Where is the data on crimes and farmer suicides since 2016? Tamil Nadu MP asks Centre

July 10, 2019, 12:41 am

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Policy

The National Crime Records Bureau has not released data on crime across the country since 2016.

Manasa Rao

The Centre came under fire from VCK MP D Ravikumar on Tuesday, even as he demanded the publication of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data. The data, a compilation of crime across the country released annually, has not been published by the BJP government since 2016. The report serves as an important tool in understanding law and order across states as well as in recommending policy changes, including to its assessment methods. In its reply to the Tamil Nadu MP, the Ministry of Home Affairs pinned the blame on states for not having submitted data as per the ‘revised format.’ The comprehensive report, titled ‘Crime in India’, was last published in 2017 for crimes in the year 2016. Reports for 2017 and 2018 are yet to be filed. When the Villupuram MP raised the matter in Parliament, G Kishan Reddy, Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs, responded stating that the Crime in India report for 2017 has not been finalised by the NCRB. “With a view to ensure that published data suits the requirement of various stakeholders, NCRB has comprehensively revised the proforma for collecting crime statistics. NCRB has trained state/union territory personnel on the new format. The data in the revised proforma from all states/union territories has not been received,” he replied. Speaking to TNM, MP Ravikumar termed it an evasive reply. “This is the first time that there is such a delay. Usually, the report is released within the same year. Every year, after the data is released, there is a huge outcry in the media about the rising rates of farmer suicides, violence against women and SC/ ST communities. So I suspect they want to hide something, they are wantonly delaying the publication of the NCRB data,” he said. While the MHA has passed the buck to states, it may be recalled that the NITI Aayog report on the country-wide health index released in June was published without data from West Bengal. The report simply used data from the previous year. “As West Bengal did not submit data on the portal, the overall and incremental performance scores were generated based on pre-filled indicator data for 12 indicators and for the remaining 11 indicators the data from the Base Year were repeated for the Reference Year.” the report read. With the nation in the throes of an agrarian crisis, the NCRB data assumes significance since it also records farmer suicides. According to one report in The Hindu, a senior government official was anonymously quoted as saying that except for two states, 27 others had submitted the NCRB data in the required format. While West Bengal and Bihar had caused delays in the publication of the data, the former reportedly submitted the data after ‘a lot of persuasion’.  Demanding the immediate publication of the NCRB data, Ravikumar said that he also sought a follow-up on the action taken on the previous report, especially with regard to rising violence against SC/ ST communities across the country. “This is just like the NSSO data on unemployment which the government had refused to accept,” he added in reference to the National Sample Survey Office’s data showing a 45-year high in unemployment in the country. Business Standard revealed a leaked report in January which was dubbed as ‘fake news’ by the government. However, soon after the Lok Sabha polls which saw the BJP storm to power for a second term, the numbers were officially released. He said, "If the government releases the data then they have to accept the truth and acknowledge increasing violence against minorities like mob lynchings and caste killings."

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Reject Karnataka’s proposal on Mekedatu: TN CM writes to Centre

July 10, 2019, 6:13 am

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Mekedatu

CM Palaniswami had earlier written to Prime Minister Modi, stating that Karnataka's move to construct a dam was in contravention of the Supreme Court's judgement.

TNM Staff

File image/ PTI

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami wrote to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change as well as the Jal Shakti Ministry on Wednesday, urging the Centre to ‘reject outright the proposal of Karnataka’ to go ahead with its proposed Mekedatu project. The project aims to generate electricity and provide drinking water to parts of Bengaluru and Ramanagara districts. However, Tamil Nadu reiterated its stance against the project after the state learnt that the Expert Appraisal Committee for River Valley and Hydroelectric Projects, functioning under the MoEF, had decided to consider Karnataka's proposal for granting fresh Terms of Reference. A meeting to discuss this has reportedly been planned for July 19. “The action of the Committee to include the proposal of Karnataka for discussion in the meeting is a violation of the Notified Final Order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and the judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court,” stated the Chief Minister. Pointing out that Tamil Nadu had already approached the Supreme Court by filing an interlocutory appeal as well as a contempt petition, he wrote, “Further, Karnataka has not obtained the prior concurrence of the Government of Tamil Nadu and of other co-basin States. Cauvery basin being a deficit Basin, construction of Mekedatu or any project in any place by upper riparian State will drastically affect the lower riparian State in getting its due share of water.” In June, the Cauvery Neeravari Nigama Niyamita, an undertaking of the government of Karnataka tasked with managing the Cauvery river and affairs related to it, wrote to the MoEF. Following this, CM Palaniswami wrote to PM Modi, seeking his personal intervention in the matter. The state has sought the removal of the subject from the agenda of the meeting to be held next week. "The Committee may also be directed to desist from entertaining the proposal of Karnataka in future and the present proposal may be rejected and returned to Karnataka,” the letter said. Read: Explainer: What is the Mekedatu dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka?

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Pic of bonded labourer falling at feet of TN officials betrays his struggle to freedom

July 10, 2019, 7:37 pm

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Human rights

The bonded labourers were allegedly made to work for five years to repay a debt of a few thousand rupees, say those involved in the rescue operation.

Priyanka Thirumurthy

With his palms to the floor and knees on the ground, 60-year-old Kashi lay down on a barren path, at the feet of the Kanchipuram tahsildar on Wednesday, to express his gratitude. A team of revenue officials had arrived at a woodcutting unit in Kanchipuram on Wednesday morning to free him and 27 other bonded labourers, who were trapped in a vicious debt cycle for over five years. The rescue operations were simultaneously conducted by revenue officials at woodcutting units in Kanchipuram and Vellore. A total of 42 bonded labourers were rescued and of these 28 were from Kanchipuram and 14 were from Vellore. Of this, 16 of them were children. The operations were carried out based on a tip-off to sub-collectors A Saravanan (Kancheepuram) and Elambahavath (Ranipet)."Officials reached the two units at around 9.30 am in the morning and began to question those working there," says Gopi, the Kanchipuram head of Rescued Bonded Labourers Association, who was part of the operation. "We found that these men and women had borrowed only a few thousands from a man named Nataraj and his relatives. But they were made to work for 5 years to repay this debt and now the owners claimed that their loan had grown to Rs 30,000. The people there were not allowed to go to their native towns and even when pregnant, going to the hospital was out of the question. They were made to have the children in the woods," he alleges. In addition to this, they were allegedly not paid for their work. "When the said they were hungry and needed to buy rice, Nataraj told them to just chomp on some wood," alleges Gopi. "When the officials said that they were being rescued, the workers got overwhelmed and Kashi fell at the feet of the rescuers. The old man had borrowed only Rs 1000 from Natraj and his relatives," he adds. Following the rescues, the labourers and men who had put them to work have been taken to the local revenue district official's office. Following this, the bonded labourers will be awarded release certificates to free them from the debt. 

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Chennai teen confined to house and allegedly gang raped by five men

July 10, 2019, 7:50 pm

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Crime

The teen was allegedly lured on the promise of employment by two women and locked up in a room.

TNM Staff

A 16-year-old girl, who went missing from Chennai, has approached the police stating that she was held hostage and raped. The police have arrested three women – Sabeena (31), Mubeena Begum (37) and Nisha (36) – in connection with the crime.   According to reports, the teenager who was living with her mother and grandmother in Pulianthope area in Chennai allegedly fought with her grandmother and moved out of her house to a friend Sabeena’s house on July 3. The girl was searching for a job in the city to support herself and befriended Mubeena Begum, Sabeena’s friend, who promised to help her get a job. The two women allegedly took the girl to Nisha’s house and locked her up on July 3. When she was confined to Nisha’s house, five men entered the room and gangraped her for three days, according to reports. The girl, who escaped from the place after three days, called her mother and narrated her ordeal. Meanwhile her mother had also filed a ‘missing person’ complaint with the local police. The police suspect Sabeena and the other two women to be a part of a prostitution racket and are questioning them. Though an FIR has been registered, charges of rape has not been included in it. According to the police, Sabeena and Mubeena Begum cheated the girl with promise of employment while Nisha confined her in her house and hence rape charges can be added to the FIR only after questioning. The police are also inquiring the women about the five men who had allegedly raped the teen. Speaking to TNM about the case, a police officer from Pulianthope All Women’s Police Station said that police officials are still questioning the women and refused to disclose any details about the FIR.

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‘He vanished to avoid confrontation': Woman who accused Mugilan of rape to TNM

July 10, 2019, 8:32 pm

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Crime

Many activists have said that while the woman had the right to file the complaint, the timing was questionable.

Priyanka Thirumurthy

On March 30, over a month after 52-year-old RS Mugilan, Coordinator of Tamil Nadu Environment Protection Movement, went missing from the Egmore station in Chennai, a female social activist in Karur district filed a case of rape against him. As frantic efforts were underway to trace the anti-Sterlite activist, this fresh allegation came as a shock to activists who suspected conspiracy in his sudden disappearance. Mugilan was finally found on July 7, five months after he went missing, at a railway station in Andhra Pradesh. But any celebrations or relief over his resurfacing were dramatically cut short as he was arrested by the CB-CID for rape."He has refused to explain his disappearance to us," says senior lawyer and human rights activist Sudha Ramalingam who filed a habeas corpus petition in the case, “He disappeared right after he exposed the role of senior police officers in the Thoothukudi firing, and as activists, it was our duty to ensure he was not being illegally held. He has been secured now and when he has been accused of rape, he has to face the legal repercussions. And while Mugilan is yet to reveal how and why he vanished, the woman who accused him of cheating and exploiting her says she’s confident his disappearance was in connection with her allegations. The 37-year-old who stays in Karur, is an activist herself and belonged to the environmental group that Mugilan was a part of. "The sexual harassment began in 2017, around February," she says, "And I was scared because I see him on the field shouting and raising his voice. As somebody junior to him, I couldn't do much. But later, he promised me that we will get married. ”But wasn't she aware that the activist was already married and had a child? "I knew he was married but I didn't know if he was in touch with his family," she says. "He has never said he is going home or going to meet his wife. In fact, when he went to jail in 2017 for a year, I was the one who visited him and carried his messages to other activists. His wife never even visited him," she adds. Several activists, when questioned about the allegations against Mugilan, claim that his affair with the complainant was consensual and known within their circles. But the complainant says that the 'affair' came into being due to an imbalance in power."I am a woman working under him and trying to learn from him. In this equation, he clearly has more power than I do. This is a case of workplace harassment,” she says. "But after it happened, my family was also isolating me over this, so I trusted him when he said we will get married," she says. But the most crucial question regarding her complaint has been the timing of it. Speaking to TNM, Henri Tiphagne of People’s Watch points out that the complainant has every right to make the above allegations. "The veracity of these allegations, is something that the police have to investigate," he says."She knows a number of elders who Mugilan engaged with but did not see fit to raise the issue with them. Why did she not have the courage to go to them? There is evidently a lot of gaps between the incident and the final complaint. This lends to suspicions of an ulterior motive," he adds. However, others who support the complainant say the activist community needs to back her. "When a woman is making such allegations, the community of activists should support her by isolating the accused till the charge against him is proven to be false," says reputed lyricist Thamarai who has been in touch with the complainant."The allegations that she has ulterior motives is absurd. She is not working for the government, police, or sand mafia," says Thamarai. "This woman has left her family and has no stable job because she wants to work for the society. Doesn't she deserve more support from her community of activists?" she asks. The complainant says she has been pulled up by colleagues over her decision to file a police complaint following Mugilan's disappearance, and has been asked if she was working in tandem with pro-Sterlite forces. "But if anybody's timing should be questioned, it should be Muglian's, " she says.  In December 2018, shortly after Muglian was released from the Palayamkottai prison, he allegedly began to avoid the complainant's calls and messages. "Till he was in jail, we were in touch, but after that he stopped responding to me. I began to tell people who we both know about the harassment and subsequent promises he made," she says. “It was planned that on February 17, two days after his Sterlite press conference, we would meet with these mutual well-wishers and take a call on the matter. I had hope that it would be resolved. But over that weekend, I learned that he had disappeared. And in my position, I believed that he disappeared to avoid meeting me," she alleges. As the calls to find the activist grew louder and CB-CID took over, the complainant was called in for questioning. "As an activist myself, I have fought against the police in situations where people's rights were infringed upon," she says, "But here, I had to tell the truth to help them find him. I told them about the sexual harassment, the promise of marriage and the plan to meet him two days after he disappeared.” After multiple meetings with the CB-CID and advice from a few activists, she says she registered a formal police complaint. The 37-year-old approached the Kulithalai all-women police station in Karur district and complained that Mugilan forced her to have sex with him and then promised that they would get married. But many activists remain unconvinced by her explanation. "It is common for those who oppose us to use vulgar methods to suppress dissent," says Henri, "If it is a woman, they question her integrity. And if it is a man, they allege rape. The manner in which the CB-CID has changed its narrative, from the search for a 'missing man' to 'rapist' is telling of the agenda behind this." However, the complainant remains steadfast in her allegations. "It is not easy for a woman to make such a complaint," she says, "And it was not a sudden development as far as I am concerned. I went to the police because all other efforts to reason with him failed."  

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10,000 check dams to be constructed in TN districts by March 2020: CM

July 10, 2019, 10:37 pm

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Water Management

According to reports, the check dams will come at a cost of Rs 312 crore.

TNM Staff

Picxy/Image used for representational purpose only

The Tamil Nadu government has announced the construction of 10,000 check dams in the year 2019-20 to store the run-off water from rains. The decision was taken understanding the need to save every drop of water from the rain that the state gets and to confront the water challenges. The check dams will come up in Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Cuddalore, Kanchipuram, Villupuram and Tirunelveli districts at a cost of Rs 312 crore, as per reports. Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said that these check dams will be constructed in rural areas of these districts to aid better irrigation and replenish the ground water table in those areas. The dams will be built with concrete and boulders based on the groundwater mapping done by the central government in collaboration with the National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad, and the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board. The check dams will be  constructed by workers enrolled with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA). The Union government has also deployed 26 IAS officers to undertake the water conservation and water harvesting measures in 541 revenue blocks in 26 districts in Tamil Nadu that have been identified as ‘water-stressed’. The bureaucrats have started their inspection to assess the existing water situation in the state and the functioning of various water conservation schemes. They will be submitting their report to the central government. The move comes at a time when many districts in Tamil Nadu are experiencing severe drought conditions. While Chennai is facing acute shortage of water for domestic use, other districts like Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur are awaiting water from Mettur dam for agriculture. The Southwest monsoon this season has been dismal over the Cauvery catchment areas, thereby contributing much less water to the dams in Karnataka.   Read: In pics: How construction in 5 Chennai areas has prevented groundwater recharge  

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Homes of senior counsels Indira Jaising, Anand Grover raided by CBI

July 11, 2019, 12:32 am

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Raids

Indira Jaising has earlier alleged that she and Lawyers’ Collective were being victimised for flagging procedural lapses in the sexual harassment case against the CJI.

TNM Staff

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday carried out searches at the residence of senior Supreme Court lawyer Indira Jaising and her husband Anand Grover in the national capital and Mumbai over alleged violation of the FCRA norms, officials said. The lawyers have previously denied all allegations.  The agency's actions comes almost a month after it registered a case against the Mumbai-based NGO 'Lawyers Collective' and its President Anand Grover for alleged violation of Foreign Contribution (Regulations) Act (FCRA), criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust on June 13, after receiving a Home Ministry report in this regard.  According to LiveLaw, the complaint has been filed by Anil Kumar Dhasmana, an MHA Under Secretary. The chief allegation is that the lawyer couple reportedly diverted the foreign contributions received by their NGO for "activities not mentioned in the objects of the association." They are also facing allegations that the funds received were put to personal use, unconnected to the aims of their organisation.  In May, a PIL was filed in the Supreme Court by Lawyers Voice, a voluntary organisation of lawyers, which alleged that the NGO was being used for "activities against the nation." A Bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had issued notices to both Indira Jaising and Anand Grover, seeking a response. It was also in May that an in-house panel of Supreme Court judges had given the Chief Justice a clean chit in an alleged case of sexual harassment at the workplace. Indira Jaising had called for the disclosure of the findings of the inquiry committee.  The senior counsel had alleged that she and the NGO were being victimised for flagging procedural lapses in the sexual harassment case against the CJI.  According to the CBI, unknown officer-bearers and functionaries of the NGO, private persons and public servants have also been made accused in the FIR. The Home Ministry report said that the NGO was registered for carrying out social activities and it received Rs 32.39 crore between 2006-07 and 2014-15. It is being reported that some of Indira Jaising's foreign travels during this time – when she served as Additional Solicitor General – came from the Lawyer's Collective.. However, the violation of the FCRA was noticed in 2010, the complaint said. (With IANS input)

Body 2: 

Water crisis hits jasmine farmers in Madurai, many give up cultivation

July 11, 2019, 3:08 am

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Water Crisis

In Rathnasamy’s village of the 20 odd jasmine farmers, barely 5 of them are still cultivating in their farms.

Anjana Shekar

Madurai’s malli received Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2013. The flower that the locals take immense pride in is not just sold within the country but also exported to other parts of the world. In Madurai, this flower with a heady scent has had a difficult summer with many farmers choosing to forgo cultivation on their fields. In Madurai’s Melauppiligundu village, farmer Ganapathy, who has been cultivating jasmine in his 3.5 acres of land, says that he had to bring in water from 3000 feet away, as a last resort after the wells in his farms sunk lower. “It is a 550-feet bore that I dug using my own expenses. The pipe connection from there to my field is also my own expense. The bores I had dug in my own land have run dry. Many others in my village, who were not able to shell out money from their pocket, have not been able to harvest any flowers this season,” he says. Borewell that has run dry in Ganapathy's farm; barren lands behind his farm Ganapathy says that of the 50 acres of jasmine farms in his village, less than 35 might be in use today. “Half the jasmine farmers in my village have not been able to get any yield from their farms in my village. You can see, a lot of them are barren,” he points around. Just a few kilometers away in T Kokulam, farmer S Rathnasamy has given up on his two-acre jasmine field for lack of water. “There’s no water in my village. How deep can you dig borewells? The water quality changes and is unfit for the plants. They only wilt,” he rues. Rathnasamy buys water tankers for Rs 200 - Rs 400 once every 10 days to water his field. “My plants will die otherwise. I’ve already lost the plants in about two cents on my field,” he explains. In Rathnasamy’s village of the 20 odd jasmine farmers, barely five of them are still cultivating in their farms. Jasmine, a perennially flowering plant goes through a short offseason during the months of December and January every year. Rest of the year the plant is in bloom. Ganapathy explains the plant’s cycle, “In 22 days from the time you start watering and it starts showing its tips, the plant starts blooming. It continuously flowers for 8 to 9 days after which you’ll have to let it rest for another 9 days. Then you’ll have to trim and add fertilisers for its next cycle to begin.” Farmers, with the help from flower pickers, harvest about 80 to 100 kilograms per acre; 20-30 kilos more if they’re lucky. Market for these plants are a whole different ballgame. So Ramachandran, President of the Flower Market explains that rates for jasmines are never fixed and varies every hour based on the flower’s quality. “In the morning when the first batch comes, based on the quality of the flower farmers and sellers decide upon rates,” he tells us. Wholesale buyers like Ramachandran buy kilos of jasmines directly from farmers for a commission rate and then sell it to other buyers. Ganapathy explains about the damaged drip tubes that he had to repair Ramachandran, who is the fourth generation into this family business also says that close to 10,000 acres of land is being used to cultivate jasmine just in Madurai. On Monday, the flowers were sold at Rs 500 per kilogram says, Ramachandran. In June, the price for a kilogram of jasmines was Rs 70 on an average. He also notes that business has taken a hit this season with quantity of flowers coming in reducing by almost 70%.  Lack of water isn’t the only problem facing jasmine farmers in Madurai. Farmers point out that without proper support or subsidy from the government these troubling times for them become inevitable.  Ganapathy who purchased drip irrigation tubes from the government at a subsidy few months ago ended up spending over half the amount in excess form his own pockets to fix them. “The nozzles of the drip tubes were damaged. I had to fix them with my money. Moreover, who pays for all the costs we spend on digging bore wells? Currently the bore is supplying water to my field, for which I had to spend close to Rs 3 lakh. If the government shared this money load for us, most of the farmers who had given up on their field for lack of investment might not have done so,” he adds.

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TN State Board Syllabus revision: What are the challenges?

July 11, 2019, 3:22 am

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Education

Experts say that this new syllabus focuses more on concepts and understanding rather than memorising and reproducing answers.

Anjana Shekar

PTI/Image for Representation

After 12 long years, Tamil Nadu has finally revamped its state board school syllabus for all classes from standard one to 12. TN formed a Curriculum Development Committee in June 2017 under the Chairmanship of M Anandakrishnan, former Vice-Chancellor of Anna University, and released a draft of the new syllabus in November last year. While the syllabus for standard one to 10 was revised seven years ago, higher secondary syllabus has needed its long overdue overhaul for 12 years now. TN Education Minister Sengottaiyan had reiterated that the revised syllabus would surpass other boards and would help TN students to crack national level competitive exams. Officials from the SCERT (State Council of Educational Research and Training), which was responsible for revamping the syllabus, say the change in syllabus was done in just two years on a war footing. Joint Director V Kumar of SCERT asserts, “Students will be better prepared for any kind of competitive exams like NEET,  IIT, TNPSC, UPSC, etc.” Experts point out that this new syllabus focuses more on concepts and understanding rather than memorising and reproducing answers. The state government, too, has been working towards making education more rounded in multiple steps. For instance, it dropped the blueprint system that allowed teachers and students to selectively learn or omit portions from textbooks. This method encouraged rote learning the prescribed chapters based on the marks they would fetch in the board exams. The government has also banned public announcements of rankings in 10th and 12th boards, and is enforcing board exams for class 11 to ensure schools don’t skip the syllabus for the sake of 12th. What are the challenges? While most teachers are convinced that the updated syllabus itself is good, they are worried about the implementation and whether they will have the time and tools to carry through with it. Prince Gajendra Babu, an education expert, adds that the current revision comes as an overload to students. “We welcome their efforts to bring in the new syllabus. We are only questioning the overloading and the way certain things are being implemented,” he says. The syllabus is designed to encourage understanding and critical thinking, but the books are just one part of the system. Lt N Md Azmathulla, Assistant Professor, PG and Research Department of Zoology at the New College in Chennai, warns that even under this system, rote learning could make its way back. “It’s a sudden change. Earlier, students were told what sections of the chapter needed to be memorised to score marks and what could be omitted. But now, students might get scared looking at the enormity of the syllabus. They cannot study selectively anymore. Understanding concepts is the key here,” he says. Teachers also share that the new syllabus comes with more examples and better nuances. For instance, in Biology, the chapter on genetics has been updated with content on inheritance, genetic disorders, chromosomal anomalies, etc. Azmathulla, explains, “Another important highlight of the new syllabus is that the content has been streamlined to incorporate continuity, enabling better understanding. Students cannot just memorise it like definitions or procedures.” Yet another new addition is the QR code provided in every textbook for all classes. Usha Rani, Director of SCERT, says that Tamil Nadu is the first to do so in the country, “Students can access additional content by using the QR code in the textbook.” These QR codes will lead students and teachers to audio-visuals to enhance conceptual learning. Even while SCERT has rolled out the new syllabus, the department adds that in coming years, further revisions will be made to spruce up content. “This process won’t end. Every year changes will be implemented in the text books. We are accepting inputs from teachers,” explains Usha Rani. The Tamil Nadu State Board’s new syllabus is a commendable change. Yet, its success lies in how government school teachers are trained to adapt and how students are evaluated in their state board exams. Jayapriya, science teacher at a Panchayat Union Middle School reasons that the aim of the syllabus is to give students an all rounded education. She further adds that evaluation too plays an important role in determining the success of this new syllabus. “They will have to take into consideration that this revision might take time for students to get used to. At least for the next three to five years students will have difficulties in coping up. We hope that by the time the present 6th standard students comes up to standard 10 these initial hurdles will be cleared. Meanwhile, we will have to give up on rote learning system or else this syllabus revision can be considered a failure,” she concludes.

Body 2: 

Muslim men moral police Hindu-Muslim couple in Coimbatore, assault boyfriend

July 11, 2019, 4:31 am

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Crime

Coimbatore city commissioner Sumith Sharan however said, "How is it a case of moral policing when a Muslim questions another Muslim?"

Priyanka Thirumurthy

On July 2, 20-year-old Muneefa* (name changed) was returning to her residence in Coimbatore, when she was subjected to a horrifying episode of moral policing. The Literature graduate had just received her transfer certificate from a local college and was riding on a bike with her boyfriend Raja* (name changed), while another male friend accompanied the duo. They were merely minutes from her house when two unidentified men approached her on a Royal Enfield bike. They blocked the bike Muneefa was travelling on, took a look at her purdah and asked if she was a Muslim. An affirmative from the young woman was all the men needed to launch into an unwarranted and indecent attack against her."Do you not have brains?" the men allegedly asked Muneefa, according to her complaint to the Kulithalai police station. "They then came to hit me but the area soon got crowded and so they told me to go home alone," she adds. Hoping that the worst was behind her, Muneefa walked home quickly to what she hoped was safety. But the nightmare only continued. Following her to the house were her boyfriend, friend, two Muslim men from her neighbourhood and two other unknown men. In her FIR, Muneefa identified the two known men from a nearby shop as Saifullah and Saiet. She alleges that they began to torture the trio at 5.30 pm and only let them go at 9 pm."They asked me if I was a Muslim woman and then abused me with unmentionable words. They then abused Raja with words I can't repeat and have not heard before. They then beat up Raja and his friend and slapped their faces. They kept asking if I was in love with Raja and spoke derogatorily to me. They even took Raja's phone and spoke vulgarly about the photos of his female friends in it," she says in the complaint. But even as the victims stood helplessly, the attackers escalated the abuse by taking turns to beat Raja with a belt, says the complainant. They then allegedly showed him a knife and threatened to kill him. The attack ended in three and a half hours; it took a week for Muneefa to gather the courage to file a police complaint."The incident really scared me and that is why I couldn't come to the police station. They have Raja's cellphone and were threatening me with it," she says in the complaint filed on July 9. When TNM contacted Coimbatore city commissioner Sumith Sharan however, he denied that it was a case of moral policing and stated that the victim knew the attackers. "How is it a case of moral policing when a Muslim questions another Muslim?" he asks. "She knew those men. It is an issue regarding some previous problems between them," he adds. Sources in the local police however confirm that while the Saifullah and Saiet have been arrested, the two men who blocked Muneefa's way are absconding. A case has been registered under sections 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint), 342 (Punishment for wrongful confinement), 294 (b) (sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words), 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (Voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons ) and 506 (2) (Punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal code.   *(Names changed to protect identity)

Body 2: 

All 6 Tamil Nadu MPs elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha

July 11, 2019, 4:32 am

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Rajya Sabha

With no other candidates filing their nominations for the Rajya Sabha, the six nominations from Tamil Nadu were accepted.

TNM Staff

All six candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections from Tamil Nadu were elected unopposed on Thursday. With no competing nominations filed, three members of the AIADMK alliance and three from the DMK alliance were declared winners by the Election Commission. The AIADMK fielded former Minister Mohammad John and senior party functionary N Chandrasekaran while alliance partner PMK fielded former Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss. The DMK’s picks were advocate P Wilson and trade union leader M Shanmugam; MDMK Chief Vaiko was given a ticket as per the pre-poll alliance with the DMK. While elections to the Upper House were scheduled to be held on July 18, only these six candidates had filed their nomination from the state. With no contest from other candidates, they were elected unopposed on Thursday, the last date for withdrawal of nominations. The MP-elects received their winner’s certificates from Assembly Secretary K Srinivasan, who was also the Returning Officer for the elections, at the Secretariat. Mohammad John, N Chandrasekaran and Anbumani Ramadoss soon headed over to the Chief Minister’s office and greeted CM Palaniswami. Meanwhile, the two DMK MP-elects from the DMK and Vaiko received their certificates in the presence of DMK chief MK Stalin. Polls were announced for six Rajya Sabha seats from Tamil Nadu on account of AIADMK MPs T Rathinavel, V Maitreyan, KR Arjunan and R Lakshmanan retiring along with D Raja of the CPI. DMK’s Kanimozhi was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Thoothukudi parliamentary constituency in the recently-held General Elections, and hence, her seat too was vacant. While former Backward Classes and Minorities Welfare Minister Mohammad John serves as the Deputy Secretary of the AIADMK's Minority Welfare Wing, N Chandrashekar is the party secretary for Mettur, Salem district. For PMK’s Youth Wing Secretary and former Union Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, this will be his second term in the Rajya Sabha. He lost his Dharmapuri parliamentary seat in the Lok Sabha polls. At present, the strength of the Tamil Nadu Assembly— which forms the electorate for the indirect Rajya Sabha polls— is 232 (excluding two vacancies and a nominated member). The ruling AIADMK has 123 MLAs, including the Speaker. Soon after the 22-seat bye-elections in the state, the DMK's MLA tally rose to 108 in the Assembly, enabling them to file three nominations to the Rajya Sabha. Vaiko will be making a re-entry into Parliament after a 15-year hiatus. His last term in the Lok Sabha was between 1999 and 2004 as a member of the DMK-BJP alliance.  Advocate P Wilson is credited with some of DMK's most important legal victories in recent years, including the recent tussle with the AIADMK government over the Marina burial plot following former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's death. M Shanmugam, General Secretary of the party's Labour Progressive Front (LPF) meanwhile was rewarded for the heralding several labour-related issues including the recent trade union unrest in Yamaha and Royal Enfield factories.

Body 2: 

TN government school denies admission to HIV positive student, probe ordered

July 11, 2019, 8:09 pm

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Crime

The 15-year-old was allegedly forced to drop out from the school by headmaster K Kamaraj.

TNM Staff

(Image for representation)

The alleged discrimination over the admission of a 15-year-old HIV positive boy at a government in Perambalur, has propelled the the Director of School Education into action. ToI reports that director S Kanappan has sought a report on the denial of admission and directed the district Chief Education Officer to ensure that the student is allowed to join the school.  According to reports, Kumar* studied at this school till Class 8 but shifted to another government-run institution when his mother passed away. He however wanted to return to the first school to continue class 10. When he approached the headmaster, K Kamaraj, he was told to attend classes for a week. The recently appointed headmaster stated that Kumar will be evaluated for a week and then a decision taken on whether he can stay.  However, TNIE reports that Kamraj discovered that Kumar was HIV positive within days of this decision and forced him to drop out. Following this, on Wednesday, Kumar's family demanded an explanation from the school.  This is then resulted in an argument with Kamaraj and the boy's aunt has told ToI that her nephew was being discriminated against because he was HIV positive. His father, who is also HIV positive, alleged the same.  Even the CEO K Arularangan, who they next approached, reportedly gave the headmaster a long rope and offered to admit Kumar to a government school in the neighbouring village. Relatives told TNIE that the CEO claimed other boys in the school might feel ‘uncomfortable’ and that the headmaster was an ‘adamant person’.  However following media reports, the CEO has now admitted that the headmaster could have handled the situation better and promised admission to the student. The government has promised to look after the boy's admission as well but his relatives have demanded action against the headmaster.  But the president of the parent teachers association A Raghavan pointed out that this episode is likely to affect the student. "The boy used to travel all the way to Chennai every month to get his tablets from a government hospital instead of procuring it from Perambalur. He didn't want people in the village and his classmates to know about his ailment but now the entire village knows about it after the episode," he told ToI.  *Names changed  

Body 2: 

First train carrying water for parched Chennai finally leaves Jolarpet

July 11, 2019, 9:11 pm

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Water crisis

On each trip, the train will carry 25 lakh litres of water and a total of four trips will be made.

TNM Staff

The first train carrying water from Jolarpet railway station in Vellore district to Chennai finally begun its journey on Friday. This is expected to bring an additional 10 MLD of water per day to the capital which is reeling under acute scarcity of the essential resource. Adorned with flowers and bearing a poster stating 'Drinking water for Chennai', train number 23907 departed from the Jolarpet station at 7.20 am. It is expected to arrive in Chennai after four hours. As many as 50 wagons with capacity of 54,000 litres each have been brought from Rajasthan to be attached to the train and carry water. However each wagon will only carry 50,000 litres of water. On each trip, the train will carry 25 lakh litres of water and a total of four trips per day will be made. Each trip will cost the the state government Rs 8,40,000. The Chief Minister had sanctioned a fund allocation of Rs 65 crore for the entire project. The train embarks on this journey after multiple delays that pushed the deadline three days later than expected. While the workers were initially confident of finishing all works by Tuesday evening and starting supply on Wednesday morning, they missed the schedule. Reports state that a trial run to pump water into the pipeline was scheduled for Tuesday morning but got delayed. Workers were busy getting the water mains ready near the filling point while TANGEDCO workers were installing a transformer near the pump house in Mettusakkarakuppam where the underground storage tank with a capacity of 5.05 lakh litres is located. A 3.2 km pipeline connecting Mettusakkarakuppam to the railway yard in Jolarpet was being readied by TWAD Board authorities. Explaining the reason for the delay in works, an official was quoted by the New Indian Express as saying, “We had to encounter some problems in running the pipe under a culvert. It took a little more time on Monday, so other work too got delayed.” In June, soon after rejecting Kerala’s offer of a one time supply of 2 MLD of water to the city, Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami announced that Chennai will be getting water from the neighbouring district. According to reports, this is the first time in 18 years that the capital city will bring water from other places in train wagons.  

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Lawyer Kiruba accuses activist Piyush Manush of targeting her with Mugilan video

July 12, 2019, 2:33 am

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Controversy

While Kiruba Munusamy has alleged that the activist sought a sexual favour from her when she was working with him in 2016, Piyush Manush has said he is open to an inquiry.

TNM Staff

Supreme Court advocate and anti caste activist Kiruba Munusamy has reiterated her allegations of sexual harassment against Tamil Nadu-based activist Piyush Manush, days after he defended fellow activist Mugilan— who has been accused of rape. On Sunday, Piyush posted a video to his Facebook page and claimed that the rape allegation against activist Mugilan was part of the effort to discredit the ‘goodwill’ enjoyed by activists. In defending Mugilan, he drew parallels to the allegations of sexual harassment that he faced from Kiruba. In 2016, Kiruba had accused Piyush of sexual harassment; she alleged that Piyush had asked for a sexual favour when she had worked with him while she was still a law student at the Salem Law College.  RS Mugilan, Coordinator of Tamil Nadu Environment Protection Movement, had gone missing in February this year. Opposition party political leaders and activists in the state had alleged that it was an enforced disappearance since Mugilan had blamed top cops in the state for the killing of 13 civilians during the anti-Sterlite protests in May last year. Over a month after he disappeared, a woman social activist in Karur district filed a case of rape against him. Mugilan was spotted in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday and was arrested by the CB-CID on the rape charge on Sunday. Read: ‘He vanished to avoid confrontation': Woman who accused Mugilan of rape to TNM The allegation Kiruba has said that she worked under Piyush Manush for about a month and a half around 2006- 2007. She quit after she allegedly faced sexual harassment and claims that she was not paid salary that was due to her. In a Facebook post in July 2016, Kiruba wrote, “On top of all this, all the women who have worked with him, including me, definitely have complaints regarding his behaviour. In particular, he cunningly told me a story about how only owls have a relationship with a male [owl] all their lives and that we are not owls. I don't need to explain why he said that story. I don't wish to say anything more than this.” With her name being dragged in to cite similarities with the rape charge against Mugilan, Kiruba took to social media on Wednesday and reiterated the allegation. “Now utilizing Environmentalist Mukilan's arrest on a rape complaint by his colleague, with whom he reportedly was having an extra-marital affair, Piyush has posted a video on his FB alleging that I too made a false sexual harassment allegation and there's a pattern in it. Without any evidence, he says that two of my friends have been gifted 1.5 acres land by ISHA Jaggi and when he messaged I've not denied it. The way he had cunningly framed me as a government-corporate stooge, shows that he had been waiting for an opportunity to revenge me.” (sic) she wrote. She also recounted that when she had shared her ordeal in 2016, she was met with casteist, sexist and body-shaming remarks. Piyush had been imprisoned after a protest at the time and a large section of the civil society in the state had rallied to his support, against the government. Since Kiruba’s allegations had come after his arrest and imprisonment, her ‘timing’ was questioned and ‘motives’ suspected. Despite her years-long work fighting against discriminatory governmental policies and speaking up for the rights of the marginalised, she was accused of being set-up by the state.  The video Soon after Mugilan’s arrest, Piyush, who also runs a bamboo business, recalled that he was physically and mentally tortured in custody when he was jailed in 2016. In the video on his Facebook page, Piyush calls such allegations of sexual misconduct a ‘pattern’ against those activists who take on the government."On the seventh day, when my wife applied for bail, Kiruba Munuswamy wrote an article about me, [stating that] I have not filed RTI, I have not gone to jail and that I stole bamboo. In the end she says that I told her that only owls have sex with one partner [all their lives] but we are humans. She leaves it at that. She doesn't make any charges that I pulled her by hand or leg. The article goes viral because someone scolds her using her skin colour.”  Piyush also names the woman activist who complained against Mugilan. Piyush's video at this juncture, dragging in Kiruba's name, has been slammed by many as his effort to discredit her work in the public sphere and rake up a controversy. ‘Open to inquiry’ Piyush reiterated on Thursday that he was open to an independent enquiry regarding the allegation of sexual harassment. “With regard to the accusations of sexual misconduct, theft of bamboo, financial malpractices and disproportionate accumulation of wealth that Kiruba Munusamy has made against me . I am open to an enquiry either by police, court or by an independent and fair panel with members recommended by Kiruba Munusamy.” (sic) he wrote on Facebook. The lawyer was widely body-shamed soon after she made the allegations; supporters of the activist posted casteist, colourist and sexist comments in response to her post. Condemning the discriminatory responses from his supporters, Piyush had said, “The crass responses of certain people purporting to support me were brought to my notice. I unequivocally condemn the casteist and sexist nature of those remarks.”  Read: Me Too: Why many women don’t speak out about sexual abuse ‘immediately’

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Madras HC dismisses TN govt plea challenging Rs 100 cr penalty for not cleaning rivers

July 12, 2019, 2:43 am

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Court

In February, the NGT slapped a fine of Rs 100 crore on the Tamil Nadu government for failing to control pollution and restore Chennai’s waterways.

TNM Staff

The Madras High Court on Friday dismissed a petition filed by the Tamil Nadu government, challenging the Rs 100 crore penalty imposed on the state by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for failing to clean the Buckingham Canal, Adyar and Cooum river. The bench stated that the government would only be able to approach the Supreme Court for appeal against any order by NGT. In February, the NGT slapped a fine of Rs 100 crore on the Tamil Nadu government for failing to control pollution and restore Chennai’s waterways. The NGT passed the order while disposing of several petitions on Wednesday. In the strongly worded order, the NGT not only criticised the state government for failing to take action against entities responsible for polluting the waterways, but also accused them of complacency and colluding with the polluters. The NGT pointed out that the state authorities have had a history of non-compliance on the issue, even though the tribunal has been making several observations and giving directions to restore, conserve and remove encroachments from the waterways since 2014. Pointing out that while Rs 600 crore were made available for the restoration of the project, the NGT noted that it has made negligible progress since the time of its launch in 2015. The government, however, later appealed to the High Court and on April 9, an interim stay was granted on the penalty to be paid. The state had challenged the NGT's order and argued that it was based on mistake of facts, contrary to principles of natural justice, arbitrary and unreasonable. However, on Friday, after arguments were heard, a division bench of Justices R Subbaiah and Krishna Ramaswamy held that the petition was non-maintainable. They further pointed out that as per Section 22 of the NGT Act, an appeal against an order from the tribunal can only be made in the Supreme Court. The state, therefore, will still be required to pay the penalty of Rs. 100 crore to the Central Pollution Control Board, following the judgement. Its petition was further dismissed.  

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Ministers thirsty for publicity delay Chennai water train's inauguration by 3 hours

July 12, 2019, 3:54 am

≫ Next: Man in Tamil Nadu attacked for eating beef, four men arrested

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Water crisis

The locomotive which arrived at 11.30 am stood at a shed in Kurukupettai, waiting for hours.

Priyanka Thirumurthy

On Friday, the first train carrying water from Jolarpet in Vellore district finally arrived in Tamil Nadu's capital. For the water-starved city of Chennai, the promised 10 MLD of water, was a necessary intervention to battle the ongoing crisis. However. while the train arrived on time to dispel the anxiety of the city's residents, elected politicians took over three hours to flag off its journey to the storage centre from the Chennai station.    The locomotive which arrived at 11.15 am stood at a shed in Kurukupettai, waiting for hours, for Tamil Nadu's top ministers to make an appearance at the Villivakkam junction before it could be unloaded and leave for its second trip of the day. A total of four train trips have been planned with 50 wagons carrying 25 lakh litres of water on every ride. But the first dispatch which arrived exactly four hours after departing from Vellore, was delayed for around three and half hours for the political class to come pose and take credit for. And it seems the politicians were waiting for an auspicious time to inaugurate the train.  The path to the railway tracks was plastered with posters welcoming Municipal Administration and Rural Development Minister SP Velumani to the event. Several tents were set up with red carpets in anticipation of the minister's arrival and AIADMK flags were whipping through the air.  Three and a half hours after the train arrived, SP Velumani along with Minister Mafoi Pandiarajan and D Jayakumar finally came to the station. The locomotive too was brought back to Villivakkam after the leaders arrived.  The Ministers then waited for photos and videos to be shot of them in front of the train before holding a press conference.  SP Velumani then said, "25 MLD of water in 50 railway wagons have reached Chennai's Villivakkam railway yard. The water will be taken to a storage facility in Kilpauk from where it will be further distributed to residences." In June, soon after rejecting Kerala’s offer of a one time supply of 2 MLD of water to the city, Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami announced that Chennai will be getting water from the neighbouring district. According to reports, this is the first time in 18 years that the capital city will bring water from other places in train wagons.

Body 2: 

Man in Tamil Nadu attacked for eating beef, four men arrested

July 12, 2019, 6:16 am

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Crime

As news of the attack went viral, #beef4life and #WeLoveBeef began to trend on Twitter.

Priyanka Thirumurthy

At 3.18 pm on Thursday, 24-year-old Mohamed Fisan, a resident of Perumal Koil street in Keevaloor, Nagapattinam, posted a picture of him eating curry on Facebook. With a large piece of meat sticking from the bowl, Mohamed’s smiling picture carried the caption – "You can say a thousand things, but beef curry is beef curry". Little did he know that within four hours of posting this picture, he would be subjected to a brutal attack for an act as innocent as relishing his meal. Around to 7 pm that day, four men – N Dinesh Kumar (28), R Agathian (29), A Ganesh Kumar (27) and M Mohankumar (28) – attacked Mohamed on the streets. According to police sources, he was stabbed with a knife and beaten with iron rods. But Mohamed, speaking to the media from a bed in the Nagapattinam government hospital, insisted that his attackers belong to the Hindu Munnai. "After my Facebook post on the beef curry, some members of the Hindu Makkal Katchi opposed it," he alleges. "They yelled at me saying I can't eat beef curry. But I insisted it was my right. They then took sickles and rods to beat me. They were wearing masks and only let me go because a police officer came to the spot," he adds. As news of the attack went viral, #beef4life nad #beef began to trend on Twitter. Several social media users pointed out that they have the right to choose what to eat and began to post pictures of beef dishes in response to the attack. I don’t eat meat, let alone beef, but I don’t believe in policing food choices. TN is not where you can start lynching people for eating beef, NO as a commmunity we reject this kind of stupidity in our Periyar soil தமிழன் என்றொரு இனமுண்டு தனயே அவர்க்கொரு குணமுண்டு #beef4life — ‏پربھا (@deepsealioness) July 12, 2019   These are TOP 3 trends in India right now. A Muslim man was thrashed in Tamil Nadu because of Beef. Now Tamil people are supporting their right to eat Beef. #Beef4life #WeLoveBeef #BeefForLife pic.twitter.com/DRj28HVSlr — Md Asif Khan‏‎‎‎‎‎‎ آصِف (@imMAK02) July 12, 2019   Eat Beef, fight Hindutva fascism, don't let them dictate our food, Not in TN#SchezwanBeef #Beef4life pic.twitter.com/Gx4haswsy8— புலி அரசன் (@PuliArason) July 12, 2019   I hav eaten beef only once accidentally mistaking chilli beef for Chilli chicken. I didn't like the taste but I support ppl who eat beef. It is none of ur business to tell others what they should eat especially when beef consumption has been in practice sine long. #Beef4life— Muthu (@muthurajk) July 12, 2019   Ummm amazing Sikkim beef #BeefForLife #WeLoveBeef pic.twitter.com/g3vv8WhiF6 — Pragmatic Patriot (@IndianBismarck) July 12, 2019 The four attackers have been arrested and booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 153(A) (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc), 307 (Attempt to murder), 506(ii) (Criminal intimidation), 324 (Voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 294 (b) (Uttering obscene words in a public place).   

Body 2: 

Madurai building collapse: Documents forged to build a second floor, reveals probe

July 12, 2019, 6:44 am

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Building collapse

Four construction workers lost their lives due to the sudden building collapse at Checkanurani on July 5.

Anjana Shekar

It has now come to light that the two-storied building that collapsed in Checkanurani, Madurai, on July 5 killing four construction workers, did not have authorisation for a second floor. The probe has revealed that documents were forged for the construction a second floor. Usilampatti DSP Raja who was investigating the case tells TNM that when they went through the site plans, certain discrepancies in it led them to discuss with the Panchayat officials. “We found out that the owner had approval only for the first floor. We then discussed further with Panchayat officials,” he says. Speaking to TNM, Panchayat Assistant Director Selvaraj who lead a team to investigate the documents further found out that Kokulam Panchayat Secretary Kasimayan flouted rules to forge documents. “We found out that he did not take it to his higher officials. The approval should have come from the Block Development Officers. But he seems to have forged their signatures,” he says. As a first step, Kasimayan has been suspended from his post with immediate effect. “We are investigating further. We will proceed based on instructions from the Collector,” he adds. The sudden building collapse at Pasumpon Street in Checkanurani on July 5 caused commotion in the area. While 45-year-old A Kasinathan was found dead the same day, two others, Kasinathan’s son 21-year-old K Arunkumar and 37-year-old Balamurugan aka Balu, were found on Sunday. Fire and Rescue services along with police and revenue officers rushed to the spot to begin rescue operations that lasted for several hours. One other worker, Muthupandi, succumbed to his injuries three days later on July 8. A total of seven labourers, all from surrounding villages, were working on the newly elevated second floor of the proposed residential building. 43-year-old M Madhavan, the building’s owner, was arrested the very next day. 

Body 2: 

TN activists protest as Centre reiterates nod for controversial neutrino project

July 12, 2019, 6:51 am

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Neutrino

The project has received criticism from environmental activists who have alleged that it would be hazardous to the fragile ecosystem in Theni, Tamil Nadu.

Manasa Rao

The India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO), a particle physics research project that aims to study atmospheric neutrinos, has received the go ahead from the Centre even as it has been the subject of controversy in Tamil Nadu. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Union Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh, who oversees the Department of Atomic Energy and Space, reiterated that the Centre had approved a project to build the neutrino observatory at Pottipuram in Theni. “Briefly, the project aims to set up a 51,000-ton Iron Calorimeter (ICAL) detector to observe naturally occurring atmospheric neutrinos in a cavern at the end of an approximately 2 km long tunnel in a mountain. This will help to reduce the noise from cosmic rays that is ever present over-ground and which would outnumber the rare neutrino interactions even in a detector as large as ICAL (sic),” the Minister explained in his reply.  Environmental activists from the state have raised concerns regarding the project being located in the fragile ecosystem of the Western ghats. The mountain range of the western coast of India is considered one of the “hottest hotspots” of biological diversity in the world according to UNESCO, which has also conferred it a World Heritage Site status. Poovulagin Nanbargal is the environmental movement at the forefront of the protest against the construction of the project in the ecologically sensitive area. The group had earlier alleged that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change was giving the project a go-ahead without either a public hearing or an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). With regard to the environmental concerns, the Minister’s reply in the Upper House notes, “The INO project does not disturb the ecosystem around the site and does not release any radiation, as it does not have any radioactive substance. It measures cosmic rays.” He added that this neutrino detector would be the first of its kind in India. Speaking to TNM, G Sundarrajan of Poovulagin Nanbargal says that the Centre’s nod comes even as cases against the project are pending with stay in both the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, which has ordered that clearance be sought from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, and the Supreme Court, which has ordered that clearance be sought from the Animal Welfare Board of India. "The impact of blasting five lakh to six lakh rocks has not been studied. The EIA says so too. The second phase of the project is of concern to us since it intends to manufacture neutrino beams. This is questionable in terms of radiation, functionality, usage, implications and application," G Sundarrajan says. 

Body 2: 

SC stays Madras High Court proceedings against Nakkeeran Gopal

July 12, 2019, 8:11 pm

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Court

Nakkeeran Gopal was arrested under Section 124 of the IPC after an article on Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit appeared in his magazine.

TNM Staff

The Supreme Court has stayed proceedings initiated against Tamil magazine editor Nakkeeran Gopal by the Madras High Court, after his arrest in March this year. Nakkeeran Gopal had been arrested under Section 124 of the Indian Penal Code after an article on Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit in his magazine Nakkeeran. This section pertains to assaulting the President or Governor with intent to compel or restrain exercise of any lawful power. According to a report in The Hindu, a Bench of Justices SA Nazeer and R Subhash Reddy sought the response of the magazine and its editor in order to examine the Tamil Nadu government's objections to the stay order of the Madras High Court. Earlier this month, the Madras High Court stayed proceedings pending before the II Metropolitan Magistrate, Egmore, against Nakkeeran Gopal and his employees.  Gopal was arrested in October last year but was granted bail shortly thereafter. The cover story of the Nakkeeran magazine's September edition showed the pictures of Nirmala Devi, an accused in the 'sex for cash' scam and the Governor. The cover said that Nirmala Devi had told CB-CID, which is investigating the case, that she had met the Governor four times. The story had questioned why the Governor has not been made part of the inquiry.  Nirmala Devi, an assistant professor in Devangar Arts College in Virudhunagar district, was arrested after four students complained that she tried to lure them to provide sexual favours to the officers. The students also submitted audio recordings of their conversations with Nirmala Devi. In the recordings, Nirmala Devi had claimed that she knew several high-level officers including the Governor. According to the newspaper, Attorney General KK Venugopal appeared for the Tamil Nadu government and stated that the Governor had been 'subjected to scurrilous attacks by the reports published in the magazine’.

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