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Chanting mantras, breaking barriers: Kerala's first Dalit priest takes charge

Agencies
October 9, 2017

Pathnamthitta, Oct 9: Yedu Krishnan scripted history today by becoming the first Dalit priest in Kerala to assume duties at the sanctum sanctorum of the Manappuram Lord Shiva Temple at nearby Thiruvalla.

In a landmark step, 36 non-brahmins were recently recommended for appointment in various temples under the Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages at least 1,248 shrines in the state, including the famous Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala.

Son of P K Ravi and Leela, Krishnan (22) had undergone 10 years training in Tantra Shastra. He is among six Dalits out of the 36 non-Brahmins recommended for appointment as priests by the Kerala Devaswom Recruitment Board.

The young priest took blessings of his guru K K Aniruddhan Thantri and entered the shrine with present chief priest Gopakumar Namboodiri, chanting mantras, temple officials said.

Hailing from Koratty in Thrissur district, Krishnan is a final year postgraduate student in Sanskrit. He had begun performing pooja at the age of 15 at a local temple near his house.

Krishan's presence inside the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine comes at a time when Kerala is set to observe the 81st anniversary of the historic Temple Entry proclamation on November 12.

The proclamation was a royal decree, which opened the temples in the erstwhile state of Travancore to the so-called lower caste Hindus in 1936. 

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coastaldigest.com news network
July 18,2020

Mangaluru, July 18: A man and his son have been arrested for torturing an elderly woman in Savanalu under Belthangady police station limits in Dakshina Kannada. 

The arrest came after a video clip of the duo beating the woman went viral on social media.

According to police, the duo has been identified as the woman’s son Srinivas Shetty and her grandson Pradeep Shetty.

The accused had allegedly been torturing the 70-year-old ailing woman and the video of the same has gone viral on social media.

The police have booked a suo moto case under Indian Penal Code 323, 504 and section 24 of Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007.

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coastaldigest.com web desk
July 27,2020

New Delhi, Jul 27: A month after banning 59 Chinese applications, the government of Indian has now reportedly banned 47 more apps of Chinese origin in the country. According to sources, the 47 banned Chinese apps were operating as clones of the earlier banned apps. 

The list of the 47 Chinese applications banned by the Indian government will be released soon.

India has also prepared a list of over 250 Chinese apps, including apps linked to Alibaba, that it will examine for any user privacy or national security violations, government sources said. The list also includes Tencent-backed gaming app PUBG.

Some top gaming Chinese applications are also expected to be banned in the new list that is being drawn up, sources said. The Chinese applications, that are being reviewed, have allegedly been sharing data with the Chinese agencies.

Today's decision follows after a high-profile ban of 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, as border tensions continued in Ladakh after a violent, fatal face-off between the Indian and Chinese armies. The government said these apps were engaged in activities that were prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity and defence of India.

A government press release announcing the ban stated: "The Ministry of Information Technology, invoking it's power under section 69A of the Information Technology Act read with the relevant provisions of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking of Access of Information by Public) Rules 2009 and in view of the emergent nature of threats has decided to block 59 apps since in view of information available they are engaged in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order".

A day later, Google said it has removed all the banned applications from the Play Store. Following the ban, TikTok refuted the claims that suggest it will pursue legal action against the Indian government for banning the app in India.

Reacting to the 59 apps banned by India, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the country is "strongly concerned regarding the decision of the Indian government".

“China is strongly concerned, verifying the situation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

"We want to stress that the Chinese government always asks Chinese businesses to abide by international and local laws-regulations. The Indian government has a responsibility to uphold the legal rights of international investors including Chinese ones," Zhao Lijian said.

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News Network
May 30,2020

Madikeri, May 30: Environmentalists have opposed the Karnataka Forest Department and the Public Works Department’s move to erect concrete pillars and marking of trees to construct a proposed road from Patti to Todikana within the Talacauvery Wildlife Sanctuary near Talacauvery in Kodagu District.

They have urged for immediate stopping of road works in a protected area.

In a letter to Conservator of Forests, Mysuru Circle, T Heeralal and DCF (Territorial and In-charge Wildlife) S Prabhakaran, the Trustees of Wildlife First K M Chinnappa and A A Poovaiah have termed the road works illegal and violates Supreme Court order on National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries.

The letter’s copy has also been sent to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force), and Kodagu Deputy Commissioner urging them to halt the progress of the road works. “Patti and Todikana are at the core of the Talacauvery Wildlife Sanctuary and such unilateral activities without complete approval on completion of the statutorily mandated procedure (both under Forest Conservation Act and Wild Life Protection Act),” the letter stated.

The letter added that they would be forced to move the Courts and the officers who have given approval to the project would face legal consequences.

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