Tension grips TN’s Vedaranyam as clashes erupt between Dalits and Caste Hindus

News Network
August 26, 2019

Nagapattinam, Aug 26: Tension prevailed in Vedaranyam and surrounding areas in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu as clashes erupted between casteist Hindus and dalits following attack on a lower caste man last evening.

The clash broke out at around when a Dalit man, Ramachandran, was found in front of a parked SUV, screaming from grievous injury on his leg.

The suspect, named Pandiyan, a functionary of a dominant caste-based outfit, allegedly injured Ramachandran, quickly got out of the SUV and ran into Vedaranyam police Station to seek refuge but was soon recognised by Ramachandran’s supporters.

Pandemonium broke loose in minutes when news spread that Pandiyan had hacked Ramachandran over the previous enmity. Ramachandran was rushed to the nearby, Vedaranyam government hospital.

His friends and supporters gathered in front of Vedaranyam police station and demanded that Pandiyan be sent out.

The station was understaffed to control the growing mob due to bandobast in Velankanni.

The audacious mob bludgeoned Pandiyan’s SUV for more than 15 minutes, before torching the vehicle.

The fumes engulfed the area including the Vedaranyam bus stand and the police station but were soon doused by fire services. The frustrated mob then stoned the police station.

On hearing about Pandiyan’s torched vehicle, his supporters gathered in front of the station and vandalised the statue of Dr BR Amedkar situated in between the police station and the bus stand.

Witnessing the clash, the public went haywire, some even recorded the acts on their mobile phones.

Clashes continued to break out even near the Vedaranyam government hospital where Ramachandran was admitted.

He was later rushed to Tiruvarur Medical College Hospital for further treatment. The two supporters of Pandiyan who were allegedly attacked were also admitted to the same hospital.

Heavy security was deployed near Vedaranyam bus stand and the general hospital on Sunday night. Further investigation is underway at the Vedaranyam Police Station.

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News Network
January 27,2020

Mangaluru, Jan 27: JD(S) leader and former Labour Minister K Amarnath Shetty passed away at a private hospital in Mangaluru on Monday morning. He was 80. Shetty was unwell for sometime, and was admitted to the hospital a few days ago, family sources said.

Amarnath Shetty, a trustee of Alva's Education Foundation (AEF), had joined politics in 1965.

He became the president of Paladka Gram Panchayat and soon was elected as MLA from Moodbdri constituency in 1983. He won the successive elections held in the same constituency in 1987 and 1994. He had served as Tourism and later as Labour Minister.

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News Network
June 11,2020

Mangaluru, Jun 11: Amid rising COVID-19 cases in the district, the officials of Pilikula Zoological Park are also following quarantine policies for animals similar to those for people arriving in the state from other places.

Zoo officials said that these rules apply only for animals that are brought from other locations.

The officials are keeping animals brought in a separate room for one to two months and their health is monitored by expert Doctors. If there are no symptoms of any diseases, the animals will be clubbed with other Zoo animals.

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coastaldigest.com web desk
February 1,2020

Shivamogga, Feb 1: A three-year-old girl who fell out of a moving vehicle had a miraculous escape in Agumbe Ghat section in Teerthahalli taluk of Shivamogga district of Karnataka.

The incident took place in the early hours of Friday when 12 members from three different families were returning from a tour of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The girl was reunited with her family after 30 minutes of high drama.

The child, identified as Anavi, is believed to have fallen from the vehicle as it negotiated hairpin bends on the Agumbe Ghat road, 350km from Bengaluru. The child's parents, Binu and Lincy, from NR Pura in Chikkamagaluru district, and other family members reportedly dozed off and did not realize the child had fallen off the vehicle until they covered a distance of about 20km.

One of the family members noticed that child was missing from the seat next to the door. When the driver realized the door latch had given way, they suspected the child could have slipped out of the vehicle.

Then the family started searching along the road and learnt from a forest guard at the Agumbe checkpost that a missing child was found and it had been handed over to Agumbe police station.

An advocate who identified himself as Vinay spotted the girl child as he passed the deserted stretch minutes after the vehicle left and picked her up and handed her over to Agumbe police.

The child sustained minor injuries in the fall. She was provided medical treatment before she was handed over to the parents.

Sources said it wasn't known how the vehicle door opened. One theory is that the girl could have accidentally unlocked the door while clutching the latch in the bumpy ride on the ghat. Police did not file any complaint.

Similar incident

This incident is almost a rerun of a Kerala incident in which a one-year-old baby fell off a moving jeep and was reunited with its mother hours later in September 2019 in Idukki district.

The baby had slipped off the mother's arms while she dozed off in the vehicle. CCTV footage showed the baby, after falling on the road, crawling towards a lit-up area close by, which turned out to be a forest checkpost. Family realised child was missing after 20km.

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