Tamil Nadu

Bizarre

In 2017, Suresh left his house in Villupuram for work and did not return, after which his wife Jayapradha had filed a police complaint.

TNM Staff

The Madras High Court had recently ordered the state government to prohibit the download of TikTok and then lifted teh ban shortly. Though the state government had many reasons to ban it, the app for short-form mobile videos has come to the aid of at least one woman in Tamil Nadu whose husband had abandoned her three years ago. She was able to find him on TikTok. The incident happened in Villupuram, Tamil Nadu. Jayapradha and Suresh were married and had two children. In 2017, Suresh, a native of Krishnagiri, left home for work and did not return. Jayapradha inquired with Suresh’s friends and relatives and when she did not get any leads, she went on to file a police complaint. Though an FIR was registered, listing Suresh as a ‘missing person’, there was no development in the case as per reports. Recently, one of Jayapradha’s relatives stumbled upon a video on TikTok, in which she recognised a man looking very similar to Suresh, along with a trans woman, his friend. Sceptical about this, the relative immediately alerted Jayapradha and showed her the video, after which she confirmed that the man was indeed her husband. She rushed to the Villupuram police station and alerted the officials, who then traced Suresh to Hosur with the help of a trans persons association in Villupuram. He had been living with his mother in Hosur after disappearing from Villupuram, police told TNM. On questioning, it was revealed that Suresh left home since he was not happy with some developments in the family. He had fled to Hosur and had settled down as a mechanic in a tractor company. The police counselled the couple and have sent them home. "We asked him whether he wanted to go back to his wife and kids. He agreed. Therefore, we sent the couple back," the policeman said. TikTok ban in Tamil Nadu A few months ago, the Madras High Court had ordered a ban on TikTok, citing concerns of child safety. Before this, Tamil Nadu’s MLA Thamimun Ansari had also sought a ban on the app due to prominence of obscene content, to which the state government had agreed to enforce a ban. However, in reality, politicians were also upset about the number of videos on the app mocking them. On April 24, Madras HC lifted the ban on further downloads of TikTok.

Body 2:

Environment

To many poets, as is evident from many poems – whether Sangam literature or Silappadhikaram – water was as personal as it was political or social.

Kavitha Muralidharan

File photo/PTI

Tamil Nadu is in on the streets looking for water, and experts blame it on poor management of water resources by the people and the government. The past, however, holds a remarkably different tale. Thousands of years ago, Tamils were endowed with distinctly rare and exemplary knowledge in water management. Ancient Tamil literature speaks eloquently about Tamils’ knowledge in judicious use of water. History is awash with evidences. Kings have built tanks and lakes to store water, some of which continue to exist and serve till date, well beyond a thousand years. Water, to them, was sacred. Munneer Vizhavu (the festival of three waters) is a celebration of water in the Sangam era. Experts say the three waters are those that create the soil, nourish, and erode it. The idea, experts say, was to preserve water bodies from being polluted. Ancient Tamil literature had different terms to connote different types of water. Munneer refers to the sea – a convergence of water from rains, river and spring. The term also refers to its antiquity, implying that the sea was formed before the lands. Water from river was called Nanneer (good water) and water used for drinking purposes was called Inneer (sweet water). That Tamil literature mentions 47 water bodies is an endorsement of the prescient wisdom of Tamils on harvesting water. The names hold evidences to the keen interest the kings and commoners took in harvesting water. While some names continue to be in existence as names of water bodies, several other names have been relinquished to the pages of history and literature. Some have assumed different connotations. So Agazhi (moats) around forts of the kings no longer exist. Kuttai (now referring to sewage water) was originally a water body intended to bathe cattle. Ooruni was a source of drinking water. Eri (lakes) were used for agricultural purposes. Thangal also refers to lakes and was a term predominantly used in the northern part of Tamil Nadu. But today, residential places that have suffixes like Eri or Thangal (Velachery/Iyappanthangal for instance), are as starved as the rest of the city. Writer and CPI(M) MP from Tamil Nadu Su Venkatesan says there was a rather philosophical understanding of the importance of water in the past, the evidence for which can be found in Sangam literature. “Sangam believes a person’s character is shaped by water and soil. Life centered around water. The kings built villages around water bodies. They would first construct a well, and houses were built around the well. Water holds an important place in almost all the rituals from birth to death.” Senai Thottu Vaithal, a ritual that has changed forms today with changing times, was originally intended to feed the village’s water for a baby as soon as it is born. Today, the ritual is done with honey and ghee, sometimes smeared on gold. When a woman gets married and shifts to her husband’s place, one of the first post-wedding rituals is to worship the water source. “She has to throw a betel leaf into the well, and has to pray to the well to accept her as its daughter,” Venkatesan says. When a woman passes away, water is brought from her birthplace to wash her before the funeral. Almost every celebrated author in ancient Tamil literature has spoken about the importance of water, if not directly, by drawing comparison to human virtues. In simple yet profoundly striking language, Avvaiyar illustrates how if the ridge is prosperous, it leads to better level of water and consequently better produce, and better standards of living of the citizens. And in turn, it leads to prosperity of the scepter and the king: வரப்புயர நீருயரும் நீருயர நெல்லுயரும் நெல்லுயரக் குடியுயரும் குடியுயரக் கோலுயரும் கோலுயரக் கோனுயர்வான் Thiruvalluvar perhaps recorded the universal truth in his remarkably brilliant words – Neer Indri Amaiyathu Ulagu. There is no world without water. The couplet goes on to say how there will be a collapse of morality if the rains fail. Interestingly studies linking climate change to increase crimes have begun to emerge in the recent months. நீர்இன்று அமையாது உலகெனின் யார்யார்க்கும் வான்இன்று அமையாது ஒழுக்கு Akanaanuru from Sangam is introspective, yet the songs are informed by a very sensitive concern for nature and environment. A song in Akanaanuru mentions how a mother would sacrifice on her sleep to protect her newborn, just like a man appointed to keep guard at the lakes. பெருங்குளக் காவலன் போல அருங்கடி அன்னையும் துயில் மறந்தனளே The earliest of Tamil literature, Tolkaapiyam, draws comparison between a warrior marching to take on a mighty army, and the dams that stop the force of flowing water. In doing so, the song elaborates on the importance of dams (karsirai as they were called in those days). வருவிசை புனலைக் கற்சிறை போல ஒருவன் தாங்கிய பெருமையானும் Several poems speak virtuously of kings who focus on water bodies. Some in Puranaanuru (Sangam poetry, but extrospective) illustrate the points to be considered in the construction of lakes. Some hail as immortal the king who has built water bodies in low-lying areas. Celebrated as one among the five great epics, Silappadhikaram by Ilango Adigal speaks of the king who makes his country fertile by harvesting the rain water through construction of lakes and tanks, and puts them to good use. இடியுடைப் பெருமழை எய்தா ஏகப் பிழையாவிளையுள் பெருவளம் சுரப்ப மழைபிணித்(து) ஆண்ட மன்னவன் To many poets, as is evident from many poems, water was as personal as it was political or social. It was as important to protect and nurture a waterbody like a newborn, as it was to feel proud about it, like a warrior taking on a mighty army. This cherished, celebrated bond between human beings and nature was lost when Bhakthi literature took over, says Venkatesan. “In Bhakthi, it was replaced by god. For the next thousand years, there was hardly any mention about nature in Tamil literature.” The price of which we seem to be paying now. “Today, it is not about nature. We have failed in understanding nature and using the resources as judiciously as it was done in the past. Our rulers today seem to have no idea of the concept of water management. They should take lessons from Sangam,” he adds. Kavitha Muralidharan is a journalist with two decades of experience, writing on politics, culture, literature and cinema.

Body 2:

Accident

The spark from the AC blew up its compressor, engulfing their bedroom with smoke and fire.

TNM Staff

Image for representation

Days after a journalist, his wife and mother asphyxiated to death after their fridge burst, a couple suffered burns after their air conditioner burst in Chennai. According to reports, Prakash Menon (55) and Bindhu (48) lived in an apartment in Shakti Nagar, Porur with their two sons. On Tuesday around 12.30am, a spark in their bedroom AC blew up the compressor and filled the room with smoke even as their sons were sleeping in the room next to theirs. The couple was stuck inside their bedroom as smoke had engulfed the room. Their neighbours who heard the blast rushed to help the couple. As the neighbours were struggling to open the doors of the house, a police patrol vehicle also reached the spot and helped rescue the couple. The police also summoned fire engines from Virugambakkam fire station and brought the situation under control. The couple was rushed to the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital for treatment. While Bindhu suffered 40% burns on her body, Prakash’s condition was better with lesser burns. The two sons escaped unhurt as they were both in another room while the incident happened. This incident comes days after Prasanna, a TV journalist, his wife and mother were suffocated to death in their house near Tambaram as the fire which started in their fridge spread to flammable plastic in the house. The noxious fumes asphyxiated the family to death as they had kept their windows closed due to the AC in their room. According to primary investigation, the fire started in the fridge due to high voltage and then spread to other parts of the house, consuming plastic materials. Their bodies were recovered from the living room of their house by the police who then alerted Prasanna’s employer, NewsJ.

Body 2:

Protests

"Last year's dues from the government are still pending and if we shut shop, two crore people in the state will be affected," says A Krishnamoorthy, State coordinator of Save Cooperative.

Priyanka Thirumurthy

On Wednesday, as State Cooperatives Minister Sellur Raju takes centre-stage in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, owners of over 20,000 fair price shops run by Cooperatives across Tamil Nadu will be keenly watching his speech. These men and women have not received a second instalment of funding from the government for the subsidised supplies they are selling to the public, and multiple petitions to the State have yielded no result."We are supposed to get Rs.840 crore for subsidies from the state. And if the Minister doesn't announce that we will get our pending dues, we will all go on strike," says A Krishnamoorthy, State coordinator of Save Cooperative, an organisation working for betterment of Cooperatives. "Last year's dues from the government are still pending and if we shut shop, two crore people in the state will be affected," he adds. This warning comes merely days after the government managed to control a strike by the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) employees who alleged that they had not received their salaries for June. According to the Cooperatives Union, over Rs 1,600 crore has been allocated in the budget for the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation and Cooperative societies that run fair price shops. While the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation runs 1,455 shops, Registrar of Cooperative Societies have 32,827 shops under their control. Meanwhile, other Cooperatives and Women or self-help groups run 411 shops."In August 2018, we had talks with the government and they promised to look into the matter. They formed a committee and we were told a decision will be made in January," says Krishnamoorthy. "But the government then said that elections are approaching and that they will take a call after elections. We met the Minister again on June 29. And we have only got assurances," he adds. With the subsidy money unreleased, shop owners are unable to pay salaries to employees and rents for the shop."We have bought the goods for full prices and submitted subsidy claim petitions but we have not received the final amount," says Krishnamoorthi. "The government is telling us to take loans but how will we afford to pay interest," he asks. Employees in these shops meanwhile are struggling to meet their basic needs as their salaries become irregular."We get our salaries only once in two months now," says 49-year-old Sivakumar, who works at a fair price shop on Mount Road. "Everything has become a struggle - educating my children, paying the house rent and supporting my family. We have no choice but to protest if the situation is not rectified," he adds. But Minister Sellur Raju remains unperturbed by the threats of protest."We usually give it as two instalments. We have given one but the other is pending," he says. "We never give it immediately. The government has to finish auditing all these shops and we can only give after this. We will give them an advance till the amount is released," he adds. When pushed for a date of release, the minister says that he cannot give one as of now. And what if they protest?"They won't protest," he says, confidently.

Body 2:

CWC 2019

The dislike towards Manjrekar has in fact led Indian cricket fans to start a Change.org petition to sack him from the World Cup panel.

TNM Staff

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is nearing its most exciting phase, with the knockouts happening in a few days’ time. While Indian cricket fans have largely differed in their opinions about the team composition in each match and the performances of their favourite stars, they are all seemingly united when it comes to commentary – and their discontentment against former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar. The united dislike against the former national cricketer was acknowledged by Star Sports Tamil on Tuesday as India was playing against Bangladesh. RJ Balaji, one of the Tamil commentators for the channel took a dig at Sanjay Manjrekar during the 25th over of the Bangladesh innings. Mentioning that the number of subscribers for Star Sports Tamil has increased substantially since the Cricket World Cup started, Balaji said that it was only due to Sanjay Manjrekar. “.. Suddenly I get a bundle of cash at my house… (Sadagopan) Ramesh and Nani (Sathyanarayanan) sir also got it, it seems. The reason that we were told was that there is a substantial increase in the number of Star sports viewers, especially in Tamil. It is all because of (Sanjay) Manjrekar. Thank you so much,” he joked. Continuing his onslaught against Sanjay, Balaji went on to add that the reason why he is able to financially afford a new blazer, watch and other accessories was because of Manjrekar’s commentary. “It is because of your commentary that people switched to watch Tamil commentary. If Star Sports Tamil subscription is higher in Gujarat, it is because of you, Manjrekar. Thank you so much…,” he added with a wide smile on his face. Marana kalaai of #sanjaymanjrekar by @RJ_Balaji ! Says even people in Gujarat have tuned into star sports Tamil because of the commentary of Manjrekar. Owes him his new found wealth including his watch , coat and suit. pic.twitter.com/8oCYQAAqXu — God (@KadavulinTweet) July 3, 2019 Sanjay Manjrekar’s commentary has been at the receiving end of severe criticism from fans due to his obvious favouritism towards some players in the squad and his derision towards some others. This dislike came to the fore on Sunday, during India’s match against England when he expressed doubts over MS Dhoni’s batting skills. His tweets after the match, again casting doubts over MS Dhoni’s intent and batting, made things worse. Fans even started a Change.org petition to get ICC to remove Manjrekar from the panel of commentators. However, Tamil commentary in Star Sports has not been free from criticism either. Kris Srikkanth, one of Star Sports Tamil's commentators were criticised by the audience last week, for certain disrespectful comments about players.

Body 2:

Supreme Court

According to reports, judgments of the Supreme Court will be available in six Indian languages by the end of July.

TNM Staff

PTI

Hours after news of the Supreme Court of India reproducing its judgements in six Indian languages made headlines, leaders from Tamil Nadu have urged the inclusion of Tamil to the list of languages. On Wednesday, the Hindustan Times reported that the apex court's judgement, thus far written and uploaded onto its website in English, will be available in six regional languages beginning late July. The judgements will be available in Assamese, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Odia and Telugu. The newspaper reported that Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi had approved an indigenous software to be used for the purpose. However, the idea behind the move is credited to President Ram Nath Kovind. Speaking at the valedictory function of the diamond jubilee celebrations of the High Court of Kerala in October 2017, President Kovind had proposed the idea for High Courts, in order to make justice understandable and to reduce the litigant’s dependence on their lawyer. “High Courts deliver judgements in English, but we are a country of diverse languages. The litigant may not be conversant with English and the finer points of the judgement may escape him or her. The litigating parties will thus be dependent on the lawyer or another person to translate the judgement. This can add to time and cost,” he had said, adding, “Perhaps a system could be evolved whereby certified translated copies of judgments are made available by the Honourable High Courts in the local or regional language. This could happen in a period of say 24 or 36 hours after the judgement is pronounced. The language could be Malayalam in the Honourable Kerala High Court or Hindi in the Honourable Patna High Court, as the case may be.” On Wednesday, Villupuram MP and VCK General Secretary D Ravikumar wrote to Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for Law and Justice, urging the inclusion of Tamil to the list of languages into which the English verdicts would be translated. “It is learnt that on the suggestion of Honourable President of India, the Supreme Court is going to publish its judgements in regional languages too. I wholeheartedly welcome this decision. Five regional languages- Hindi, Assamese, Odia, Telugu and Kannada- were already selected for this purpose. I humbly request you to take steps to include Tamil in the above list of regional languages.” he wrote. Leader of the Opposition in Tamil Nadu and DMK chief MK Stalin tweeted, “DMK welcomes the proposal to publish judgments of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in regional languages but is disappointed to note that Tamil is not one of them. I request the Hon'ble Chief Justice of India to include Tamil and pave way for multilingual equality.” DMK welcomes the proposal to publish judgments of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in regional languages but is disappointed to note that Tamil is not one of them. I request the Hon'ble Chief Justice of India to include Tamil and pave way for multilingual equality.— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) July 3, 2019 While the English judgements will be uploaded on the website the same day, it is reported that the translated copies will be made available within a week. The newspaper reports that the six languages were chosen "on the basis of the number of requests coming to the top court from various states." The exercise is to be repeated in the second phase, it said.

Body 2:

Environment

TN Minister CVe Shanmugam said that the state will not give green signal for the project even if the Centre has granted the requisite permissions.

Priyanka Thirumurthy

File image: Protests at Neduvasal in 2017/ Nityanand Jayaraman

Tamil Nadu Law Minister CVe Shanmugam announced in the State Assembly on Wednesday that permission will not be given for hydrocarbon exploration projects in the state. Stating the government's stand, the Minister said that the state will not give green signal for the project even if the Centre has granted the requisite permissions. The assurance from the state government comes a day after the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas granted permission to ONGC and Indian Oil to set up hydrocarbon wells in three blocks in Tamil Nadu. As per the Open Acreage licensing policy, a total of 14 blocks have been awarded across India in three rounds of bidding and three of them are in Tamil Nadu. These contracts were awarded in the second and third rounds of bidding. The second block which has been awarded to Indian Oil Corporation is 454 sq km long and will have 4 wells. These will be in Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam covering villages - Madapuram, Tiruppundi, Karaiapattinam and Karuppanpulam. In the third round, two blocks were awarded to ONGC – one extending from Nagapattinam and Karaikal and the other other in Ramanthapuram district. While the former will be 479 sq km, the second will 1141 sq km. There will be 11 wells in the first block and 5 in the other. These will be in areas including Kollidam, Thiruthonipuram, Kali, Anandatadavapuram, Tirukkadaiyur, Rettaikudi, Tenangudi and Karaikal. The concerns regarding these wells include – maintenance and method of exploration. Leakages of pipelines as seen in Kathiramangal near Kumbakonam, led to contamination of ground water in the area and caused massive protests in the region. While ONGC which was responsible for the pipeline attempted to play down the affects of the leak, they failed to convince the public. The other reason for protests against the wells, date back to 2015, when the Central Government brought a new exploratory policy which granted companies a single license to extract any fuel found and didn’t specify on conventional exploration methods. “In the conventional method, they use a borewell to remove any natural gas, oil or methane found. Here the fuel has openings through which it comes closer to the surface,” says Sethuraman V, Tamil Nadu Science Forums. “The unconventional method used is fracking. This is the process of injecting liquid at very high pressure into the ground so as to force open existing fissures and extract oil or gas. This is done to remove shale gas from the ground when there are no openings for it to rise up,” he adds. With fracking comes a list of concerns including – contamination of ground water, salinity intrusion and introduction of chemicals into the soil. “The process requires 15 crore litres of water. Where will that come from?” asks Sethuraman. “In addition to this, creating fissures in the ground and injecting chemical could ruin existing ground water supply,” he adds. In the face of protests, the state government has maintained that it has not granted permission for more exploratory wells. "We will not give permission for any projects that harm the environment, including hydrocarbon exploration. Even if the Centre allows, they still need the consent of the state government. Despite the Centre's requests, the state has not agreed to the hydrocarbon project," said Minister CVe Shanmugam in the Assembly on Wednesday. Meanwhile, in the Lok Sabha, DMK MP TR Baalu told the Lower House that farmers in the Delta region are 'suffering for the past three years' due to wells that have been dug for hydrocarbon exploration. In contrast, he pointed out, these wells only yield 0.6 per cent of the total production of 32 million tonnes in India. He specifically used protests in Neduvasal and Kathiramangalam to support his argument."We cannot understand why the government is taking up these projects without any application of mind. There is no socio-economic rate of return and there is no financial rate of return. Then how can they go on indulging in this activity of extraction?" he asked Petroleum Minsiter Dharmendra Pradhan. "In 341 areas, drilling is going. We are all agriculturalists. How can we allow this sort of unruly and unlawful act of the government of India?" he questioned. In turn, the Petroleum Minister acknowledged that there were concerns and apprehensions from a section of farmers in Tamil Nadu. He then invited senior leaders from Tamil Nadu for a discussion.

Body 2:

Sex work

The event also discussed the multiple factors that contribute to the entry of women, men and trans persons into sex work.

Manasa Rao

Image for representation

Have you ever thought about sex workers and immediately felt bad for their "plight" and pitied the circumstances through which they were "forced" into this work? Well, don’t— unless you know more. More precisely, whether they are voluntary sex workers or not. That’s the message a group of sex workers from Tamil Nadu wished to convey on Monday as they came together for an event organised by the South India AIDS Action Programme in Chennai. The panel discussion, which was preceded by a lecture from Dr Shyamala Nataraj, the Executive Director of the advocacy group, dealt with a number of issues under the title ‘Sex work is work: Re-thinking labour, consent and agency.’ Chief among the issues affecting sex workers is the fact that the Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018 does not take into account voluntary sex work and treats all sex workers as trafficked persons. “This is problematic. Usually, nobody plans to be a sex worker when they are growing up just as they don't plan to be a domestic worker or a shop factory worker. A number of factors lead them to doing that work— whether it is poverty, unemployment or sexual harassment in other job areas. However, for voluntary sex workers, their work is just as bad or good as any other job. With their clients, there is consent and they exercise agency,” explained Dr Shyamala. The panel discussion that followed featured sex workers from different districts in the state aligned to the Vadamalar Federation, which advocates on issues pertaining to human rights, and laws that influence the life and livelihoods of sex workers. “Upper caste and upper class people are opposed to sex work as work because they want sex to be free. When there is money involved and we dictate the price, we are also determining our rights. This does not sit well with them. If I work as a domestic worker or a construction worker, I will be forced to sleep with the man of the house or the contractor for free. But here, we decide whom we want to take on as client and how much we want to charge for the service,” explained one woman sex worker who spoke at the event. One male sex worker recounted his hellish experience when after college, he worked at an accounting firm and was bullied for "behaving like a woman". “They said I was effeminate and bullied me. I was sexually harassed. I am educated and entered the work force but this is how I was treated for being gay. Just like you choose what you want to eat, as a sex worker, I choose who I want to be with,” he pointed out. “Sex work for me was a tool for elevation. As soon as they come out, most trans persons are sent away from their homes. And even if we are disowned, we are expected to support our struggling families. I had to educate myself and support my family. I was able to do all this through sex work. It is my body and the rights over it are mine too,” said a trans woman sex worker. However, the sex workers did address the perils that led them to the profession and those that continue to haunt them. “I started off as a labourer doing construction work. I was forced to sleep with the mason every day. I was frustrated. I had a family to take care of, I had to educate my son and daughter and support my ailing husband. So, I decided to enter sex work. Today, my kids are educated and my grandchildren study in English medium schools. As long as I am healthy, I wish to do this work,” one sex worker from southern Tamil Nadu said. The sex workers also spoke about police brutality and violence from toxic men that continues to affect their lives and livelihood. They said that many police officers often force them to have sex, threatening to arrest them if they didn’t, thereby perpetrating violence upon them. Violence also comes from men who approach them as clients and then begin acting as though the sex workers are their property. “Gradually, we’ve learned to overcome this and know ways to handle it, but it definitely still happens. Police would force to have sex with them at the police station and when we are produced before the magistrate the following day, we will be told to keep quiet. We don’t anymore. We tell the judge in open court that we were abused.” said one woman sex worker. Dr Shyamala added, “Police is the instrument of the state’s abolitionist approach to sex work. They will have monthly and weekly targets to meet. This is organised violence by the state.” The conversation also veered towards the changing nature of the industry. “You may think that we go and stand on the streets and wait to be picked up. This is not the case now. The age of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Digital India’ is here. We don’t have to go to the streets, it’s all done on apps. You should check it out,” quipped one sex worker, leaving the audience in splits.

Body 2:

Politics

Sources from DMK confirm that the party will be making its formal announcement on Thursday via a release.

TNM Staff

Facebook/Udhayanidhi Stalin

Udhayanidhi Stalin’s appointment as DMK’s youth wing state secretary, a post held by his father Stalin from his early days in politics, may not come as a total surprise to many. Sources from DMK confirm that the party will be making its formal announcement on Thursday via a release. According to reports, a function or meeting to mark the same is not in the offing. Less than a month ago it was revealed based on sources from the party that close to 40 District Secretaries from the state have written to Arivalayam, expressing their support for Stalin's son. If appointed, Udhayanidhi would become the third youth wing secretary of the party. The party, in the past too, has hinted that Udhayanidhi will be elevated to take up the youth wing state secretary post. DMK leader K Anbazhagan, a close confidante of Karunanidhi, had confidently said, "The reins of the Dravidian movement has always been in safe hands - from Periyar to Anna to Kalaignar and now to Stalin and in the future to his son." The Youth wing secretary post is quite an important posting in DMK. According to senior journalist TN Gopalan, the post was created in 1985 with the sole purpose to make Stalin the Secretary and gradually bring him into the party's hierarchy. Stalin had stepped down as Secretary of the Youth Wing, a position he had held for 34 years until 2017. Former Minister and three-time MLA Vellakkoil MP Saminathan replaced him. Even until three years ago, Stalin was opposed to the idea of Udhayanidhi joining politics. In 2016, MK Stalin was quoted by Vikatan as saying, “Neither will my son, nor will my son-in-law join politics. For that matter, I can assure that no one from my family will be joining politics.” However, things changed in the last two years, with Udhayanidhi even becoming one of the main campaigners for the DMK during the 2019 elections.

Body 2:

Crime

While an auto rickshaw driver immolated himself in front of the cops, another youth died under mysterious circumstances where his mother alleges assault by the police.

TNM Staff

WikimediaCommons/Tshrinivasan/Image for Representation

Two unrelated incidents of death in Kancheepuram created unrest in the temple town on Wednesday. According to reports, locals have alleged police high-handedness in both cases while the police have denied any role in both incidents. In the first incident, an auto rickshaw driver identified as 35-year-old Kumar immolated himself around 1 pm when the police stopped his vehicle at the barricades placed around the temple. The incident took place when the police stopped his vehicle at a check post in Karukupettai, between Wallajahbad and Kancheepuram. While traffic arrangements for heavy vehicles have been made in Kancheepuram on account of Athi Varadar festival, local vehicles and auto rickshaw movement was not restricted inside the town. An argument is said to have ensued between the police officer and Kumar, after which the latter was enraged enough to take the extreme step. While the police deny verbal abuse or other extreme behaviour, there is no clarity on what led to the incident. Reports, however, add that eyewitnesses saw an argument break out between the two parties after which Kumar returned with a can of petrol and immolated himself in front of the police. Kumar succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. Police are investigating the case and looking into CCTV footage to establish the chain of events. In another incident, 20-year-old Sakthi Akash, a third-year college student from Rajamundry, was rushed to the hospital from Devarajaswamy temple in Kancheepuram for breathlessness. According to The Hindu, while his mother claimed he was assaulted by a woman sub-inspector for clicking pictures inside the temple, senior police officers have said that Sakthi Akash died of a heart attack. The incident took place inside the temple when a priest reported Sai Akash for clicking pictures of the idol, to a woman sub-inspector who was on duty. While Sai Akash’s mother has alleged that her son fainted after being assaulted by the police, the police state that no such assault took place. According to the Times of India, a case of unnatural death has been registered and the district superintendent of police Santhosh Hadimani has said that police personnel on duty at the temple were being questioned about the incident.

Body 2:

Human Interest

“The problem is not them. The problem is a broken society...This broken society must be rebuilt,” Dr Ramesh says.

Megha Kaveri

June 24, Monday, started off like any other day for Dr Ramesh, who lives with his family in Kanuvai in Coimbatore. Until it wasn't. His world changed forever with a single phone call that informed him about his wife’s death in a terrible road accident. Ramesh remembers leaving his work midway and running to the spot. The image of Dr Ramesh, in a pale orange shirt, sitting in the middle of a road with swollen eyes besides the body of his wife, soon went viral in Tamil Nadu. The bike that hit his wife Shobana’s scooter was ridden by men under the influence of alcohol. Dr Ramesh, along with hundreds of men, women and children from the nearby tribal villages, sat on the road demanding justice for Shobana. The road roko caused a traffic blockage on the road which connects Attapadi in Kerala with Coimbatore city, forcing district administration officers to come in person and meet the crowd. The TASMAC outlet, from where the men had started off with their bike, was closed the next day as per the RDO’s promise. Days after her death, Dr Ramesh and his young daughter Sadhana, who was injured in the accident, are trying to come to terms with a life that Shobana is no longer a part of. However, the father says – and his daughter agrees – that they have no animosity towards the men who were driving the bike on that fateful day. “The problem is not them,” Dr Ramesh tells TNM, “The problem is a broken society which is becoming almost incapable of giving any morals to the people. This broken society must be rebuilt.” A doctor who chose to work in tribal hamlets Dr R Ramesh is a medical doctor by profession and an enthusiast of sociology, anthropology, history, literature, and nature. Soon after his graduation from Madurai University in 1989, he set up a small clinic at his house in Kambam, Theni district, and then left to Idukki district in Kerala to serve people from the tribal hamlets. “I used to go to tribal villages by choice to serve as a doctor there,” he says. Though he served as a doctor, his search for his cultural roots brought him to Chinna Thadagam valley in Coimbatore district. “I was roaming in that region studying the place and its features with a friend when I reached the Attapadi valley. It is a lovely place sandwiched between Vellingiri hills and the Nilgiris. The day I reached here, I told my good friend who had accompanied me to this place that I am settling here,” he reminisces and says that he didn’t know anyone there but just relocated to Anaikatti, which lies around five kilometres from the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border. Meeting Shobana, and living with nature Two years after Dr Ramesh moved to Jambukandi in Anaikatti, he met his wife to-be, Shobana. “At first sight, I thought I had met my partner,” he recalls fondly, and adds that theirs was a simple wedding in the presence of his mother and a camera. “It was just us and our love and affection. It was a small ceremony and then we announced it to everybody that we were married,” he adds. The couple were blessed with a daughter, Sadhana Devi, soon after, and the family of three spent their time traveling and documenting nature. “We three – my wife, my daughter and I – have visited several caves and other spots to study and document the place, the flora and fauna etc,” he says, adding that before his wife died, they we were working on a project to study the Noyyal river, from its origin in Velliangiri mountains to the point where it joins Cauvery. “Simply put, we were living like the thalaivan and thalaivi (hero and heroine of Tamil literature), close to nature, as envisaged in ancient Tamil literature,” he says. The accident On June 24, Shobana and Sadhana Devi were on their way back to Kanuvai after paying rental advance for a new house they had planned to move in. The duo were traveling by scooter, and as they neared Jambukandi pirivu, the scooter was hit by two men on a speeding bike coming in the opposite direction. Thrown away from the scooter on impact, Shobana died on the spot while Sadhana suffered injury to her leg. “The impact was so heavy that my wife’s neck was twisted in the process as the helmet gave way to the forces,” Dr Ramesh chokes as he recollects the incidents of that evening. Dr Ramesh says that accidents are common on that stretch of the road, more so since there was a TASMAC outlet – a government-run liquor store – right on the side of the road. The people of this area have protested many times and made the officials shut that TASMAC down. But within a few days, it is reopened using clandestine methods. Even if the shop is closed, there are parallel networks here to distribute liquor for higher prices,” he alleges. Dr Ramesh blames the government and the society for this social evil. “The society is totally broken. People these days are moving away from their roots. It is such boys who killed my wife,” he says. Life after Shobana Dr Ramesh prefers to call the road roko a reflection and not a protest. “That was not a protest. A protest is a conscious activity. What happened that day was a reflection after seeing my wife dead,” he says. It was only after RDO’s intervention things returned to normal on that stretch. “After RDO went, I pled with the villagers to accept my wife as their daughter and asked them if she can be buried in their land. They wholeheartedly agreed and she became the angel of the forest, the place where Chinnathambi used to live,” he laments. The path forward, in his words, is one of no animosities. “My daughter said this to me two days ago when I told her that her mother was no more,” he says and reaffirms that he harbours no ill-feelings towards the men who killed his wife.

Body 2:

NEET

While the highest rank in Madras Medical college is 81, students with rank 916 onwards have been allotted Stanley Medical College, Chennai.

TNM Staff

Wikipedia/VtTN

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) released the MBBS allotment results after the first round of counselling for All India Quota (AIQ) seats in government medical colleges and institutions deemed to be universities across India. In the first list of allotment, 14,464 students have been allotted MBBS and BDS seats in government colleges and other AIQ institutions across the country. According to existing rules, 15% of the seats in state government medical colleges, institutions deemed to be universities, central universities, and ESI and Armed Forces Medical Colleges across India except Jammu and Kashmir, are surrendered for admitting students under the AIQ. The counselling to these seats is conducted in two rounds directly by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) of the DGHS. The seats that are vacant after two rounds of counselling will be transferred to the respective state quotas, which will be filled by the respective State Health Departments. Students who are qualified for AIQ based on their rank in the NEET-UG exam conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) will be eligible for taking part in the AIQ counselling. A total of 14,464 seats have been allotted so far in the AIQ, of which students who have upto rank 81 in the general quota have been allotted government medical colleges in Tamil Nadu. Students who have secured below rank 81 in the general quota have been allotted Madras Medical College, Chennai, and students who have secured below rank 916 in the general quota have been allotted Stanley Medical College, Chennai. Government Kilpauk Medical College, Chennai has been allotted students below rank 2177 in the general quota. The general quota ranks for seats under AIQ in Coimbatore Medical College starts from 1584 and for Madurai Medical College starts from 2999. First round of counselling was held between June 19 and June 27, and the final results were published on July 2. The results were briefly withdrawn on Monday, hours after they were published, only to be republished with necessary changes. The second round of counselling for AIQ seats will begin on July 9 and is expected to go on till July 12.

Body 2:

Lok Sabha 2019

The polls to Vellore parliamentary constituency was rescinded a few days before the scheduled polling date.

TNM Staff

The elections to the Vellore Lok Sabha seat, which was rescinded in April, will take place on August 5. The Election Commission of India made the announcement on Thursday. According to a press release issued by the ECI, Vellore will go to polls on August 5 and the votes will be counted on August 9. The filing of nominations for Vellore parliamentary constituency will end on July 18. The elections to Vellore Lok Sabha seat, which was supposed to happen in the second phase of 2019-General elections on April 18, was rescinded at the last moment. Multiple reports-- from the Director General of Income Tax (Investigation), the Election Commission and other authorities-- on the search and seizure in a cement godown in Vellore ultimately had led to polls being cancelled. The move brought Tamil Nadu into national notoriety for the polls to the parliamentary constituency became the first in the country to be cancelled on account of cash-for-votes. On April 14, the Election Commission of India wrote to President Ram Nath Kovind, requesting the rescission of the election notification to conduct the Vellore Lok Sabha polls. The Election Commission's final order stated, “The elections have been vitiated on account of unlawful activities of certain candidates and some members/workers of the political party and in the Commission's considered opinion, allowing the current electoral process to proceed and conducting the poll in the said constituency on 18th April 2019, as scheduled, in such a vitiated atmosphere would severely jeopardize the conduct of free and fair election in said constituency." Earlier in March, a search and seizure had taken place at the home of DMK Treasurer Duraimurugan. The senior DMK leader’s son Kathir Anand was announced as the party’s candidate for the Lok Sabha elections. According to a gazette notification that detailed the decision-making process, a report from the Nodal Officer of Election Expenditure Monitoring of the Income Tax Department revealed that Rs 19.57 lakh had been recovered from the residence, of which Rs 10.57 lakh was unaccounted for. Printouts with ward numbers and amounts written against them were also found, said the report. It recorded findings that set aside 'Rs. 500 per vote and at Rs. 200 per vote for distribution to 100%, 80% and 60% of the total number of voters.' The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) will be in place in Vellore till the polls end. Also Read: How the RBI helped confirm cash for votes in Lok Sabha polls to Vellore

Body 2:

Human interest

"Bravo actually introduced himself to me as someone who plays a 'little' cricket," says Arunachalam.

Priyanka Thirumurthy

Social entrepreneur Arunachalam Muruganantham, who is now more fondly referred to as 'Padman' had a surprise in store on Wednesday. Several youngsters at his locality, were gathered outside his residence in Coimbatore and seemed eager to catch a glimpse of a guest who had arrived. And while Arunachalam was aware that his secretary had scheduled an appointment with a 'foreigner', little did he know that the man standing at his doorstep was Trinidad cricketer and Chennai Super Kings star - Dwayne Bravo. "I know Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar," laughs Arunachalam. "Bravo actually introduced himself to me as someone who plays a 'little' cricket!" he adds. But initial introductions quickly melted away into a serious discussion about lack of awareness on menstrual hygiene in the Caribbean Islands."When he was here for the India Premier League in February, he happened to come across the Oscar winning documentary 'Period. End of Sentence'," says Arunachalam. The documentary is based on the lives of women in Hapur, a village in Uttar Pradesh, where Arunachalam's low-cost sanitary pad machine was installed."That is when he decided to schedule a meeting with me," he adds. At the entrepreneur's residence, Bravo spent over two hours learning how the pads are manufactured and even invited Arunachalam to the Caribbean for a demonstration."Bravo made two sanitary pads himself and was impressed by the technique. I in fact told him that he could become an icon of menstrual hygiene himself," says Arunachalam. "He is interested in helping women in the Caribbean with this technology and his presence as a sports star, is bound to create more awareness on the subject," he adds. Arunachalam points out that the presence of sports personalities will take such awareness even to young men who are not otherwise clued to matters of female menstrual hygiene."I hope this is the beginning of a long line of stars who want to create awareness on this issue," he says, “This entire episode also shows the power of visual medium. What would have taken me 20 years to achieve in terms of awareness, film and documentaries manage in one screening”

Body 2:

Politics

Though both Udhayanidhi and Nikhil have been appointed as head of youth wing, many wonder how advantageous this move will be.

Priyanka Thirumurthy

Theja Ram

Dynasty politics is not new to politics in India and certainly not to the regional or sub-regional parties. On Thursday, Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumarasway was appointed as the President of the Karnataka Yuva Janata Dal. Parallelly in Tamil Nadu, DMK Chief MK Stalin’s son Udayanidhi Stalin was appointed as the party’s Youth Wing President. Both Deve Gowda and Stalin have openly made statements in the past that their family members would not enter politics. Deve Gowda, had especially maintained that apart from his sons – Kumaraswamy and Revanna, no other family member would be given the chance to climb up party ranks. Ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections in 2018, Deve Gowda had openly told the media that none of his extended family members, who were vying to enter the political sphere were going to be encouraged. He even declared that one of his grandsons Prajwal Revanna would not be given a ticket to contest polls. Three years ago, Stalin too had said something similar. In an interview with Vikatan, he had said, “Neither will my son, nor will my son-in-law join politics. For that matter, I can assure that no one from my family will be joining politics.” Deve Gowda’s volte face and his decision to field not one, but two grandsons in the Lok Sabha elections, alienated the party from the public and even its cadre to an extent. While Prajwal Revanna went on to become an MP, Nikhil Kumaraswamy lost to independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh. In Karnataka, the JD(S) has been infamously dubbed as ‘Just Deve Gowda and Sons’ by political opponents. Deve Gowda’s son is the Chief Minister of Karnataka. His eldest son HD Revanna is the MLA from Holenarasipura, the family’s home town. Revanna is also the PWD Minister. Chief Minister Kumaraswamy’s wife Anitha Kumaraswamy is the JD(S) MLA from Ramanagara. HD Revanna’s wife Bhavani is a gram panchayat member, whilst her son Prajwal is the Hassan MP. In Tamil Nadu, the Youth wing secretary post is quite an important posting in DMK and according to senior journalist TN Gopalan, the post was created in 1985 with the sole purpose to make Stalin the Secretary and gradually bring him into the party's hierarchy. After holding the post for more than 30 years, Stalin had stepped down as Secretary of the Youth Wing, in 2017. Former Minister and three-time MLA Vellakkoil MP Saminathan replaced him until his son Udayanidhi was roped in to take up the task. Last month however, over 40 district secretaries wrote to Arivalayam, the DMK headquarters demanding that Udaynidhi be posted as the DMK Youth Wing secretary. But according to multiple sources in the party, this was merely a ploy often used by the top leaders to create an illusion of approval for their decisions. “The district secretaries are ordered to send letters and they cannot refuse the leadership,” says a source in the DMK. “Even those around the party President are failing to read the risks of promoting his son so quickly. But this has become the norm in the party, for the son or daughter to be given a post while those who have worked for years watch on,” he adds. In fact in the recent Lok Sabha elections, six of DMK’s 20 contestants were the wards of senior leaders in the party. Udayanidhi was not given a seat but was largely in the limelight as he campaigned for the party without an official post. A senior party leader opines that Udayanidhi’s promotion could have been done a little later. “We may have swept the Lok Sabha polls. But our performance was not satisfactory in the bye-elections. This shows that we have a lot of introspection to do and positive changes to make. The party can’t afford to face charges of nepotism in this juncture,” he says. “Once we win the Assembly polls and establish ourselves, such appointments will not be received negatively by the public,” he adds. Similarly, in Karnataka JD(S) insiders say that Nikhil’s appointment is only meant to further the family’s interest and not the party’s. “Nikhil Kumaraswamy is seen as the child who was offered everything on a platter. By appointing him as the Youth Wing President, Deve Gowda is giving him an opportunity to work with the cadre and become a face that would be well-known not only in Mandya but also the entire state. The publicity he received during the Lok Sabha polls has spiralled him into national fame. He is being groomed to step into Kumaraswamy’s shoes. By refusing to nurture any other leaders in the party, this move will hurt JD(S),” a JD(S) leader told TNM.

Body 2:

Water crisis

Chennai’s water crisis has garnered global attention this Summer and meet some of the residents who have devised methods to sustain in the parched period.

Megha Kaveri

Can one spell of rain get 225 litres of usable water for a home? Can a simple device fit into a tap and save a substantial amount of water and reduce consumption? These questions become pertinent as Chennai faces one of the worst water crises. Those living in Chennai have been brought to their knees over the past few weeks because of water scarcity, and in an attempt to make it easier to save and collect water, some residents have come up with ingenious solutions. Among them is 45-year-old Dayanand Krishnan, who has managed to collect 225 litres of rainwater with a homemade contraption; and a company called Earth Fokus, that is selling water-saving devices for homes as well as commercial establishments. “When I saw clouds starting to accumulate over Chennai skies last week, I decided to set up some pipes from our terrace. These pipes emptied into a barrel which we already had to store water from the panchayat pipe,” Dayanand tells TNM. He managed to save around 225 litres from the rain Chennai received last week. And all that he had to spend to make this setup work is Rs 250 – to buy pipes and some filter cloth. Pipe-and-barrel dream Dayanand’s house already has a borewell and a rainwater harvesting system in place, but both were useless for the family as the groundwater table dried up in Chennai. His family depends on private water tankers to get water for domestic use, and they pay around Rs 1,200 for 6,000 litres of water. In such a situation, the rains came as a blessing for the family. “A major share of our requirement is for house chores like washing vessels, restrooms etc. The water we saved last week was used for bathrooms, washing clothes and vessels, and mopping the house for 3-4 days,” Dayanand says. A mist opportunity While Dayanand has done what he can to save rainwater, a Chennai-based company is doing its part to help people reduce their consumption of water while washing vessels, vegetables or their own hands. Earth Fokus manufactures devices that could be fitted to taps to reduce water flow by 95%. “The devices actually help in creating a misty form of water which, while reducing water usage, gives the same effect as tap water for the user,” says Arun Subramaniam, the company’s founder. The company was founded in 2017 by Arun, who had made the device as a solution to save water in his mentor Najeeba’s kitchen. Though it took months of trial and error to finally perfect the commercial version of the product, he tells TNM that the results so far have been encouraging. “We have two products – Qua Mist and Eco Mist. Qua Mist is suitable for homes and kitchens while Eco Mist is fitted inside the taps and is better suitable for companies and commercial establishments that place bulk orders,” says Arun. IT services giant Cognizant has reportedly fitted Eco Mist in all their Chennai offices. “That was a great boost to our company and our product. After they fitted Eco Mist devices in their offices, CTS has apparently reduced water consumption by 7,000 litres per day in each of their buildings.” Arun explains. These devices have also seen a surge in sales in the last three months, he adds. Both these products are made of brass and are priced at Rs 550 (Eco Mist) and Rs 660 (Qua mist). These can be bought on the company’s website.

Body 2:

Crime

Jothi was three months pregnant, according to Solairaj’s family.

Priyanka Thirumurthy

In a suspected case of caste killing in Thoothukudi district, a married couple was murdered on the morning of July 3, in their front yard. The victims, who belonged to different castes under the Scheduled Castes umbrella, had been married for three months, and the woman was pregnant. The woman's father, Alagar, has been arrested in connection to the crime. According to the police, Solairaj, 24, a salt pan worker from Thanthai Periyar Nagar who belongs to the Parayar community, was in love with his co-worker A Jothi, 24, who belonged to the Pallar community. Owing to the fact that they belong to different castes, Jothi's family opposed their relationship. However, three months ago, the couple got married with the blessings of Solairaj's family. They were living in a one-bedroom house in Solairaj's locality. On the morning of July 3, when Solairaj's mother Muthumari, entered their house to check why they were not awake at 6 am, she found their bodies."When she went inside they were both lying in a pool of blood," says Karpagam, Muthumari's sister, "Their heads were hanging off their necks and Jothi's wrists were cut. The worst part is she was three months pregnant." According to the police, a gang of men allegedly rushed into the house in the wee hours of Wednesday, when the couple was asleep, and attacked them."The couple was facing hostility from the woman’s parents over the marriage," says Superintendent of Police Arun Balagopalan, who visited the spot and sent the bodies to the Thoothukudi Government Medical College Hospital for post-mortem. "We suspect it is a caste based crime," he adds. Karpagam tells TNM that the threats from Jothi's family began the day she left them for her husband. "Her father and other men came and threatened us and warned us of violence for the marriage," she says, "We went to the police station and complained. They were then warned, so the matter subsided. But now the two of them are gone for no reason." Karpagam describes her nephew as a hard working man who has held the family together after his father's early death. The family was fond of Jothi too."How can they do this to a pregnant woman?" asks Karpagam, "Do they have no heart?" This comes merely a week after a young inter-caste couple was murdered in Coimbatore, by the man’s brother. Varshini Priya and Kanagaraj were in a relationship for over a year and were planning to get married soon. Hailing from Mettupalayam, Kanagaraj belonged to the Valaiyar community, which is a Backward Class community in Tamil Nadu, and Varshini Priya was from the Arundathiyar community, which is a Scheduled Caste. When Kanagaraj’s parents were finally coming around, his brother Vinoth attacked them as he did not want his brother to marry a Dalit girl.

Body 2:

Power

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 parts of Chennai on Saturday, July 6. 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 resumed by TANGEDCO. Seven Wells Nattu Pillaiyar Koil, Thatha Muthaiappan, Arumugam Street, Manikanda Street, Seenu Mudali Street, Ramakrishnan Street, Karuppanna Street, Somasundaram Street, Varadha Muthaiyappan Street, Achariyappan Street, Buddhi Sahib Street, Sahib Azarath Street, Muthu Naicken Street, Gate Street, Subramani Street, Sambu Iyer Street, Govindappa Street, Amman koil Street, Nattu pillaiyar Street, Krishna Iyer Street, Arumugam Street, Govindappa Naicken Street, MK Garden, Seenu Mudhali Street, Seenu Iyer Street, Kutti Street, Samayavardhan Street, Vaithiyanathan Street, Subramanian Street, Mint Street, Anaikaran Street, Girigori Street, Veerasamy Street, Periyanna Street, Sambu Iyer Street, Thatha Muthiyappan Street, Nagamani garden, Pallurasappa Street, Sevenwells Street, Palayappan Street, Annaikannu konar Street, Basalles Street, Ramalingam Street, Shanmugam Street, P.G.Church Street, BRN garden, Shanmuga Mudhali Street, Pidariyar Street, Shanmugarayan Street, Thaiappan Street, Asirvathapuram, Hacker Jockson Street, Jill Street, Coral Merchant Street, Shanmuga Mudali Street, Sadai appa Street, Ramasamy Street, Malayappan Street, Malayappan Street, Street. Xavier Street, Mint Street, Mangammal Street and lane, Vaithiyanathan Street, Seven Wells Street, K.N.Agaraharam, Kuppaiya Street, Venkatraman Street, Kondaliyer Street I and II, Narayanan Street, Dharmaraja koil I and II Street, Venkataiyar Street, VVM Street, Kumarappa Street, Varadhaiyar Street, Erusappan Street, Thiagaraja Street, K.N. Tank Street, Kuppier Street, Ayaloor muthaiya Street, Amman koil Street, Akraharam Street, V.V. koil Street, Nammalwar Street, Mullah sahib Street, Nambuliyar Street, Washerment ali Street, Murugesan mudali Street, Rathina mudali Street, Pattabi raman Street, Kondal Iyer Street, Vengaiyer Street, Bethu Naicken Street, Prumal mudali Street, Subburaya pillai Street, Muniyappa Street, Kannaya naidu Street, Northwall Road, Bashyakaralu Street, Padavettuamman Street, Naiyamar Street, Kanchipuram Sabapathy Street, Ranga pillai Street. Pallavaram Eswari Nagar, Rajaji Nagar, Sanjai Gandhi Nagar, Ganapathy Nagar, 200 feet Road. Keelkattalai Big Street, Baskar Nagar, Ranga Nagar, Ambal Nagar(part), Anbu Nagar, Gandhi Street, Arul Murugan Nagar, Kirubananda varrier Street, Kumaran angar, Sudukadu Street, Balamurugan Nagar, Thenmozhi Nagar, Pallavan Nagar, Bhaygammal Nagar, Pillar koil Street, Soundarajan Nagar, Medavakkam Mainroad, (from Bus Streetand to KFC), Saraswathi garden, Balaji Nagar. Pammal Santhi Road, Muthamizh Nagar, Ranganathan Street, Krishna Nagar, Abdul park Street. Melur Minjur town, TH Road, Theradi Street, Seemapuram, R-R Palayam/Ariyanvoyal, Pudhpedu, Nadhiyambakkam, Melur, Pattamandhiri, Valloor, Athipattu, S.R. Palayam, G.R. Palayam, Kondakarai, Pallipuram,Thiruvelavoyal, Voyalur, Neithavoyal, Kattor, Merattoor, Nalloor, Vanippakkam, Oorambedu, Vazhuthigaimedu Extc., Kamaraj Nagar Kamaraj Nagar, N.M.road, Avadi TNHB area, Vasantham Nagar, Govarthangiri, Paruthipet, Kannapalayam, P.H.road, Avadi Market, Kumaran Nagar, Periyar Nagar, Anandam Nagar. Ayanavaram Raju Street, Mettu Street, Solaiamman Street, Sabhapathi Street, Veerasamy Street, Palani Andaver koil Street, Elumalai Street, NMK Street, Muthamman koil Street, Chetty Street, Kuppusamy Street, SS Devar 1-6 Street, Police Manickam Street, Tiruvalluvar Nagar, Ambedkar nagr, Chengalvarayan Street, VP colony, Boopathi Nagar. MMDA Colony A- Block to R- Block, Kamala Nehru Nagar 1st and 2nd Street, Sidco, Ashoka Nagar, Subbarao Nagar, Veerapandi Nagar, Rani AnnaNagar, Kalki Nagar, 100 feet Road. Arumbakkam Metha Nagar, NM Road, MH colony, Railway colony, Ampa Skywalk, Franko India, Vaishnav College, Govindan Street, Collectorate colony, Ayyavo colony, Gayathri Devi, Razak Garden, JD Durai raj Nagar, Azad Nagar, VGA Nagar, Sbi Officers Colony.

Body 2:

Harassment

A senior official with Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) reportedly sought sexual favours from an employee.

TNM Staff

The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has ordered a probe into the alleged harassment of a Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) employee. Taking suo motu cognisance of a news report, the SHRC has ordered the Principal Secretary, Housing Department and Authority Member-Secretary to inquire into the matter and submit a report within four weeks. According to The New Indian Express report on June 28, the CMDA ordered an inquiry into the issue after a WhatsApp conversation between the employee and the senior planner came to light. Parts of the conversation, leaked on social media, are allegedly from the phone of the employee where she is refusing efforts from one "Sp Sir cmda" to seek sexual favours. The conversation reportedly shows the the senior planner continuing to persist in his advances despite the woman employee saying she is engaged. In veiled threats, the senior official is also reportedly seen telling the woman that she has a long career ahead of her. "Enjoyments will be in secret with special gift chances available dear.... you are missing that chance means you will become wasting your lifetime best wishes of chances coming soon on the way dear,” (sic) the conversation reportedly shows the planner saying. Soon after the incident, however, the woman employee is said to have resigned from her job. Shockingly, the newspaper reports that this is not the first time a woman employee has resigned on account of advances from the senior planner. Another woman employee who faced similar sexual harassment from the same official, also reportedly resigned. While a complaint was reportedly registered against the official by the woman, SHRC in its notice sought information on whether an internal complaints committee had been set up in the office as per the Vishakha Guidelines to report sexual harassment of women at workplace.

Body 2:

Court

The case dates back to 2009 for a speech Vaiko made at a book launch event in Chennai.

Megha Kaveri

In a setback to MDMK Chief Vaiko, a special court has convicted the 75-year-old leader in a sedition case dating back to 2009. The special court judge J Shanthi sentenced Vaiko to one year in jail and Rs 10,000 fine. According to MDMK leader Nanmaran, Vaiko has been granted suspension of sentence for one month under CrPC 389, that allows suspension of sentence pending an appeal by a convicted person. Vaiko was expected to file his nomination for the Rajya Sabha election on Saturday. However, some experts say that since sedition is not listed as one of the offences under the Representation of People's Act, 1951 for which disqualification is attracted regardless of the prison term, he may be allowed to contest. As per the Representation of People's Act 1951, someone who is convicted of an offence and is sentenced to imprisonment for two years or more, they are disqualified from contesting elections, for six years after their release. The case against Vaiko dates back to 2009, for his speech at a book launch event. In the event which was conducted in Raja Annamalai mandram in Chennai in 2009, he had spoken on the topic ‘Eezhathil nadappathenna’ (what is happening in Eelam). In his speech, he had warned that if India wants to remain a single, unified country, the war against LTTE in Sri Lanka must be stopped. A case was registered at the Thousand Lights police station against Vaiko under sections 124 A (sedition) and 153 (A) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language) of the IPC. A chargesheet was filed in the case in 2009, however, Vaiko was not arrested until April 2017, where he was sent to Puzhal jail. He came out on bail after over a month in jail. Vaiko who had served as a Rajya Sabha MP for 18 years between 1978 and 1996, is looking to make a comeback to the Upper House after 23 years. The Rajya Sabha election is set to take place on July 18 in Tamil Nadu. Vaiko, whose party does not have a single MLA in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, will be elected to the Upper House with the support of DMK. The DMK had agreed to nominate Vaiko as part of a pre-poll agreement ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections. Read: Vaiko’s return to Delhi: Once Stalin’s fierce critic, now Rajya Sabha MP with DMK’s help

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MDMK Chief Vaiko convicted in sedition case, gets one-year-imprisonment