Kathua rape: Youngsters with saffron links were masterminds behind undeclared hartal in Kerala

coastaldigest.com web desk
April 22, 2018

Kasaragod, Apr 22: The police in Kerala have arrested five youngsters in connection with the undeclared hartal of April 16 in the state over the rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl in a temple at Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir.

The arrested have been identified as Amarnath (20), from Urukunnu in Kollam, Sudheesh (22), Akhil (23), Gokul Shekhar (21), and Cyril from Thiruvananthapuram. Interestingly all of them allegedly have links with saffron outifits. Amarnath was a prominent member of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh till last year.

The police have charged the accused of inciting enmity between groups on the grounds of religion and remanded them in judicial custody. Senior police officers Debesh Kumar Behera and Jaleel Thottathil supervised the probe.

According to police, Amarnath was responsible for the online mobilisation for the flash hartal that put communities on edge and disrupted life in different parts of Kerala including Kasaragod district.

A Plus Two open university student, Amarnath deserted the RSS along with 30 others in his locality, including his father, last year.

Subsequently, he emerged as an influential leader among his friends and started criticising both RSS and Muslim groups. Others who had abandoned the RSS similarly formed the bulk of his followers on Facebook and WhatsApp.

Perinthalmanna DySP M P Mohanachandran, who probed the case, said that Kathua incident provided these youngsters an opportunity to became popular.

Encouraged by the swelling number of followers on the social media, he created two exclusive WhatsApp groups ‘Voice for Youth’ and ‘Justice for Sisters’. More people started joining the group and started condemning Sangh Parivar for its purported role in defending the accused in the brutal rape and murder.

SDPI denies role

According to police, Amarnath instigated the people to take to the streets rather than confining their agitation to social media. His message resonated strongly among netizens, including Muslim groups such as SDPI and PFI.

“The SDPI subsequently weaponised Amarnath’s posts about the Kathua incident and used its exclusive online messaging groups to invigorate its cadres and prompt them to unleash direct action in the physical realm”, a police officer was quoted as saying by local media.

However, SDPI leaders has denied the allegation of the police. Meanwhile, another Muslim party, Welfare Party of India, said that it had opposed the flash hartal.

Comments

Kumar
 - 
Sunday, 22 Apr 2018

Police did good job by uncovering the links. Should ban many saffron political wings.. under modi rule it wont happen..

Farooq
 - 
Sunday, 22 Apr 2018

I didnt understand how muslims became this much fools. Why they staged protest by a whatsapp msg that also faked by some cheddis.. People should be some more careful

Vivek
 - 
Sunday, 22 Apr 2018

Saffrons wanted to ban SDPI. That's why they planned and moved like this with a fake hartal. But atlast police revealed everything.. Hats off for the unbiased probe

True.. Modi ji did many good things, but media always highlighting negative things. And in Kathua rape issue, media making unwanted sensationalism to tarnish BJP image

Babu Gowda
 - 
Sunday, 22 Apr 2018

Indian media highlighting only negativity and spreading their own assumptions.. Everything paid prestitutes. 

Danish
 - 
Sunday, 22 Apr 2018

As usual RSS is the mastermind of all violences. not only in Kerala, everywhere in India same condition

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coastaldigest.com news network
July 22,2020

Kasaragod, Jul 22: An accused in a POCSO case jumped into the sea at Kasaba Coast near here on Wednesday.

Sources said the accused Mahesh (28), resident of Soorlu Kanhangad, was brought to the groyne ('pulimuttu' in Malayalam) at the coast for collecting evidence.

He escaped from the police and ran around 200 meters towards the sea and jumped into it. The effort to rescue him also failed.

Police, Fire & Rescue officials and fishermen are searching for the body of the accused.

Mahesh was arrested on charge of capturing the video of a minor girl in a washroom on his mobile. 

During interrogation, he had told the copse that he had hidden the mobile, which was used to video record the act, near the groyne. Accordingly, the police had brought him to this place.

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coastaldigest.com news network
May 10,2020

Bengaluru, May 10 The asymptomatic and healthy people among international passengers will now have to undergo institutional quarantine for 14 days, according to the new standard operating procedure (SoP) issued by the Karnataka government for a third time.

The SoP, which has been revised twice, was issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department on Saturday, May 9.

The international passengers will be divided into two categories upon their arrival at the airports. Symptomatic will be directly sent to the covid-19 hospitals. Asymptomatic will not be allowed to go home directly. They will be sent for mandatory quarantine for 14 days in hotels and guest houses. 

Earlier, international passengers had to undergo seven days of institutional and seven days of home quarantine.

Passengers will also be tested only twice — once on arrival and for the second time on the 14th day — instead of the earlier decision to test thrice. They will be discharged from the facility if they test negative.

The first group of 350 people are expected to arrive from London at 3 am on Monday at the Kempegowda International Airport, said Lakshman Reddy, Joint Director, Social Welfare Department. 

Flights are expected from Singapore on May 13, Jeddah on May 14 and San Francisco on May 15. 

Among the stranded include 4,408 tourists and visitors, 3,084 students, 2,784 migrants and 557 ship crew.

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News Network
February 10,2020

Udupi, Feb 10: The throat swabs of three suspected coronavirus patients in Udupi that was sent for tests have come back as negative.

Throat swabs of three persons who got admitted at a district government hospital in Udupi with symptoms of fever on Friday was sent to Bangalore medical college and research institute for test to know whether the admitted persons who returned from China 15 days back had contracted coronavirus.

The 30-year-old man from Kaup taluk had been China on personal work and had returned to Udupi 15 days back. Upon showing the symptoms of fever, throat pain and cold, he was suggested to get admitted.

He was admitted in the isolation ward and was directed to remain under quarantine till the observation period ends and till the test report is obtained.

Another family from Mandarthi, a man and his wife, who had returned after a tour from China 15 days back were also kept under observation at the isolation ward in the district government hospital, Udupi.

Udupi DC G Jagadish has said that there are no coronavirus case reported in Udupi and people need not panic. Sources said that the three tested negatives for coronavirus in Udupi will be discharged from the hospital on Monday.

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