Former VC of Mangalore University Prof. TC Shivashankara Murthy dies

Kasaragod, Mar 11: An accused in a POCSO case here has been put in an isolation ward at the Government hospital on Wednesday as he was suspected having symptoms of Covid19.

The accused has been absconding ever since a case under POCSO Act was registered against him a year ago.

However acting on a tip off, the Kasaragod police arrested him at Mangalore Airport recently and was produced before the Court and was remanded to judicial custody.

Newsroom, Jan 24: BJP leader and Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Shobha Karandlaje has been booked by Kerala police over a misleading and communally provocative social media post.

Karandlaje had tweeted that that Hindus from a colony in Kuttipuram in Malappuram district were denied water supply as they supported the the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). 

"Kerala is taking baby steps to become another Kashmir. Hindus of Kuttipuram Panchayat of Malappuram was denied water supply as they supported #CAA2019. #SevaBharati has been supplying water ever since. Will Lutyens telecast this intolerance of PEACEFULS frm God's Own Country!?," she tweeted. 

A case has been booked under section 153(A) of IPC (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race etc). Karandlaje took to Twitter to slam the Kerala government, and said it had lodged a complaint against her instead of acting against the discrimination faced by dalit families of Cherukunnu. 

"It is high time the society unites against these pressure tactics of a non-performing, biased left government," she said. 

Karandlaje claimed that the CAA had been accepted by both houses of Parliament and people supporting the Act were facing boycott in business and were being denied basic amenities and jobs. "The CPI(M) government is blind to all these incidents across Kerala, but files a case against me for speaking the truth!" she retorted.

According to reportage from multiple outlets, the colony in Malappuram district's Kuttippuram was dependent on a private individual for water; then came accusations that they were denied the water for attending BJP's pro-CAA rally. 

A resident of the colony was quoted by a newspaper, “We were denied drinking water because our husbands participated in a meeting organised to gather support for the CAA. Some people told the family that they should not give drinking water to us because CAA is a threat to the people in their community.” 

However, the individual in question denied the accusation, claiming a lack of water because of technical issues.

The case was registered after a complaint by lawyer Subhash Chandran, a resident of Malappuram. Aravindan E.A., SI of Kuttippuram police, said, "From a private person's borewell, water was being provided to the people of the colony. This motor had taken for agricultural work and he was recently issued a warning by State Electricity Board. He was told that if he uses the motor for any other purpose, power supply would be disconnected. He then had stopped using the pump following the crisis worsened.”

New Delhi, Feb 24: A book on the history of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will become a part of a course in the Islamic University of Indonesia, as the party’s two consecutive victories in India’s general elections has evoked interest among academicians, a faculty member said.

The book, titled Bhartiya Janata Party — Past, Present & Future, Story of World’s Largest Political Party and written by Shantanu Gupta, will become a part of the syllabus for undergraduate students of South Asian studies in the Department of International Relations.

Hadza Min Fadhli, a faculty member at the university, said there was a rising interest in the BJP’s rise among academicians in Indonesia, especially after the party won two general elections in India.

He said the book would be part of the syllabus for undergraduate courses in South Asian studies in the Department of International Relations.

Mr. Hadza said he got to know about the book during a recent visit to India as part of the Kautilya Fellowship programme, organised by the India Foundation. “We in Indonesia intend to further strengthen our relations with India. Therefore, it is important to understand its ruling party. We expect the BJP would also intend to do the same,” Mr. Hadza said.

When asked about the book being selected to be a part of a course in an Indonesian university, Mr. Gupta said global recognition of his work is immensely satisfying.

This book chronicles the history of the BJP which, Mr. Gupta said, described the saffron party as the latest political manifestation of the various nationalist movements that the country has seen.

Mr. Gupta has authored five other books, including a biography of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and a book on football in India.