Regional

New Delhi, Oct 30 (IANS) In a latest development in connection with the Coimbatore car-explosion case, the Tamil Nadu Police have handed over all the documents to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Seven accused have been arrested in the case by the TN Police. So far, the NIA has not made any official statement on the case.

On October 23, a blast took place near a temple in Coimbatore in which Jameesha Mubin, an engineer, was killed. Initially, the TN Police were looking into the matter and later on, the demand for NIA probe was raised. M.K. Stalin, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, also urged the MHA for the NIA probe.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had on October 27, ordered the NIA to takeover the probe.

The NIA then filed an FIR in this respect.

The FIR reads that a search operation was conducted at the house of the deceased Jamesha Mubin in which a number of incriminating documents were found. As many as 109 articles were seized during that raid.

The source said that notebooks were recovered in which their missions regarding Jihad were mentioned.

"We recovered black powder, potassium nitrate, nitroglycerin, PETN powder, aluminium powder, sulphur powder, sterile surgical," said the official.

--IANS
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By Sanjay Borkar
Panaji, Oct 30 (IANS) Hundreds of Sugarcane farmers in Goa are struggling to sell their yield for better price to traders from outside the state as the only Sugar factory of this coastal state has stopped operations for the last three years.



Sanjivani Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana (Sugar Factory) was set up in 1972 by the first Chief Minister of Goa Dayanand Bandodkar at Dharbandora in South Goa. It had an excellent track record at the initial stage with many farmers engaged to take production of this crop.

The sugar factory, however, went into losses in the last one decade or more and three years ago its operations were stopped stating it was not viable to operate. It was told then that after operations are stopped a new plant will be installed, which would also give by-product. However this has not come into reality yet.

According to reports, in 2017-18 around 789.48 ha land was under cultivation, with the engagement of 955 farmers producing 47,503.723 tonnes of sugarcane. In the subsequent year 798.64 ha land was under cultivation with the engagement of 865 farmers, who then produced 33,212.773 tonnes of sugarcane.

In 2020 the government announced to shut the operation of the sugar factory and production dropped to 26,282.61 tonnes, which was cultivated on 664.17 ha with engagement of 784 farmers.

Subsequent to it, Sugarcane farmers lost interest and in 2020-21 the production dropped to mere 31,202.188 ha and the number of farmers came down to 535. Only 431.57 ha of land was cultivated last year.

Many sugarcane farmers speaking to IANS have confirmed that this year too that the production will drop as the farmers have lost interest and many of them have started to grow vegetables in their fields.

The president of Goa Us Utpadan Sanghatana (Sugarcane Producers association) Rajendra Desai told IANS that due to the closure of sugar factory they are not getting a good rate for their crop.

"We are not getting a good rate. They (traders/contractors) ask for a cheaper rate. Traders have come to know the situation we are going through," Desai said.

"We want the sugar factory to start again as many families are dependent on production of sugarcane and we don't have any other option," he said.

He said that after the operations at the sugar factory were shut, the government took responsibility to deal their sugarcane with traders, but for only one year.

"Government helped us for only one year to deal with traders or sugar factories from neighboring states to purchase our sugarcane. Now in the last two years we are struggling to sell the produce," he said.

According to him Sugarcane cultivation is done in Sanguem, Quepem, Canacona, Dharbandora, Sattari, Bicholim and Pernem Talukas.

Sanguem, in South Goa, has maximum area under cultivation, which gives major production. Some farmers from Sanguem told that last year contractors lifted their produce assuring to give Rs 600 per tonne, however they are still not paid.

"We do hard work to cultivate sugarcane in our fields. But last year we felt cheated as contractors took advantage of our situation. Had the sugar factory not stopped the production, we would have not faced such hardship to get a good rate," farmer on condition of anonymity said.

In a bid to bring the loss-making factory in profit, late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in 2017 had advocated need to take by-product out of sugarcane

While telling the basic principle of the Sugar factory that if it (sugar) is established as a by-product the factory will run best, Parrikar had said that there is need to generate ethanol, alcohol, biomass, biogas from sugarcane waste.

He had asked the officials, then, to prepare a financial roadmap and to prepare points how this factory will come in profit.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari during the Assembly election campaign in 2017 had stressed the need to generate fuel from farm products. He had said that the alternate fuel can be generated from rice straw, wheat straw, cotton straw and used sugarcane waste. This had given hope to sugarcane farmers that the factory will grow and they will get good opportunities to sell their produce.

"We have to generate ethanol, alcohol, biomass, and biogas from sugarcane waste. For this I have asked for a detailed report. I want to address financial and production problems and have to ponder on which requirement we can convert positivity by ensuring generation of all products. Only after getting the detail report I will take decision.'' Parrikar had said.

Sugar Factory in Goa used to produce around 1300 bags of 50 kg sugar annually by procuring around 70,000 tonne sugarcane from the neighboring states and from local farmers which used to produce around 50,000 tonne.

According to sources, in 1990-91 around 1.5 metric tonne sugarcane was harvested in the state. But in recent years the production has dropped.

Narendra Sawaikar, chairman of Sugarcane Farmers Facilitation Committee and former MP, speaking to IANS said that Request for Quotation (RFQ) has been invited to set up an ethanol production plant at Dharbandora. "After this whole procedure gets complete, we will come to know the exact picture," he said.

--IANS
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Patna, Oct 23 (IANS) An administrator of the Maruti Manas Mandir in Bihar's Saran district died due to heart attack while he was giving a sermon to the devotees on Sunday evening, as per a viral video.

The video showed retired professor Ranjay Singh holding the microphone as he gave a sermon to people who came to the temple to worship Lord Hanuman, but then collapsing.

Other officials rushed to help him and took him to the nearby hospital where he was declared dead.

A former professor of Jagdam College in Chapra in Saran, Singh was the temple's full-time caretaker. He held the post of Chief Secretary of the temple administration and used to preach every evening.

People of Chapra are in shock following his demise in such a tragic manner.

--IANS
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Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 23 (IANS) In an unprecedented move, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has asked all nine Vice Chancellors of state varsities to resign from their respective posts.

Noting the action was following the Supreme Court ordering the resignation of the Kerala Technical University's Vice Chancellor, he directed the Vice Chancellors of the Calicut, Sanskrit, KTU, CUSAT, Fisheries, Malayalam, MG, Kannur, and Medical University to put in their papers before 11.30 am on Monday.

The Governor's office said that five of the Vice Chancellors were asked to go as they were selected without panel names during the selection of Vice Chancellor and thus "selected politically". The remaining four was selected through a process wherein eminent subject experts were not present in the selection committee, it added.

Reacting to the order, CPI-M state Secretary M.V. Govindan told media persons in Alappuzha that the party and the government would oppose the Governor's move which was anti-constitutional.

He said that the BJP and the RSS, which are not able to come to power directly, are trying backroom manoeuvrings to take hold of power in the state.

"This is a mad decision by the Governor and we will take all the recourses including legal options against this," Govindan said.

Sources in the government told IANS that the state Higher Education Department is holding a meeting to decide on the future course of action. Officials in the department said that the government is likely to direct the Vice Chancellors not to respond to the Governor's directive.

Muslim League leader and former state Education Minister E.T. Mohammed Basheer told media persons that the decision of the Governor was wrong. He said that the Governor does not have such discretionary powers.

CPI-M Politburo member M.A. Baby, who is also a former state Education Minister, told media persons that the Kerala Governor was functioning like a Central government employee.

--IANS
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Hyderabad, Oct 23 (IANS) The Congress on Sunday issued show cause notice to its Telangana MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy for his recent utterances.

Congress General Secretary Tariq Anwar issued the notice to the MP from Bhongir a day after video clip went viral in which he is heard predicting that the Congress will lose the by-election to the Munugode Assembly seat.

Venkat Reddy, who is the star campaigner of the Congress, went on to predict that his brother and BJP candidate Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy will win the November 3 bypoll.

The party leadership has asked the MP why no action should be taken against him under the party constitution for indiscipline. He has been asked to submit a reply within 10 days.

His statements caused huge embarrassment to the Congress a day before the entry of party leader Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in the state.

Hours after the Yatra entered Telangana and Rahul Gandhi left for New Delhi for three-day break, the central leadership issued the notice.

A video of Venkat Reddy's interaction with some people went viral on social media on Saturday even as the party leaders were engaged in hectic campaigning in Munugode.

Earlier, an audio clip of Venkat Reddy went viral in which he is heard urging local Congress leaders to support his brother.

Venkat Reddy's brother Rajagopal Reddy had resigned as MLA and also quit the Congress to join the BJP, which fielded him as its candidate in the by-election.

There have been speculations in recent weeks that Venkat Reddy will also follow his brother and switch loyalties to the BJP.

The audio and video of the MP have surfaced days after he made it clear that he will not campaign in Munugode where Congress has fielded Palvai Sravanthi as its candidate.

--IANS
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Chennai, Oct 23 (IANS) Senior CPI-M leader and former Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Issac on Sunday dismissed as "baseless" the sexual harassment allegations levelled against him by the gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh.

Speaking to reporters, he said that the allegation was the "handiwork of the BJP" and Swapna Suresh was like "a foster daughter of the BJP".

Swapna Suresh has, in her recently-released autobiography, "Chathiyde Padmavyuham" claimed that three senior CPI-M leaders - Issac, Kadakmpally Surendran and P. Sreeramakrishnan had made lewd comments against her and even invited her to hotel rooms, and their residences.

Issac said that he was in no way connected to the case, adding that a minister inviting a woman to a tourist resort like Munnar, as alleged by her, was totally unfounded. Asked whether he would move the court regarding the allegation, he said that it was for the party to decide on a future course of legal action.

The senior CPI-M leader, who was keeping a studied silence after the autobiography of Swapna Suresh had come out, was forced to respond as there was a volley of questions during the press conference of CPI-M state Secretary, M.V.Govindan.

The CPI-M had tried to ignore the matter but with the issue getting the attention of the media, Issac had to make his stand.

Meanwhile, former Electricity and Tourism Minister Surendran, who was also accused of harassment by Swapna Suresh, told media persons that he was not in any way involved in the matter.

Former Speaker Sreeramakrishnan, accused by Swapna Suresh of having invited her to his residence, is yet to respond.

--IANS
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Kolkata, Oct 21 (IANS) Celebrities have slammed the Mamata Banerjee-led government over the late-night police action to remove protesters agitating in front of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) office here against the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of primary teachers in the state.

In a tweet on Friday, veteran actress and director Aparna Sen, said: "The Trinamool Congress govt is flouting the basic democratic rights of the hunger- strikers! Section 144 issued against a non-violent protest! Why? I strongly condemn the undemocratic and unethical action of the West Bengal govt!"

Famed Bengali actor Riddhi Sen also tweeted: "Shame on Mamata Banerjee and the police for such a shameful attack on a justified movement. The state government will have to pay the price for such a heinous act."

Meanwhile, actress Srilekha Mitra said that when someone is agitating in a peaceful and democratic manner, the state has no right to use force against them.

"The people have become blind because of the different dole schemes. The people who are resorting to democratic movements are being arrested, threatened and harassed by police. I am being denied assignments because I protest on such issues in the social media," she said.

Actor Badshah Moitra said that it is unfortunate that the state government has equated the anti-social elements with the democratic and peaceful agitators protesting on a justified case.

"A late-night police operation is never acceptable to crush a democratic movement. The state government can always open dialogues with the protesters and reach a solution. Whatever has happened is extremely unfortunate," he said.

However, Trinamool Congress leadership is adamant on their stand in justifying the police action.

"Actually, these protesters are being constantly provoked by CPI(M) and BJP. The opposition parties are resorting to cheap politics on this issue," party spokesman Kunal Ghosh said.

--IANS
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Rajkot (Gujarat), Oct 21 (IANS) Five students have been booked for sexually harassing another student in a university here, police said on Friday.

The 19-year-old victim was subjected to unnatural sex, blackmailed and threatened several times in the last one month by his co-students. The victim student has been admitted to a hospital.

According to the complaint filed with the Kuvadva police station, the student was sodomised by five students from September 28 to October 19, because of which he suffered mental trauma and physical pain.

The student alleged that five students used to illegally confine him in a hostel room, video record him naked and then blackmail him. They threatened him with making his video viral and forced him into unnatural sex. They forcibly also inserted external objects in his rectum, the complaint said.

In one video clip, the accused are heard giving three options to the victim -- "either you chop off your private parts, you die or jump to death from the hostel".

A police station officer told IANS that the complaint was filed against five students, three of whom were being questioned. The complaint was lodged for unnatural offence, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and various sections of Information and Technology Act.

--IANS
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Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 21 (IANS) After remaining in hiding for 12 days, Congress legislator Eldhose Kunnappilly on Friday told the media that he was "never in hiding and was under the eyes of the legal system".

On Thursday, he got a big relief when a lower court in the Kerala capital city granted him anticipatory bail in a rape and attempt to murder case.

Kunnappilly was on the run since the day a woman lodged a police complaint against him.

"I have done no wrong at all and I am quite confident of proving it before the court of law. I was never in hiding as I was under the eyes of the legal system. I will abide by all the directives of the court which gave me bail," said Kunnappilly to the media at his residence in Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam district.

In reply to a question on if he knew the complainant well, he said, "I do not wish to disclose any such thing before the media and I will do it at the appropriate place."

When asked about whether he expects any disciplinary action from his party, he said, "There have been similar allegations that have come up against other leaders also."

As per the directions of the court he said he will present himself before the probe official in the state capital city on Saturday.

In her first complaint to the police, the complainant woman had not accused the legislator of rape, but after a few days, she levelled rape charges, and then again after a few days, she told the police that he tried to push her down from a so-called suicide point at the famed beach destination, Kovalam, here.

The woman had claimed that Kunnappilly had taken her to several places, physically abused her and promised to marry her.

The two-time MLA is married and represents Perumbavur, the Assembly constituency that he has been winning since 2016.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Oct 21 (IANS) The last leg of Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi will be taken up in Karnataka from Friday. The padayatra will enter the Raichur district of Karnataka from Mantralaya in Andhra Pradesh.

Meanwhile, party sources confirmed that another scion of the Gandhi family, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is most likely to take part in the padayatra on Saturday.

The padayatra resumed from Mantralaya Temple Circle in Andhra Pradesh at 6 a.m. It will enter Karnataka's Gillesegur in Raichur district at 10 a.m.

The Congress leaders will take up padayatra for three days in the district. The padayatra will cross the Tungabhadra bridge and pass through Yaragera, Raichur city and Shakthinagar.

Rahul Gandhi is interacting with the farmers and local people during the Yatra. He is staying at the Ranganatha Swamy Temple at Yaragera village.

On October 23, the padayatra will enter Telangana. The Congress leaders have been tasked with gathering 20,000 to 30,000 people during the yatra.

The police department has deputed 2,000 police personnel to ensure security. Padayatra has so far got a good response from the people in the state. Sonia Gandhi had also taken part in the padayatra briefly in Mandya district of south Karnataka.

The Congress party leaders are upbeat about the padayatra and they maintain that the party has gained right momentum in the run up to the state Assembly elections. The elections are scheduled to be held in another six months in Karnataka.

The internal survey conducted by the Congress leaders has shown that it will obtain a simple majority in the state Assembly elections.

The padayatra entered Karnataka on September 30. It will cover 511 kilometres of distance in the state.

--IANS
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