn’t do either," Samy said. It was when the family walked out of the plane that things took a turn for the worse. Dr Samy says, “Tamilisai walked out, called all the BJP supporters waiting outside and gathered them. They began shouting at us and threatening us. They said, if you come out, we will hack you, we will kill you. They used some vulgar words as well. My daughter did not get scared by all that.” This is when the viral footage of Tamilisai advancing towards Sofia was reportedly shot. Tamilisai is heard asking, “When I am taking my bag, a customer shouts 'BJP’s Fascist government down, down'. Is that freedom of speech?” While a police woman tries to calm her down, saying that the student had spoken out of her ‘immaturity’, the BJP district cadre at the airport are seen shouting at the family. “The police took us to a separate room for our own safety. They told us if you apologise, we won’t make this a big issue. We will leave it. My daughter said, don’t we have freedom of speech? I have said my view, let her say hers. When my daughter refused to apologise, Tamilisai gave a written complaint,” he says. However, no action has been forthcoming from the Tamil Nadu police on a complaint that Dr Samy gave based on the threats he received from the BJP party cadre at the airport. He says, “Neither have they taken any action, nor have they given any promise of taking action. One group of cadres staged a dharna right at the airport stating that they would not get up until Sofia is arrested. Another 50 people mobbed us. They have only registered the complaint.” In addition to giving the complaint, Dr Samy alleged that Tamilisai had called TN Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan on the phone. He adds, “From 11: 30 am to 8: 30 pm, they kept my daughter at the police station under the pretext of an enquiry.” Accusing Tamilisai of using her political clout, Dr Samy says, “First they said, it was not a big offence. They just wanted two witness signatures at the police station for bail. Then after an hour they said we had to go to the magistrate for bail. When they took my daughter’s signature, they took it for bailable sections only. Then they went back and added non-bailable sections at the time of remanding her. However, my daughter quickly saw the copy and told the magistrate that she did not sign off on non-bailable sections. The magistrate herself said that the incident did not warrant non-bailable sections and so the police removed it.” Tamilisai had said that Sofia lifter her hands and raised slogans. Refuting this, Dr Samy says she simply shouted once. He also denies that any conversation took place between Sofia and Tamilisai on the way out. On her return to Chennai on Tuesday morning, the BJP chief addressed reporters and further said that the incident was a planned attack, citing a tweet from Sofia’s Twitter account which asked, “I am on a flight with Tamilisai Soundararajan and really want to shout down with Modi- BJP- RSS' fascist regime. Will I be kicked off the flight?” When asked about this, Dr Samy says, “We have never seen Tamilisai before this. If we had not happened to be on the same flight, this problem would never have happened.” Dr Samy fears that the pressure is on the authorities to take away Sofia’s passport. “On the one hand this has been extremely stressful and on the other hand, my daughter is studying in Canada. They are planning to block her passport. Isn’t that also a kind of violence?” he asks. Read: ‘I also have rights, privacy’: BJP’s Tamilisai stands by her complaint against Sofia  
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Divide over slogan-gate: BJP, ADMK support Tamilisai, politicians and Kollywood bat for Sofia

September 4, 2018, 7:35 am
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Controversy
Many celebrities have weighed in on the issue.
TNM Staff
Even as the slogan-gate between a Tamil Nadu student and the TN BJP President Tamilisai Soundararajan is playing out in the state, several leaders have taken sides on the issue. DMK President and Leader of the Opposition MK Stalin tweeted on Monday evening, “The anti-democratic actions of the Tamil Nadu government that is against the right to free speech are highly condemnable. She must be released immediately. If you would arrest everyone who says that, how many lakhs of people would you imprison? I will also say it. 'BJP's fascist government down, down'" கருத்துச் சுதந்திரத்தை நசுக்கும் விதத்தில்,தங்களின் பினாமி அதிமுக அரசு தமிழகத்தில் இருப்பதால் எவ்வித அராஜகங்களிலும் ஈடுபடலாம் என்ற தைரியத்தில் பாஜக செயல்படுவது கண்டிக்கத்தக்கது. உடனடியாக, மாணவி சோபியா மீதான வழக்கை திரும்பப் பெற்று,அவர் ஆராய்ச்சி படிப்பைத் தொடர அனுமதிக்க வேண்டும் — M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) September 4, 2018 He tweeted yet again on Tuesday Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Hassan also tweeted saying, “If sloganeering and criticizing in public places is a crime then politicians are criminals too. We are taking free bird Sophia on bail from prison. Why are politicians roaming free? I realise that I too am a politician when I say this.” பொது இடங்களில் குரல் எழுப்புவதும்,விமர்சிப்பதும் குற்றமெனில் அத்தனை அரசியல்வாதிகளும் கைது செய்யப் படவேண்டிய குற்றவாளிகளே. சுதந்திரப்பறவை சோபியாவை சிறையிலிருந்து பெயிலில் எடுக்கிறோம்.அரசியல்வாதிகள் ஏன் வெளியே திரிகிறார்கள்? நானும் அரசியல்வாதிதான் என்பதை உணர்ந்தே சொல்கிறேன். — Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) September 4, 2018 Tweeting a picture of Sofia, director Pa Ranjith wrote, "Voice of democracy" ஜனநாயகத்தின் குரல் #sophia #தமிழகஅரசே_விடுதலைசெய் #பாசிசபாஜக_ஆட்சிஓழிக pic.twitter.com/CgGFwT7dVH — pa.ranjith (@beemji) September 4, 2018 Stating that the BJP did not like to be 'called out', actor Prakash Raj also tweeted in support of Sofia. #sophia....didn’t you know that.....THEY can abuse...fake..create a lie and call everyone NAMES they choose...but they don’t like to be called by their NAME and addressed for what they ARE..... #justasking ... https://t.co/OIXNB9FC2k — Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) September 4, 2018 In an audio clip released by director Bharathiraja, he said, "When you are in public life, you should be able to accept anything magnanimously. Nobody is anyone's enemy. Differences of opinion. Everyone has freedom of speech in a democracy. Your co-passenger has gone to Canada for her livelihood. She had made both India and Canada proud. She must have been so bothered by the events that have happened in Thoothukudi. As a courageous Tamil woman, she had bravely spoken against Tamilisai. For your stature, you should have consoled her and explained to her. How uncivilised it is that you filed a complaint on a brave Tamil woman. I don’t think of you as Kumari Anandan’s daughter, we see you as someone else. If you don't  help her get released, history will not forgive you.” Addressing reporters on Tuesday, TN Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar came out in support of Tamilisai asking, "Just because there is Freedom of Expression, is it right of Sofiya to sloganeer inside the aircraft? Lot of people do this for publicity." Coming out in support of his party member, H Raja tweeted on Tuesday, “I highly condemn Sofia's sloganeering the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan. I also condemn MK Stalin for supporting such unruly acts.” விமானத்திலும் தூத்துக்குடி விமாறநிலையத்திலும் மாநிலத் தலைவி Dr.தமிழிசை , பாஜக, மற்றும் மாண்புமிகு பாரதப் பிரதமர் அவர்களுக்கு எதிராக கோஷமிட்ட ஸோஃபியா வின் செயல் வன்மையாக கண்டிக்கத்தக்கது. எல்லா அநாகரீக செயல்களையும் ஆதரிக்கும் திமுக தலைவர் ஸ்டாலினின் செயல் கண்டிக்கத்தக்கது — H Raja (@HRajaBJP) September 4, 2018
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Chennai police officer adopts 12-year-old boy whose mother was murdered

September 4, 2018, 8:53 pm
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Human Interest
Karthik’s mother was murdered three days ago and Assistant Commissioner Balamurugan was investigating the case.
TNM Staff
Twitter
In a heart-warming gesture, a policeman has come to the rescue of a 12-year-old boy who was orphaned after his mother was murdered three days ago, by choosing to adopt the boy as his own. Karthik, who studied in a school in Mylapore and would come home to stay with his mother Parimala during weekends. Parimala was killed by a neighbour three days ago after a local dispute. According to reports, after the murder took place, Assistant Commissioner of Police Balamurugan visited the spot and conducted inquiries about Parimala’s relatives. He was then informed that Parimala’s son was waiting in the police station and that he did not know that his mother had been killed. Balamurugan took it upon himself to break the news to the boy and consoled him that the police would offer all the possible assistance to him. However, the policeman was disturbed by the thoughts of Karthik’s future and hence had a discussion with his wife, Kala Rani about this. The next day, Balamurugan went to Karthik’s school in Mylapore to give an undertaking that he would be Karthik’s guardian henceforth and offered to pay for his educational expenses. He also took Karthik to his house, and made him spend a day with his family – Kala Rani and their two kids. Balamurugan told The Hindu that the motive behind doing this was to prevent the boy from going on the wrong path and indulge in revenge crime and to help him deal with the sorrow in a positive manner.  He also said that he has initiated the process of legally adopting Karthik as his own. Parimala, Karthik’s mother, was murdered by her neighbour’s son, Suryah three days ago. Parimala had a fight with Suryah’s mother Bhagyalakshmi earlier that day. Suryah, after learning about the fight, went to Parimala’s house in the night and stabbed her to death.
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Initial probe into corruption charges against EPS completed, DVAC tells Madras HC

September 4, 2018, 9:32 pm
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Corruption
The probe is based on a complaint filed by DMK’s RS Bharathi, alleging large-scale corruption by TN CM in awarding contracts for construction and maintenance of highways.
TNM Staff
PTI
The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) told the Madras High Court that the initial probe into allegations of corruption against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami has been completed. The probe was conducted after DMK’s Organising Secretary RS Bharathi filed a complaint alleging large-scale corruption in the contracts awarded for the construction and maintenance of highways. Edappadi Palaniswami held the portfolio of the highways department until his elevation as the Chief Minister in February 2017.  As per reports, S Venkatachalapathy, Superintendent of Police, Special Investigation Cell, DVAC has submitted the probe report to the Vigilance Director and Commissioner. The investigating officer also informed the court that the complaint was taken up for inquiry on June 22 and that further action would be taken according to the recommendations made by the DVAC. In his complaint filed in June, RS Bharathi had alleged irregularities in highway projects, including those overseen by the World Bank. The complaint stated that the Chief Minister awarded high value contracts – including the four-laning of the Oddanchatram-Dharapuram-Avinashipalayam state highway, the four laning of the Tirunelveli-Sengottai-Kollam state highway, the four laning of the Madurai Ring Road, six laning of the Vandalur-Walajabad road and the maintenance of all state highways in Ramanathapuram, Thiruvallur, Krishnagiri and Virudhunagar districts – to his relatives and benami companies. DMK’s complaint also names Chandrakanth Mahalingam, P Subramaniam, Nagarajan Seyyadurai and Sekar Reddy as the beneficiaries of the contracts. Chandrakanth Mahalingam is Edappadi Palaniswami’s son Mithun’s brother-in-law while P Subramaniam is Mithun’s father-in-law. The High Court had earlier rapped the DVAC for its inaction on the complaint and had said that under complaints under Prevention of Corruption Act, the probe is to be completed and the report must be submitted within two months from the date of lodging the complaint. The DVAC had the informed the court that the probe was going on and that it would submit the report at the earliest.
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Gutkha scam: CBI searches DGP Rajendran, Min Vijayabaskar, ex-top cop George’s houses

September 4, 2018, 10:12 pm
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Raids
Around 40 locations were searched in Chennai by the CBI in connection with the multi-crore gutkha scam.
TNM Staff
The CBI on Wednesday conducted raids in several locations in Chennai, including the houses of TN Director General of Police TK Rajendran, the ex-DGP S George, Health Minister C Vijayabaskar, former Milk and Dairy Development Minister BV Ramanaa, among others, in relation to the multi-crore gutkha scam. The raids reportedly started at 7.30 am in the morning. Nearly 35 places in Chennai, Thiruvallur, Thoothukudi, Pondicherry, Bengaluru Mumbai and Guntur were searched by the CBI. Rajendran’s house is located in Mogappair, while S George’s house is in Maduravoyal. Sources said that searches were also held in the houses of officers working in the Food Safety Department, Central Excise Department and the police. Jayam Industries too was searched by the CBI. The CBI said that they searched the residential premises of the promoters/directors of the company, officials of the sales tax department, Customs and Central Excise officials, Food Safety & Drug Administration Department officials and police officials. The raids come a year after the scam came to light. In April this year, the Madras High Court ordered that the CBI probe the case. The central investigation body took over the case from the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption.   The scam In July 8, 2017, raids were conducted at the godown, offices and residences of a pan masala and gutkha manufacturer in Tamil Nadu, who was facing charges of evading tax to the tune of Rs 250 crore. The manufacture, storage and sale of the carcinogenic chewable forms of tobacco, including gutkha and pan masala was banned by the state government in 2013. Seized during the raid was a diary containing names of those who were believed to have been paid off by the gutkha manufacturers– and one among them was allegedly the state's health minister. Later, documents showed that an amount of Rs 40 crore was allegedly paid to the Minister and several officials as quid pro quo for facilitating the sale of banned gutkha in Chennai. The letter, written by the Principal Director of Income Tax to the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, reportedly sought further investigation into the matter. The communication was made in May 2016 back but there was allegedly no action taken in the matter. Top cops and bureaucrats were named in connection to the scam. This included the state's Director General of Police TK Rajendran, former Chennai Police Commissioner S George, several officials in the department of Health and Food Safety and local councillors among others. The main allegation was the payoffs received by these individuals from gutkha baron Madhava Rao. The Income Tax department had told the Madras High Court that its report to the former Director General of Police Ashok Kumar on the gutkha scam was found during the raids conducted at Veda Nilayam in November last year. The letter reportedly detailed corruption involving the Health Minister, top police officers and others in the scam. According to the submission the letter was found in former CM Jayalalithaa’s Poes Garden residence, specifically in her aide VK Sasikala's rooms, leading to questions on how a confidential letter was in her possession.   Despite the ban of gutkha, the business has been thriving in Tamil Nadu. According to reports, around 30,000 traders sell these products in Chennai district alone. There are only 25 officers to monitor them and this includes officials who are allegedly paid a monthly bribe of Rs 35 lakhs by each company. Around 119 tonnes have reportedly been seized since 2013 in Chennai, but the quantity circulating in the market is predicted to be ten times that amount.
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Smirija, actor Siddharth Gopinath's wife, allegedly kills self in Chennai

September 4, 2018, 10:40 pm
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Death
A police official confirmed to TNM that an RDO enquiry is currently going on and more details are awaited.
TNM Staff
Facebook
Smirija, the wife of a budding Tamil actor Siddharth Gopinath, was found dead on Wednesday morning at her residence in Maduravoyal. Smirija allegedly killed herself late on Tuesday following a heated argument with her husband. The events leading to her suicide are yet unknown. Speaking to TNM, a police official from Maduravoyal station confirmed that RDO investigations are currently on and more details are awaited. An RDO enquiry is ordered whenever a woman dies under suspicious circumstances within seven years of marriage."RDO enquiry has been ordered. We don't have any details yet. Postmortem is yet to take place. We will know more in a couple of days. Since RDO enquiry is in progress, we cannot say much now," the officer said. He further added, "The husband had called the police in the morning to inform of his wife's suicide." Aspiring actor Siddharth Gopinath had appeared in the 2015 film Yagavarayinum Naa Kaakka starring Aadhi and Nikki Galrani. The film was directed by Sathya Prabhas Pinisetty and produced by Ravi Raja Pinisetty. The film was also released in Telugu. The film received a lukewarm response at the box office. In July this year, popular small screen actor Priyanka was found dead at her Valasaravakkam residence by her domestic worker. She had allegedly killed herself due to marital issues. If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. State health department suicide helpline number - 104 Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in TN) p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000; background-color: #ffffff} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.8px Arial; color: #222222; -webkit-text-stroke: #222222; background-color: #ffffff} p.p3 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 6.0px; font: 12.8px Arial; color: #222222; -webkit-text-stroke: #222222; background-color: #ffffff; min-height: 15.0px} p.p4 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.8px Arial; color: #500050; -webkit-text-stroke: #500050; background-color: #ffffff; min-height: 15.0px} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} span.s2 {font: 12.8px Arial; font-kerning: none; color: #222222; -webkit-text-stroke: 0px #222222} span.s3 {font: 12.8px Helvetica; font-kerning: none}   p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.8px Arial; color: #222222; -webkit-text-stroke: #222222; background-color: #ffffff} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.8px Arial; color: #222222; -webkit-text-stroke: #222222; background-color: #ffffff; min-height: 15.0px} p.p3 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.8px Arial; color: #1155cc; -webkit-text-stroke: #1155cc; background-color: #ffffff} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} span.s2 {text-decoration: underline ; font-kerning: none} p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000; background-color: #ffffff} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.8px Arial; color: #222222; -webkit-text-stroke: #222222; background-color: #ffffff} p.p3 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 6.0px; font: 12.8px Arial; color: #222222; -webkit-text-stroke: #222222; background-color: #ffffff; min-height: 15.0px} p.p4 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.8px Arial; color: #500050; -webkit-text-stroke: #500050; background-color: #ffffff; min-height: 15.0px} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} span.s2 {font: 12.8px Arial; font-kerning: none; color: #222222; -webkit-text-stroke: 0px #222222} span.s3 {font: 12.8px Helvetica; font-kerning: none}
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This TN woman started a school that is changing the lives of kids from nomadic tribes

September 4, 2018, 11:19 pm
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Education
The 2004 tsunami that devastated the lives and livelihood of several people in the state was the beginning of a journey for filmmaker and journalist R Revathi and her friends.
Anjana Shekar
Every now and then, we come across a teacher who goes beyond the call of duty for their students. 'Teachers Who Transform' is TNM's five-part series, honouring the teachers who go the extra mile to understand their students, their unique needs and difficulties, and provide them with education that goes beyond academics. This is the first story in the series.  “Give someone a fish and you’ll feed them for a day. Teach someone to fish and you’ve fed them for a lifetime.” This common, most simplest of sayings summarises the purpose of education in a nutshell. Teaching is a noble profession, one that involves immense patience, perseverance and kindness. While ‘education for all’ might be an idealistic, ambitious dream, the challenge lies in extending this circle to include children coming from all walks of life. Most often, engaging children from marginalised communities is a challenge that goes beyond just perseverance and kindness. It calls for a resolve stronger than the strongest of waves powerful enough to alter terrains. It was one such wave that has forever changed the lives of a few children in the Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu. The 2004 tsunami that devastated the lives and livelihood of several people in the coastal areas of the state was the beginning of a journey for filmmaker and journalist R Revathi and her group of friends. The story of Vaanavil The Vaanavil school was started in the year 2005 at Keezhakarayiruppu village in Nagapattinam. The story of how it all began can be traced to the 2004 tsunami. A curious Revathi, who was volunteering along with her friends in Nagapattinam, one of the most severely hit districts in Tamil Nadu, followed a child begging on the streets when food was available in surplus. “The child, Murugammal, led us to the 43 families of the Boomboom Maatukaara tribe who were being ostracised from receiving any kind of relief measures from the government or volunteers,” begins Revathi, adding, “The extent of hatred and discrimination they were facing was shocking.” This nomadic tribe was not considered to be a part of the fishing community in the district and hence ended up living outside the margins. Vaanavil, in that sense, was started specifically for children coming from this nomadic tribe. Today the school also has children from other tribes like Narikorava and Irula studying in it. It was, however, a huge decision for the community that always lives on the fringe to accept help, shares Revathi. “A child today can earn Rs 500 from begging, back then it was Rs 300. If you had three children you’d earn Rs 1000 – which was not an easy amount to forego for them. Therefore for the community to agree to support Vaanavil was a huge decision,” she explains. The school that was started with just a handful of kids today has 174 students. Murugammal, who was less than 10 years old when she led them on this journey, has now joined the team as a teacher, having completed her DTE (Diploma in Teacher Education) in 2015. Learning at Vaanavil A teacher stands near the blackboard in the sunlit classroom, acting out syllables like in charades. The children mimic her actions, joining syllables together to form the words – Man, Milk, Band are called out loudly in chorus. This guessing game is a way to help children learn spellings and phonetics better. On the ground floor is a Montessori classroom for children between ages two and six. Blocks are heaped one above the other to form tall towers, patterns are cut out from rolled out dough and colourful seeds are separated from a mix. With the help of the Ram Charan Trust, teachers at Vaanavil were trained in the Montessori way of learning only a few months ago. “They were kind enough to come here and train our teachers,” adds Revathi. Lessons too are taught using the most unique methods. The teachers choose an element for the term and all concepts in mathematics, science, history and so on are explained with the help of this element. For this term, the chosen element, water, was evident from the classroom walls – charts of colourful fishes doting the blue of the sea, algae swaying underwater, coral reefs in different shapes, etc. decorate the walls. Revathi adds that theme-based learning allows children to select how they want to learn. “We wanted to educate with an understanding of where the child is coming from. Vaanavil’s first investment was to buy four cycles and till today we take them to every single movie that releases in Nagapattinam.” But more than innovative methods used in teaching, it is through food that they hope to sustain the students’ interest, says Revathi. “When we first began Vaanavil the children were terribly malnourished. So is the case with everyone in such nomadic tribes. The pregnant women do not get nutritious food, they usually make fish curry and rice, and the children are born malnourished. Our biggest goal, therefore, was to make sure the children are well-fed,” she says. At Vaanavil, great care is taken to make sure children eat nutritious food and so this residential school that comes under the state’s Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan scheme provides all 174 children with three square meals a day. “We have been able to bring down malnourishment among children significantly and that has been our biggest success,” smiles Revathi. “At Vaanavil every decision is made in consultation with the children. The name in fact was decided by them. So is the case with the food. However, we make sure they get tasty and nutritious food. If they ask for pakoda, we make sure there’s something with ragi on the menu to make sure they get a balanced meal,” shares Revathi. Revathi, in fact, cooked and taught the children for the first four months after she started the school. “Later a woman from the community itself joined to help with the cooking. Our first teacher joined after six months of starting Vaanavil.” The relationship the children share with the school goes beyond classroom walls. Shalini, the school’s principal, shares that quite recently they had to run from pillar to post trying to secure Aadhar cards for the children. “They come from families that do not even have one identity card. You think they’ve got bank passbooks? It has been an arduous journey bouncing from one officer to another requesting for their help,” she says with a weak smile. The colours of Vaanavil With her hair plaited and folded in two with bright red ribbons, Gowri stands in front of her class to recite the lines she’s memorised as part of her Independence Day speech. “Honourable guests, respected teachers and my dear friends. Today we’re gathered here to celebrate our Independence Day. Independence Day is our national festival,” she says with a look of concentration before breaking into a shy grin. Gowri, who is a resident student at Vaanavil, shares that she travels home to Srivanjiyam (about 35 km from Vaanavil) during the weekends. “Sometimes if I talk to Amma over the phone, I stay back at the school itself,” she smiles. Gowri, we learn, is the daughter of Vaanavil’s oldest student Maari, who dropped out after a brief period. Evidently, the biggest challenge faced by Vaanavil is the dropout ratio. This, however, is quite understandable given the ways the children’s families survive. Most often, children begin selling plastic wares or begging which fetches the family good earnings. Therefore foregoing their earnings by letting their children study is a big decision which takes a big chunk out of their livelihood. As someone who dropped out of Vaanavil after Class 8, Saminathan has a story of ‘not-like-me’ to share with the present generation. “I was forced to work for the family after completing Class 8 because of our financial situation. I don’t blame my parents. Also, it was getting difficult for me to cope in the government school, so I relented,” says Saminathan. Working with a silk saree company today, Saminathan travels for hours in the searing sun to feed his family of four. He now understands the value of education. “Both my children, Dinesh and Harish, will continue their education. I have dreams for them, to become a doctor and engineer,” he says with a look of seriousness in his eyes. This is another aspect that has been a challenge at Vaanavil, says Shalini. “While we’ve had a good number of girl students staying resolute in their path, it is not the case with the boys. For them there’s always business that’ll fetch them more money. They also get married early in the community so dropping out of school after Class 8 is an easier option. While the dark consequences of early marriage and illiteracy has pushed the girls onward, it has had the opposite effect on the boys who don’t bear the brunt of it.” Vaanavil’s first graduate Lakshmi passed out in 2015 after completing her BA in Economics. After working with Vaanavil itself for about a year followed by a short stint with Samsung, she has decided to pursue her education further. Photos: Balaji Maheshwar While Vaanavil has 90 students studying from Class 1 to 5, the rest are sent to a government school in nearby Puducherry for higher education. The students are housed in Vaanavil itself and commute to their school or college. As the minivan enters through the gates in the evening, a bunch of older students scurry down from the vehicle to be greeted by the resident elementary school students. It is evident that some of these students are treated with respect and admiration by the younger ones. P Sudha is now in her final year of Engineering, studying in Thirukuvalai, a half-hour drive from Vaanavil, and is a source of great inspiration for many at the school. The school also has other aspiring stars. Dhanalakshmi is pursuing her BA History from ThiruViKa College in Thiruvarur. Two other students, Meena and Selvarani, are studying in two renowned colleges in Chennai – Loyola and College of Arts. A few boys too have weathered elementary school and entered high school for the first time in the 13 years of Vaanavil. “Don’t you want to know what we want to become?” Class 11 students Aarthi and Selvi pipe in as we are talking to Sudha, the enthusiasm in their eyes catching us off guard. “We’re going to become IPS officers,” says Aarthi, bursting into laughter along with Selvi. And with that we know Vaanavil will keep spreading its colours. Read the other stories in 'Teachers Who Transform' here: Ushakumari teacher rows a boat, treks kilometres to teach a tribal school in Kerala  
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DMK MLA and Gutkha scam petitioner J Anbazhagan says DGP TK Rajendran must quit

September 5, 2018, 1:06 am
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Gutkha Scam
It was on Anbazhagan's petition that the Madras High Court ordered a probe by the CBI into the scam.
IANS
DMK legislator J Anbazhagan on Wednesday demanded that Tamil Nadu's Director General of Police (DGP) TK Rajendran must quit, after the CBI raided his residence in connection with the gutkha scam. It was on Anbazhagan's petition that the Madras High Court ordered a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the scam. Anbazhagan said Rajendran was on extension. Top officials who are given an extension should have an unblemished service record. With Rajendran's residence being raided by the CBI, he should step down. "The probe seems to be proceeding on the right track under the CBI. Whether a case will be filed against the scamsters or not will have to be seen. If no case is filed, then we may have to approach the Madras High Court again," Anbazhagan told IANS. The case is related to an Income Tax Department raid in the offices, residences and godowns of a gutkha manufacturer in Tamil Nadu in 2016. A diary was then seized which listed alleged bribes paid to various officials amounting to about Rs 39.31 crore. The Tamil Nadu government has banned the manufacture and storage of gutkha -- a tobacco product -- since 2013. However, the product was reportedly available in the market with the alleged connivance of police officers and others. Several political parties had demanded a CBI probe into the issue but the AIADMK government did not agree. In June, the Enforcement Directorate registered a money laundering case against unnamed government officials in Tamil Nadu based on a first information report (FIR) registered by the CBI in May. Despite opposition from opposition parties, Rajendran was given a two-year extension in 2018.
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Alagiri's peace rally ends, pays respects to Karunanidhi

September 5, 2018, 2:14 am
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Politics
The rally by MK Alagiri, to mark 30 days since the passing of his father, DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, was also ostensibly a show of his strength before the party.
TNM Staff
Twitter/2_tamilan
MK Alagiri, son of DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, led a rally on Wednesday from Anna Salai to Karunanidhi Memorial on Marina Beach, to condole his father’s death. The former member of DMK had called his rally a ‘peace walk’. While media reports pegged the number of people who attended the rally between 3,000 and 5,000, Alagiri claimed that there were 1.5 lakh people in attendance. People with Alagiri masks in the rally. Image: Twitter/@Mugilan_C The rally was preceded by some drama when the DMK expelled Velachery area secretary, Ravi, for receiving Alagiri – who was expelled from the party in 2014 for indulging in anti-party activities – at the airport. After paying his respects to Karunanidhi at the memorial, Alagiri addressed the media, where, in response to a question from a reporter, he asked, "Will they (DMK led by Stalin) expel all 1.5 lakh people who participated in the rally?" “I express my thanks to all the people, Kalaignar’s true followers and my loyalists who participated in this peace rally organised to observe 30 days of my father’s, Thalaivar Kalaignar’s, passing.I also thank the police, who cooperated in conducting this rally. I also thank all the TV channels, newspapers and all the journalists who supported us. There is no reason for this rally expect to pay respects to Kalaignar,” he said. MK Alagiri, the former South Zone Organising Secretary, announced this rally as a show of strength in front of DMK. After Karunanidhi’s death on August 7, Alagiri met with reporters outside his father’s memorial in Marina and said that true followers of Karunanidhi are on his side. "I was expressing my anguish to my father. All the men loyal to Kalaignar are on my side,” he said. The former Union minister had also recently expressed his interest to join back in the party and accept the leadership of his brother Stalin, rubbishing allegations that his son, Dhayanidhi Alagiri, wanting a plum post in the party. He had also said that his decision on his next move would be taken after a meeting with his followers in Madurai.
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Ground report: Alagiri’s show of strength in Chennai fails to hit the mark

September 5, 2018, 3:12 am
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Politics
Alagiri’s peace rally in Chennai saw supporters from Madurai, Sivagangai and Thiruvannamalai in attendance. But it was still far short of the 1 lakh supporters that Alagiri had claimed to have.
Manasa Rao
Even as the scorching Chennai heat beat down on the congested Wallajah Road in the heart of Chennai, thousands of men and women sporting black and yellow descended outside the Triplicane Police Station. The crowds, from Madurai, Sivagangai and Thiruvannamalai districts in south Tamil Nadu had all gathered for MK Alagiri’s peace rally in the city to observe the one month of his father M Karunanidhi’s passing. Ever since five-time Chief Minister and DMK chief M Karunanidhi passed away, Alagiri, who was expelled from the party in 2014, has gone from issuing threats to making overtures to his younger brother MK Stalin in order to rejoin the DMK. Just a week earlier, with statements like “I will have to accept Stalin as leader if I want to rejoin the party”, Alagiri desperately wanted to get back in the fray. The meeting on Wednesday was touted to be his show of strength to his brother and the DMK’s newest President Stalin that the party cannot do without him. The former Madurai strongman turned up well over an hour late to his rally which was on its way to the Marina shortly before noon. With drum beats renting the humid air in the city, his supporters were waving around flags with the images of Alagiri and his son Dhayanidhi Alagiri. One supporter from Madurai, wearing a t-shirt with Alagiri’s image on the back and Karunanidhi’s outline on the back yells, “Katchiyin kavalan Azhagiri (Azhagiri, the guardian of the party). Speaking to TNM, Sheikh Ibrahim who has travelled to Chennai from Madurai for the rally says, “Stalin will take Alagiri back by the end of the year. Stalin is someone who thinks deeply. He will have to consider the consequences. We'll come back to power with the help of Alagiri. Alagiri is strong in Madurai but he is respected everywhere. The priority is to get him back to the party.” Reciting from a list of points, Kasi Viswanatham from Sivagangai says, “We are not asking for power or administration. We are not even asking for Arivalayam (the DMK headquarters). We are asking them to strengthen the party by uniting us. Without Alagiri winning people will be difficult. We are not blaming Thalapathy (Stalin) for anything. We suspect the intentions of those behind him.” Se Murugan, a former propaganda functionary from Sivagangai district declares, “Stalin cannot win without the support of Alagiri. If the party is a temple then Alagiri is the guardian of it.” The DMK as a whole has been accused of dynastic politics as the Karunanidhi clan is politically involved. With the active participation of Stalin’s younger son Udhayanidhi in political events, speculation over his role in the party has also been doing the rounds. Dhayanidhi Alagiri too has been actively commenting on the issue. When asked about his role, Alagiri's supporters say, “He is also a capable leader. He should be given a ticket to prove himself in the Parliament. He speaks well. He should sit in the Parliament one day.” While Alagiri was far short of the “minimum one lakh” persons in attendance, with only around 3000-5000 supporters at his rally on Wednesday, what is beyond doubt is that he continues to be a thorn in the side of a party that hopes to revamp itself ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.   
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Why Lois Sofia’s detractors must look closely at what aviation law states

September 5, 2018, 4:22 am
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Opinion
Lois Sofia was on Monday arrested from Thoothukudi airport for shouting 'Fascist BJP down down' at Tamil Nadu BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan.
Saurav Datta
After the news of the arrest of Lois Sofia broke out, a lot of commentators have taken to social media to denounce her for her conduct. Such was the hounding that Lois was constrained to go off Twitter for the sake of her and her family’s security and sanity. Taking the lead among the vociferous detractors because of his reputation and influential position, Shekhar Gupta, Editor-in-Chief of news and opinion website The Print, tweeted: “Intrigued by a student shouting protest slogans on a plane/in security zone at a fellow passenger becoming a ‘freedom-of-speech’ issue. Global aviation conduct rules post-9/11 are stiff & this is a serious offence world over. This is criminal behaviour, I’m afraid.” The facts Contrary to the popular belief in some media circles that facts should not be allowed to get in the way of a good story, it is incumbent to let bring the facts to the forefront, because a person’s liberty and life are at stake here. Point to be noted: the fracas did not take place while the aircraft was in the air. Lois shouted the slogan while the plane had landed and the passengers were deboarding, as is borne out by what her father Dr Samy, a retired medical practitioner, told TNM – after they landed at the tarmac, they were surrounded  and heckled by Tamil Nadu BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan’s supporters, some of whom even uttered death threats.   Nobody from the aircraft’s crew has lodged any complaint till date. The law The venerable Mr Gupta and many others on Twitter have shown remarkable alacrity in condemning Lois’ conduct as “criminal behaviour” and argued that the entire incident is not a freedom of speech issue. But a close scrutiny at the law and the issue of legality will show how hollow their loud claims are. The “law” which some of Lois’s detractors are citing is an 8 September 2017 memorandum issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) specifying a new Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) regarding the handling of unruly and disruptive passengers. Issued under the Aircraft Rules, 1937, and framed in pursuance of the Indian Aircraft Act, 1934, the CAR acknowledges that unruly behaviour of any sort, on board an aircraft or during embarkation and disembarkation, interferes with the performance of crew members’ duties. It also notes that such disruptive behaviour jeopardises the safety of the aircraft, the persons on board and, most importantly, affects good order and discipline on a plane. First, the critical issue – whether this memorandum has the force of law. In paragraph 1.3, it says that unruly behaviour on board an aircraft is a criminal offence and is punishable by law. But, it is only the legislature – that is, Parliament – which can specify particular acts as crimes, and not the executive, as is the case here. There is no provision in the criminal laws or any judgement of the apex court which says that unruly behaviour on board an aircraft is a criminal offence, as a noted Madras High Court lawyer, wishing to remain anonymous, told TNM. The definitions  of “unruly behaviour” and a disruptive passenger”” under the CAR are very wide and also somewhat vague to include any passenger who disturbs “good order” and “discipline.” These terms haven’t been defined in the proposed requirements but include inter-alia individuals who illegally consume narcotics or cigarettes while on board, individuals who refuse to comply with safety instructions, any passenger who verbally or physically confronts a crew members or other passengers or threatens them which could affect the safety of the crew, other passengers and aircraft or any individual who sexually abuses or harasses a member of the crew or another passenger. As things stand, Lois had not subjected Tamilisai to personal abuse - she had only raised slogans against the ruling BJP. Thus, it is clear that she in no way harassed or threatened a fellow passenger. More importantly, as legal scholar Gautam Bhatia has written, a rule which is too expansive and vague for interpretation is unconstitutional, as the Supreme Court of India has been ruling over the years. This is specifically true for rules and statutes which impose restrictions on the freedom of expression. Sanjay Hegde, a senior advocate in the Supreme Court, said that these twin issues – the DGCA’s lack of power to define certain actions as crimes and the vagueness of the rules – makes it abundantly clear that Lois has committed no crime in so far as conduct in an aircraft is concerned. As for the issue of her slogan, Hegde quipped, “In Communist Russia, a man was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for calling Nikita Kruschev an idiot. The police booked him for revealing a state secret.” He, too, was later given bail. Note: Views expressed in this piece are the author's own.
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Conspiracy by political enemies, scam-tainted TN Min claims after IT raids

September 5, 2018, 7:54 am
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Scam
Tamil Nadu Health Minister Vijayabaskar was raided by the CBI on Wednesday.
TNM Staff
Hours after the CBI conducted raids at his home and properties across the state, Tamil Nadu Health Minister Vijayabaskar has hit out at 'political enemies' for orchestrating a scandal. In a statement to the media, the Minister said, "Amma's government banned gutkha and paan masala on May 23, 2013. Since then the government has been trying to implement the ban in the most stringent ways. I have not met Madhav Rao, related to gutkha and paan masala directly or indirectly. People are trying to defame me and trying to get me out of politics due to enmity by filing false cases against me." Denying the accusations levelled against him, the Minister said, "Even now I am telling, I am not guilty and hence I am not scared. I humbly assure you all that I will face this accusation legally and politically and will overcome it." Stating that he was cooperating with the authorities, he added, "In the above case based on a complaint filed by DMK, the Madras HC transferred it to CBI. As a law abiding citizen, I am ready to cooperate to lead the case to its natural conclusion.""As a testimony to the Tamil saying 'only the fruit bearing trees get hit by stones', it is very common for a person like me, who has worked for the betterment of our state by making the state Health Dept one of the best in the country, to be accused of such things by political enemies. Just because one is accused, he does not become a criminal. Whenever similar setbacks happened in my political life, I have always overcome those and continued to thrive in politics and serve the people," he said. On Wednesday, the CBI also conducted raids at the properties of TN Director General of Police TK Rajendran, ex-DGP S George, and former Milk and Dairy Development Minister BV Ramanaa, among others.  Background  In April last year, Vijayabaskar’s residence in Chennai and several other properties belonging to him and his relatives across Tamil Nadu were raided by the Income Tax Department. With the raids coming ahead of the RK Nagar bye-elections, which were originally scheduled for April last year, the ruling AIADMK had called it political vendetta. In July 8, 2017, raids were conducted at the godown, offices and residences of a pan masala and gutkha manufacturer in Tamil Nadu, who was facing charges of evading tax to the tune of Rs 250 crore. The manufacture, storage and sale of the carcinogenic chewable forms of tobacco, including gutkha and pan masala had been banned by the state government in 2013. However, IT officials later told TNM that the raids on Vijayabaskar were in connection with the gutkha scam and his alleged links with mining baron Sekhar Reddy. A source in the IT Department had told TNM that the Health Minister’s name figures in a diary seized by sleuths during raids on a gutkha manufacturer. “Since he was the Health Minister, they had to keep him in good books. While the exact amount he received on a yearly basis is not certain, it can be said with confidence that he was being paid for his cooperation for this unlawful activity," the IT official had told TNM last year.
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Parts of Chennai to face 7-hour power cut on Friday: List of affected areas

September 5, 2018, 8:34 pm
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Power Supply
TANGEDCO announced that power will be restored before the scheduled time if the maintenance works are completed early.
TNM Staff
Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) has announced power cuts in some parts of Chennai on Friday, September 7. Power will be shut down from 9 am to 4 pm for maintenance work. However, if the works are completed before 4 pm, the power supply will be restored immediately.  Here is the list of areas that will face a power cut on Friday: Kodungaiyur  Muthamizh Nagar 1st, 5th and 6th block (part), Muthamizh Nagar 8th Block, RD Apartment. Vyasarpadi  Srinivasa Nagar, Nataraj Nagar, Kilban Nagar, VS Mani Nagar and 2nd Gate, Adinath Nagar, CMDA Madhavaram, part of Erattai Earikarai, Secretary Conoly, Ramlakshmi Mahal. Madhavaram  Part of Meenambal Salai, Part of TH Road, 1st to 3rd Block KKD Nagar, Abirami Avenue 1st to 17th Street, RR Nagar, Padmavathy Street, Balakrishnan Street, Saravanan Street, Perumal Street, TVK Link Road. Velachery  Part of 100 feet Bypass Road, Sakthi Vijayalakshmi Nagar, Astalakshmi Nagar, Gangai Nagar, Nethaji Colony, Brindavan Nagar Extension, part of Andal Nagar, Krishnaraja Nagar. Shastri Nagar (Valmiki Nagar) 1st and 3rd Seaward Road, Balakrishna Road, Jayaram Nagar, Kuppam Beach Road, Raja Srinivasa Nagar Main road, Rajagopalan Street, Teachers Colony 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th st, Vembuli Amman Koil Street. Kottivakkam New Beach Road Streets: 51, 52, 58, 59, 64, 65, 61, 62, 56, 70, 71, 54, 53, 39 to 44, 3rd Street, 48, 47, 3, 7, 8th Main Road, 11th Street, 1, 2nd Street, Kurinji Flat, RTO office, Bhagat Singh Salai, Shivani Flat, Kurinji Extension. Adyar  LB Road, 1st Parameshwari Nagar and Extension, 2nd, 4th Parameshwari Nagar, 1st and 2nd Street Padmanabha Nagar, 1st Avenue Shastri Nagar. Alwarthirunagar Valasaravakkam, Alwarthirunagar, Virugambakkam, Part of – Arcot Road, Mettukuppam. Pammal Pammal, Anna Salai, Nehru Nagar, Anakaputhur, Kamarajapuram, Nagalkeni part, Periyar Nagar, Gandhi Nagar, Pozhichalur, Shankar Nagar, Cowl Bazaar. Indira Nagar Sardar Patel Road one part, Srinivasa Moorthy Avenue, Krishnamachary Avenue, LB road one part, Thiruvengadam st, Kanniyamma lane, Anna avenue, 1 st cross st Kasturibai nagar, 2, 3rd Kasturibai nagar, Bakthavatchalam st 1 to 5th st one part. Palavakkam  Jeevarathinam nagar, Sankarapuram, Palavakkam kuppam, Seashell avenue, Chaithanya avenue, Chari avenue. Perungudi Part of OM road (Perungudi), Church main road, CBI colony main road, MGR road, Apollo hospitals, Amara Building. Kandanchavadi  CBI colony 1st to 4th Main Road, Laxman Road, MGR Road, Anna Nedunjsalai, Kulkarai st, part of OM road (Kandanchavadi). VSI Estate Nehru nagar 1st main road, 2nd link st, part of OM (Kandanchavadi, Kottivakkam Nehru nagar).
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Govt order on rules for Ganesh Chathurthi not violative of rights, says Madras HC

September 5, 2018, 8:50 pm
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Ganesh Chathurthi
The Madras High Court dismissed the plea to quash the government order giving guidelines on installation and immersion of idols.
TNM Staff
The Madras High Court has held that a government order that lays down rules for the installation and immersion of Ganesha idols on Ganesh Chathurthi is not violative of constitutional rights. According to a report in the Times of India, a bench of Justices S Manikumar and P Subramanion Prasad said, "The condition conforms to the object to maintain public safety, control pollution and fire accidents. At any stretch of imagination, it cannot be termed violative of constitutional rights." According to the newspaper, on the immersion of idols, the Bench held that that the condition of immersing idols within five days of installing them cannot be breached. According to the Deccan Chronicle, the petition moved by Sudalaiyandi stated that the state government had issued untenable regulations to celebrate Vinayaka Chaturthi in Tamil Nadu that ignored the fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 25 and 26 of the Constitution. He says in his petition, "The guidelines issued in a GO dated August 9, 2018 infringes religious feelings because of the period of celebration has been fixed according to ‘Panchanga Thithi’ and to some almonic signs." The Madras High Court then dismissed the plea to quash the government order. On Tuesday, the government expressed its desire to have a single-window system to process applications for the installation and procession of Ganesha idols. According to one report in the TOI, Tamil Nadu Advocate General Vijay Narayan reportedly told the Court, "In cities, the respective jurisdictional assistant commissioner of police will receive the applications and in rural areas, it will be the jurisdictional deputy superintendent of police." The Tamil Nadu government has laid down several rules for the installation of Ganesha idols. In August last year, the government banned the use of Plaster of Paris, stating that idols should only be made of pure clay. According to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, the idols are to be painted using non- toxic, water-soluble paints.  
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TN Gutkha scam: CBI arrests five persons a day after raids

September 6, 2018, 2:34 am
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Gutkha scam
The arrests come a day after the investigating agency raided the premises of TN Health minister C Vijayabasker and DGP TK Rajendran in connection with the Gutkha scam.
TNM Staff
PTI
The CBI, on Thursday, arrested five persons in connection with the Tamil Nadu gutkha scam. Promoters of Jayam Industries AV Madhavrao, Uma Shankar Gupta and Srinivas Rao, Dr Senthil Murugan of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and NK Pandian, Superintendent in the Central Excise Department were the ones were arrested by the CBI officers. The accused have been remanded to judicial custody till September 20.  The arrests come a day after the investigating agency conducted extensive raids in around 35 locations -- including Chennai, Thoothukudi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Guntur -- on Wednesday. Among those who were raided were the sitting TN Director General of Police (DGP) TK Rajendran, the ex-DGP S George, Health Minister C Vijayabasker, former Milk and Dairy Development Minister BV Ramanaa. The raids which began at 7.30 am on Wednesday lasted till evening. Premises of the promoters of Jayam Industries -- Madhavrao, Uma Shankar Gupta and Srinivas Rao -- were also raided by the CBI on Wednesday. Jayam Industries was involved in the manufacture of gutkha before it was banned by the Government of Tamil Nadu in May 2013. Following the ban on gutkha, the company allegedly changed its name to Annamalai Industries and continued its business by bribing the concerned officials. Many officials from the sales tax department, FSSAI, police and the Department of Central Excise and Customs were accused of having received a bribe in the case. In May, the Madras High Court transferred the case to CBI based on a plea filed by the DMK and an FIR was registered by the agency in the same month. The issue came to limelight following Income Tax raids conducted on July 8, 2017 at the godown, offices and residences of a pan masala and gutkha manufacturer in Tamil Nadu, who was facing charges of evading tax to the tune of Rs 250 crore. This resulted in IT sleuths finding a diary. The diary allegedly had the names of those who were believed to have been paid off by the gutkha manufacturers– and among them allegedly featured the state's health minister. Later, documents showed that an amount of Rs 40 crore was allegedly paid to the Minister and several officials as quid pro quo for facilitating the sale of banned gutkha in Chennai.
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Chennai child rape case: Goondas Act slapped on 17 accused

September 6, 2018, 2:36 am
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Crime
In 2011, the Madras High Court held that a single case was enough to detain a person under the Goondas Act.
TNM Staff
Over a month after horrifying news broke of the alleged rape of a 11-year-old child in Chennai, the Tamil Nadu police have slapped the 17 accused in the case under the Goondas Act. Chennai Police Commissioner AK Vishwanath confirmed to TNM that the men, who have thus far been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, have also been charged under the Goondas Act. The Tamil Nadu Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, Drug Offenders, Forest Offenders, Goondas, Immoral Traffic Offenders, Slum Grabbers and Video Pirates Act, 1982 or simple the Goondas Act defines a goonda as “a member of or leader of a gang, habitually commits, or attempts to commit or abets the commission of offences.” Under the Goondas Act, a person may be detained without bail for a period that may extend up to one year. In 2011, the Madras High Court held that a single case was enough to detain a person under the Goondas Act. On July 17, news came to light that Priya*, a 11-year-old child residing with her parents at an apartment complex in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, was allegedly sexually assaulted, raped and threatened by service staff in the building over a period of seven months. The men- security guards, plumbers, water delivery men and gardeners- were all reportedly employees of FOCUS and UK Facility Services, a private security firm in the city. On July 27, a mahila court in the city granted the police department custody of the 17 men for a period of five days to conduct an interrogation. Investigating officers had earlier told TNM that they had a watertight case against the 17 accused. According to a complaint by the parents, the girl was being raped and sexually assaulted for over six months and was too traumatised to tell her parents. It was only last month, when the survivor's sister came home for a holiday, that the child confided in her. In August, N Ramesh, a former magistrate was appointed by the Tamil Nadu government as Special Public Prosecutor in the case.
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Rajinikanth invites home Vijay, man whose wife murdered their kids

September 6, 2018, 4:13 am
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Abirami, the mother, allegedly poisoned the children in a bid to elope with her boyfriend.
TNM Staff
The murder of two young children by their mother who wished to elope with her boyfriend has shocked the city of Chennai. On Wednesday, actor Rajinikanth called Vijay, the grieving father of the two children, and consoled him. Vijay’s wife Abirami had fled after poisoning the children, in a bid to elope with her boyfriend. Rajinikanth, after hearing of the incident, called Vijay to his house in Poes Garden and spent time with him, consoling him for the loss. Abirami and her husband Vijay lived in a rented house in Moondramkattalai near Kundrathur. They got married 8 years ago and had two children, aged 7 and 4. On Friday, Vijay, who is an employee in a private bank, came home late at night. On seeing the house locked, he tried calling his wife, but her phone was switched off. He then reportedly broke open the door to see the children on the bed, frothing from their mouths, and the wife missing. Calling an ambulance immediately, Vijay took his children to the hospital where they were pronounced dead by the doctors. Their bodies were then sent to the Government General Hospital, Chromepet for autopsy. The Kundrathur police then registered a case based on a complaint filed by Vijay and formed special teams to trace Abirami. Meanwhile, the police took the boyfriend Sundaram into custody for questioning. Sundaram worked in a biryani shop near Abirami’s house. Preliminary inquiries with Sundaram revealed that he and Abirami had an extramarital affair and were planning to leave the city. He told the police that Abirami allegedly killed the kids to come and live with him.  Abirami, who was absconding, was nabbed from Kanyakumari on Monday. According to reports, she discarded her SIM card and had borrowed a traffic constable’s phone to call Sundaram and inform him of her whereabouts. However, this is not the first time that actor Rajinikanth has met with a fan going through a hard time. Previously, Kasi Viswanathan, a fan who was returning home after taking part in the Kaala audio launch, met with an accident. He lost his leg in the accident. Rajinikanth announced that he would bear Kasi Viswanathan’s treatment expenses and had also called him to his house to spend time with him.
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Chennai's Pallavaram to face 7-hour power shut down on Saturday: TANGEDCO

September 6, 2018, 8:14 pm
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TANGEDCO announced that power will be restored before the scheduled time if the maintenance works are completed early.
TNM Staff
Pixabay
Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) has announced power cuts in some parts of Chennai on September 8. Power will be shut down from 9 am to 4 pm for maintenance work. However, if the works are completed before 4 pm, the power supply will be restored immediately by TANGEDCO. Here is the list of areas that will face power cut on Saturday: Pallavaram Area Perumal Nagar, Arul Murugan Nagar, RK Avenue, English Electric Nagar, ARG Nagar, 200 feet road, Thendral Nagar, Srinivasapuram, Vinayaga Nagar, Lakshmipuram, Muthamizh Nagar, Kumarasamy street, Thiruneermalai main road (part), Siva Sankaran Nagar, Medavakkam Main road, Rose Nagar, Self Help industries, part of 200 radial road, Bhoopathi Nagar, Balamurugan Nagar, Manikandan Nagar, Veermani Nagar, Perfect park, Sondarajan Nagar, Namangalam, part of Kovilambakkam.
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‘Enthiran’ copyright case: Final hearing in Madras HC on September 28

September 6, 2018, 9:20 pm
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The case is based on a 2010 complaint filed by author Tamil Nadan who claimed that the movie is based on his story on Robot, which was published in 1996.
TNM Staff
Days after the Madras High Court imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on director Shankar for not appearing for a hearing on a criminal suit related to copyright of his movie Enthiran, the court posted the case for a final hearing on September 28. According to reports, Aarur Tamil Nadan, an author, the petitioner in the case, filed a suit in the court in 2010 claiming that it was based in his novel published and registered in the year 1996. The case was against director Shankar, Kalanithi Maran, the Managing Director of Sun Pictures Limited, and Sun Pictures Limited. In his petition, Tamil Nadan stated that he wrote a story on a robot – Jugiba, which was first published in a Tamil magazine named ‘Iniya Udayam’ in April 1996. Later in 2007, it was published as a novel, Thik Thik Theepika. The storyline was registered on January 1, 1997, and protected under the provisions of Copyright Act. The petitioner then went on to say that he was shocked to note that the movie Enthiran was copied from his story and has sought damages to the tune of Rs 1 crore from Shankar, Kalanithi Maran and Sun Pictures. The matter came up for hearing on Thursday and the petitioner informed the court that the criminal suit was pending for eight years and prayed for a speedy redressal by ordering damages to the tune of Rs 1 crore. Justice Nirmal Kumar posted the case for its final hearing on September 28. On September 3, the Madras HC had imposed a fine on director Shankar for failing to appear in person on a civil suit related to the same movie. Enthiran, starring Rajinikanth, Aishwarya Rai, Danny Denzongpa and many others, was released simultaneously in three languages – Tamil, Hindi and Telugu – in 2010 and enjoyed box office success. It was the most expensive Indian movie to be made at that point in time with an estimated budget of Rs 1.6 billion.
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