Tag: Tamil Nadu news

Death Toll in Kallakurichi Hooch Tragedy Rises to 54, TN Police Books 342 Prohibition Cases

Another 142 persons who consumed spurious liquor are currently undergoing treatment at various hospitals.

New Delhi: The death toll in the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy has risen to 54, after four more persons succumbed to spurious liquor at Karunapuram. Of the 54 deceased, 48 were men and six women.

A total of 142 others are currently undergoing treatment at Government Kallakurichi Medical College Hospital, and government medical college hospitals in Salem, Villupuram, and Jipmer in Puducherry.

Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin on Friday, June 21, held a review meeting through video conferencing with district collectors and district superintendents of police to instruct them about measures to be taken to stop the sale of illicit liquor.

Opposition parties in the state, led by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the deaths, and also to bring police higher officials who are allegedly supporting the illicit trade to book.

Police across nine districts of Tamil Nadu in the Central Zone booked 342 prohibition cases on June 19 and 20, and most cases were booked in Thanjavur district. Quoting from a police press note, The Hindu said strong action was being taken against those involved in the sale, hoarding and smuggling of illicit liquor across the state.

District collector of Madurai M.S. Sangeetha held a meeting with officials to check any attempt at illicit liquor brewing or sale. She directed district administration and the police to take strong action against any such attempts.

The district administration of Mayiladuthurai district administration came out with phone numbers for people to call and send WhatsApp messages to report the sale of spurious liquor or banned tobacco products.

BJP-AIADMK Row Intensifies, With AIADMK Saying There Is ‘No Alliance as of Now’

“Why do we have to tolerate the remarks against our leaders? You (BJP) need to piggy back on some party (for votes), you do not have anything here,” AIADMK leader D. Jayakumar said.

New Delhi: The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) announced on Monday that it is not in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the moment, and any such decisions will be taken during the elections.

“The BJP is not in alliance with AIADMK. We will decide about the alliance during the elections only,” party leader D. Jayakumar said. He also made clear that this is the party’s stand, not his personal opinion.

Fissures have been clear between the two parties of late, and Jayakumar too referred to these. “We can’t accept continuous criticism on our leaders. Annamalai already criticised our leader Jayalalithaa. At that time, we passed a resolution against Annamalai. He should have stopped this. He is criticising Anna, Periyar and the general secretary. No cadre would accept this. Tomorrow we have to work on the field. So without any option, we announced this. There won’t be any impact on us with this decision. We are confident of our victory,” he said.

Jayakumar was referring to remarks made by Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai, who had recently criticised stalwart Dravidian leader C.N. Annadurai. Annamalai said that in the 1950s, Annadurai criticised the Hindu faith but was staunchly opposed by freedom fighter Pasumpon Muthuramalingam Thevar. Following the opposition, Annadurai apologised, Annamalai claimed.

Annamalai has since stood by these claims and said he can provide “evidence” for them.

“BJP cadres want AIADMK to be part of the alliance, but Annamalai does not want that. Why do we have to tolerate the remarks against our leaders? You (BJP) need to piggy back on some party (for votes), you do not have anything here. The BJP cannot set foot here. They are waste luggage. As of now, the BJP is not in alliance with the AIADMK. We will decide everything during the polls and this is the party’s stand,” Jayakumar continued.

State BJP vice-president Narayanan Tirupathy responded by saying that final decisions on such matters are always taken during elections. “Anything can happen in politics. Alliances are made during elections. Jayakumar said the BJP is ‘waste luggage’, does he or his party not know this during the 2021 election? What happened then? They (AIADMK) say the BJP is no longer part of their alliance, a decision will only be made during the polls,” he said.

Tirupathy also said that Annamalai’s statements were about things that had happened in the past. “Mr Annamalai spoke about an incident that happened in the past. If you have anything against it, you can argue it with whatever facts you have. Instead, you cannot criticise him or abuse him personally. Who is Jayakumar to say that Annamalai is not fit to be a BJP leader? What rights does he have? Is he a BJP member?

A few days ago, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami had met Union home minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.

Tamil Nadu Extends Acclaimed Breakfast Scheme to 29,463 More Schools

The Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme in Tamil Nadu provides breakfast to primary school children, addressing hunger and improving attendance.

The Government of Tamil Nadu extended its Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme for primary students to 29,463 more schools on Friday, August 25.

The scheme will now serve nutritious breakfast to 17 lakh students from Classes I to V studying in 31,008 schools at an annual cost of Rs 404.41 crore. Launched on September 15, 2022, the scheme initially covered 1,14,095 students in 1,545 schools at a cost of Rs 33.56 crore.

Chief minister M.K. Stalin launched the extension of the scheme at Tirukkuvalai in Nagapattinam, where his father and former chief minister M. Karunanidhi had studied. Stalin also shared the meal with the children.

“The government expanded the scheme considering the outcome of the preliminary phase,” the government said in a statement. “The aim is to ensure children attend school without hunger and prevent malnutrition, achieve average height in children, prevent underweight in adolescents, prevent anemia and vitamin B12 deficiency.”

Stalin had invited elected representatives to launch the plan’s extension in a government primary school in their respective constituencies.

Smiles all around 

Health minister Ma Subramanian inaugurated the programme at the Chennai Primary School at Manthope in Saidapet. As many as 1,075 students of the school will benefit from the programme.

The Tamil Nadu government stated that each student will be served cereals like semolina, wheat, rice, millet, and pulses, and locally available vegetables from Monday to Friday.

They will be provided 150 to 200 grams of cooked food and 60 grams of sambar with vegetables. This is apart from the mid-day meal provided to students till Class X.

S Paul Raj, a fifth-grade student at Chennai Primary School in Saidapet, is one of the beneficiaries.

The boy used to attend school on an empty stomach, since his mother has to leave for work early and family has limited resources. On Friday, his face lit up when the school bell rang, announcing the breakfast time.

Raj told South First that he had a satisfying meal of khichdi, sambar and kesari. “Earlier, I would be famished by 11 am and eagerly wait for the bell to ring to have the mid-day meal provided at the school,” the child grinned.

“More than 70% of the students do not have breakfast at home. We were happy that the students enjoyed the breakfast. No one wasted the food. The dull, inactive faces of the children lit up with happiness,” V. Umaparvathy at the Saidapet school said.

Schoolchildren being served breakfast. Photo: Laasya Shekhar/South First

Improved attendance

The positive impact of this programme extends far beyond filling empty stomachs. A recent study conducted by the State Planning Commission found a significant increase in attendance among government schools implementing the breakfast scheme.

According to the commission’s report, out of the 1,543 schools where children have been receiving breakfast since 15 September, 2022, 1,319 schools witnessed a remarkable rise in attendance during January and February, compared to June-July the previous year.

The base attendance data of the initial 1,543 beneficiary schools was compared against that of neighbouring schools within 1-2 km by considering the geographical coordinates of the schools, reported Deccan Herald. 

The study considered only schools with enrolment of 25 and above and schools with consistent attendance reporting above 75%. This left the study with 72 beneficiary schools each mapped with at least two to 15 neighbouring schools, which took the total to 414.

Quick rewind

The Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme is an extension of many pioneering schemes in Tamil Nadu.

The state has a long history of providing food to the school children —  an initiative that improved the attendance and reduced malnutrition among socially struggling children.

  • 1920: The then Mayor of Chennai Corporation, Sir PT Thiyagarayar, passed a resolution to implement the mid-day meal scheme in Corporation School at Thousand Lights, Chennai. The scheme saw an increase in the school’s student strength. The scheme was expanded to a few more schools
  • 1947: Due to financial constraints, the mid-day meal scheme was abandoned, except in Harijan Welfare Department-run schools.
  • 1957: Chief minister K Kamaraj resumed the mid-day meal scheme for primary school students. ₹10 lakh was allotted for implementing this scheme, with a clause that it should not exceeding ₹18 per child a year.
  • 1982: Chief minister MG Ramachandran introduced the Nutritious Meal Programme. Children in pre-school and primary schools were the beneficiaries.
  • 1989:  Chief minister M Karunanidhi included an egg every two weeks to the menu of the nutritious meal scheme.
  • 1998-2008: The egg count gradually increased from one per week to three per week. The Tamil Nadu government provided bananas for the children who would not eat eggs.
  • 2010: Egg count goes to five every week.

This article was originally published on The South First.

Tamil Nadu Minister Goes Through Coronary Angiogram Soon After ED Arrest

Doctors have recommended a bypass surgery “at the earliest”.

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate took Tamil Nadu electricity minister V. Senthil Balaji into custody in the early hours of Wednesday (June 14), after beginning searches at his home and chambers on Tuesday. According to The Indian Express, Balaji’s arrest came after an 18-hour interrogation and searches at dozens of locations across Chennai and Karur associated with the minister and his family.

Soon after his arrest, Balaji reportedly complained of chest pains and was taken to a hospital. According to NDTV, dramatic scenes were witnessed outside the Omandurar government hospital in Chennai, where Balaji was brought in an ambulance. He had reportedly broken down, and supporters had gathered to express solidarity.

Later in the day, NDTV reported that Balaji went through a coronary angiogram at the hospital, and doctors have recommended a bypass surgery “at the earliest”.

The case pertains to an alleged job-for-cash scam in the state’s transport department between 2011 and 2016, when Balaji was the transport minister in the AIADMK government. He is now a member of the DMK, and the Chennai police filed a chargesheet naming him and 46 others in 2021 on the eve of the state assembly elections.

In May this year, the Supreme Court had allowed the ED to probe this case, overruling a 2022 order by the Madras high court. Soon after, the Income Tax Department had conducted an eight-day raid on Balaji’s home and the homes and offices of some of his supporters.

DMK leaders have come out strongly to support their colleague, criticising the ED and the Union government for targeting opposition leaders. DMK’s organising secretary R.S. Bharathi reportedly said the timing of this action was suspicious, as it comes after Union home minister Amit Shah’s planned trip to Chennai. “This is happening after Amit Shah’s visit. They have an ulterior motive,” he said, adding that the BJP also wanted to create diversions because the AIADMK was thinking of ending its alliance with the BJP.

DMK MP and lawyer N.R. Elango said that Balaji has been shifted to the ICU and the ED has not officially confirmed his arrest. “There is no clarity if the ED has arrested him. No arrest guidelines have been followed,” he said.

“I saw him (Mr Balaji) when he was shifted to ICU. Doctors are evaluating his health condition. It is a procedure when a person says he has been assaulted the doctor needs to note down all the injuries and will know after seeing the report. Officially we have not been informed (by ED) that he has been arrested,” Elango added.

Tamil Nadu law minister S. Regupathy also said that arrest procedures were not followed. He was one of the DMK leaders who went to the hospital, but was allegedly not allowed to meet Balaji.

On Tuesday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had condemned the ED action, saying, “These are brazen attempts of the Modi Government at harassment and intimidation. Such gross misuse of investigative agencies against political opponents has been the hallmark of the Modi Government.”

Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin too alleged that this was one more attempt by the BJP to silence the opposition and attack federalism.

According to The News Minute, this is the first time that a central investigation agency like the ED has entered Fort St George – the Tamil Nadu secretariat – to conduct a search on a minister.

Opposition parties have been alleging for some time that the Narendra Modi government is “misusing” central agencies, like the ED and Central Bureau of Investigation, as a tool to suppress any oppositional voices.

Hours After TN Assembly Resolution Criticising Governor, R.N. Ravi Passes Long-Pending Bill

R.N. Ravi gave his assent to a Bill which seeks to ban online gambling and regulate online games, which had been pending before him for 131 days (including sending it back once).

New Delhi: Perhaps as a direct consequence of a resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu assembly on Monday, state governor R.N. Ravi gave his assent to a Bill which seeks to ban online gambling and regulate online games, which had been pending before him for 131 days.

In the resolution, the assembly had criticised the governor for keeping Bills on hold endlessly by failing to assent to him. It had also urged the Union government to create a “specific time limit” for  for “Governors to give assent to Bills passed by the Legislatures”.

“This august House records with deep regret the action of the Hon’ble Governor of Tamil Nadu in indefinitely withholding many Bills without giving permission, passed by the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu — on the basis of its sovereignty and the legislative responsibilities enshrined in the Constitution of India — thereby functioning against the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu,” the resolution moved by chief minister M.K. Stalin said, according to The Indian Express.

“Therefore, this august House urges the Union Government and the Hon’ble President to prescribe a specific time limit to the respective Governors to give assent to the Bills passed by the Legislatures, which are the voice of the people of the State,” it continued.

“The Union Government and the President should immediately issue appropriate instructions to the Governor to (grant) assent to the Bills passed by this Assembly within a specific period,” the resolution urged.

“The Governor indefinitely withholding bills is against the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu. His controversial comments belittle the dignity of the house and undermine the legislature’s supremacy in parliamentary democracy,” Stalin said, according to NDTV.

Hours after this resolution was passed, Ravi gave his assent to the re-adopted Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Bill, 2022. Stalin celebrated this, saying that it was a “good consequence” of the resolution passed by the assembly, The Hindu reported.

On March 6, the governor had returned this Bill to the assembly, saying it was ultra vires the Constitution and against court judgments. However, the Stalin government has repeatedly held that online gambling and unregulated games are leading to deaths by suicide and serious mental health concerns, as people are losing their savings.

“The Bill was drafted not only with our intelligence but also with our heart. We may have political differences, which is natural. But anyone with a heart will not have two views on banning online gambling, which has been claiming lives. The State should not hear the cry of a person or a family. If it happens again it will amount to dilution of the meaning of law and the powers of the state. It is the duty of the government to maintain law and order and prevent crimes,” Stalin had said while reintroducing the Bill on March 23.

The Bill was framed based on the recommendations by a specially constituted committee under former judge Justice K. Chandru.

Instead of Fake News About Attacks, Let’s Talk About the Real Issues Facing Migrant Workers

The discussions on internal work-related migration in India can take a more constructive turn if there is sustained focus on redressing regional economic imbalances and on ensuring just work conditions, dignity and social security for migrant workers.

The past few days have been marked by fact-checkers exposing a lot of fake audio-visual content virally circulating on social media pertaining to alleged attacks against migrant workers in Tamil Nadu.

The timing of the videos coincided with the 70th birthday celebration of chief minister M.K. Stalin, an event that saw participation of prominent opposition leaders including Tejashwi Yadav, the deputy chief minister of Bihar. The event had allusions to electorally effective unity among opposition parties in the run up to the 2024 general elections.

Subsequently, the leader of opposition in the Bihar legislative assembly, Vijay Kumar Sinha of the Bharatiya Janata Party, made claims about the purported violence against migrant workers in Tamil Nadu. Despite the videos being fake, it was reported that these effectuated a panic exodus of migrant workers from Tamil Nadu, though the Chief Minister’s Office tried to assuage fears through an official statement. However, it is also observed that Holi is the reason for this bout of seasonal out-migration from the state.

The rumours driving the narrative of migrant exodus are not just due to the stir created from outside. There has been an ostensible undercurrent of animosity against the Hindi-speaking migrant workers predominantly propagated by Seeman, the chief coordinator of the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK, or We Tamils Party) and his virulent Tamil nativist followers. The fear-mongering vis-a-vis the migrant labourers was furthered by a widely popular video posted on January 6, that reeked of humiliation of the migrant workers and their habits. It was posted in the backdrop of Tamil Nadu-bound train passengers’ complaints against migrant workers sitting in passage areas within the train. The video garnered over nine million views, and was both endorsed by the NTK and became a viral meme template on social media.

Further, anti-migrant labour sentiment became the theme of a widely watched television comedy show which aired on February 19, with Seeman as the special guest. While both the video and the television show can assert their creative freedom and their right to express, in effect the sentiment had been disseminated. However, flash surveys reveal that the migrant workers were not subject to any discriminatory treatment and were happy working in the state. Such responses challenge the veracity of the claims made by the BJP leadership in Bihar.

Taking refuge in reality

By now it is sufficiently known that in the last two decades there has been a steadily growing inflow of migrant population into the southern states, mainly from the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The Economic Survey 2016-17 provided fresh evidence on internal work-related migration in its attempt to estimate the size of and trends in inter-state migration in the country. Analysing the census data of 1991, 2001 and 2011, it discerned that “Internal migration rates have dipped in Maharashtra and surged in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, reflecting the growing pull of southern states in India’s migration dynamics (emphasis added).” Furthermore, mapping work-related migratory routes and patterns based on railway passenger traffic data for the period 2011-2016, it showed that Tamil Nadu experienced “major net in-migration” to the tune of three million.

Also read: Was Fake News About ‘Attacks’ on Migrant Labourers an Attempt to Malign Tamil Nadu?

More recent estimates of the inter-state migrant worker population in Tamil Nadu are hard to come by. However, statements by owners of industrial units in the state’s manufacturing hubs clustered in the northern and western belts provide us valuable anecdotal evidence of the contribution of the Hindi-speaking migrant workers to Tamil Nadu’s economy. From their statements, we can also glean that the hundreds of thousands of these migrant workers are concentrated in low-paying jobs without any social safety nets in the manufacturing and service sectors. Given Tamil Nadu’s high Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education, with important caveats, it is natural for those with higher educational qualifications to progressively seek and secure high-paying employment opportunities. Taken together with the capitalist preference for ‘cheap’ labour as a cost-cutting strategy, the aforementioned trends are only indicative of the challenges that accompany an economy undergoing structural transformation.

Most importantly, assembling the findings of various studies undertaken by researchers, the Economic Survey makes it very clear that work-related internal migration in India is ‘circular’ and ‘semi-permanent’ in nature. It means that migrant workers leaving their villages and towns in search of employment elsewhere do not permanently settle down in destinations where they find work. Instead, they are constantly on the move, in a precariously footloose fashion, eventually returning to their homes. Moreover, a very large proportion of this footloose migration is seasonal, a phenomenon that India’s official data collection agencies are not equipped to capture in its entirety.

It is important to emphasise these dimensions of inter-state migration in India in order to responsibly counter the divisive rhetoric of political formations with a pronounced nativist orientation. Their fear-mongering about migrant workers from the northern states becoming politically dominant in Tamil Nadu over time and driving out the Tamil people after rendering them economically destitute, is completely baseless and unwarranted. The astute Thol. Thirumavalan, party leader of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and member of parliament, articulated in an interview that cutting across linguistic and regional divides, the migrant workers must be viewed as part of the larger democratic working class, struggling for dignity and justice.

Making sense of the present through history

In order to make sure that such potentially dangerous narratives do not gain any more traction, it is important to mobilise the historical resources at our disposal, in addition to presenting solid empirical evidence and logically sound arguments.

In the 1930s, as the economic repercussions of the Great Depression were beginning to be felt in the Southeast Asian countries exporting agricultural commodities, public anger caused by economic hardship was directed at the ‘outsiders’ and demanded their repatriation. The Tamil migrants formed a substantial segment of this working class population identified and targeted as outsiders in Sri Lanka, Burma and present-day Malaysia and Singapore. In fact, as the economist and author Chinmay Tumbe writes in India Moving, “By 1930, Tamils represented around half of all overseas Indians as these three regions hosted nearly 70 per cent of all overseas Indians.”

Also read: Dividing North and South India With Lies Is Anti-National and BJP Must Be Criticised for It

Having been at the receiving end of verbal and physical attacks in an overseas territory at a crucial juncture in history, Tamil society is certainly well-placed to understand the plight of poor migrant workers seeking a modicum of economic security and to ensure their safety in the state.

In light of this episode involving rumours about the safety of Hindi-speaking migrant workers in Tamil Nadu, some political leaders have expressed the view that the animosity harboured by the Tamil people towards those coming from the northern states is an outcome of the anti-North sentiment cultivated by the Dravidian movement for many decades now. Statements of a few prominent leaders of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam have seemingly given currency to the aforesaid view. It is worth pointing out that C.N. Annadurai, founder of the DMK, had expressed agony at the economic dominance of the commercial life in Madras by the capital-owning mercantile elite from North India. No antipathy was harboured against the working class of that region. On closer look, Annadurai’s 1949 pamphlet Panathottam (The Garden of Money) was a call for the democratisation of capital, the ownership of which was regionally skewed.

This must serve as a compelling reminder for the present-day political class, including those in the DMK, to bring under scrutiny the capital accumulation strategies of the economic elite that come at the expense of the welfare of labour. Notably, due to the structural pressures of the prevalent neoliberal framework, successive governments’ in Tamil Nadu have responded by establishing welfare boards that provide social security for unorganised workers. If anything, the anti-North discourse was one that criticised the centralising tendencies of the Union government and the frequent attempts at Hindi imposition. It was driven by a quest for regional autonomy in policy and administrative matters.

In conclusion, the discussions on internal work-related migration in India can take a more constructive turn if there is sustained focus on redressing regional economic imbalances and on ensuring just work conditions, dignity and social security for migrant workers. While the ‘reverse migration’ during nationwide lockdowns in 2020 did not spur concrete policy actions on these fronts, now is an opportune moment.

Raghunath Nageswaran is a doctoral researcher at the Geneva Graduate Institute. Vignesh Karthik K.R. is a doctoral researcher at King’s India Institute, King’s College London. The authors acknowledge the inputs provided by Balu, doctoral researcher at the Geneva Graduate Institute.

V-Cs Are The Newest Chapter in Tamil Nadu’s ‘Governor Versus Government’ Conflict

Stalin’s DMK, always in favour of abolishing the governor’s post, has had reason in the recent past to express unhappiness with R.N. Ravi, especially over the latter’s alleged delay on the NEET Bill.

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu assembly passed a resolution that would empower the state government to appoint vice-chancellors to universities just as the state’s governor R.N. Ravi was inaugurating a conference of university vice-chancellors at Udhagamandalam.

The power to appoint V-Cs rests with the governor, who makes these appointments ‘in consultation with the government.’

Speaking at the state assembly, chief minister M.K. Stalin said that in the last four years, the state government was not consulted by the governor over the appointment of university V-Cs. This, Stalin said, does not “augur well for higher education in the state.”

Stalin pointed to the Gujarat University Act, 1949, and Telangana Universities Act, 1991, under which the respective state governments got powers to appoint V-Cs.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party state president K. Annamalai has tweeted that the move would “politicise” higher educational institutions.

The timing of the Bill, which coincided with the conference – which was allegedly held without informing or inviting the state government – is just another talking point in what is now a running feud between the governor and the Tamil Nadu government.

The tussle has grown over several bills that are pending with the governor for his assent, including one that seeks exemption from the NEET. The governor had sent back this Bill in February following which it was re-adopted in the state assembly and sent again. Though the governor had then assured the chief minister that the Bill would be sent for presidential assent, nothing has been done yet. DMK’s mouthpiece Murasoli has also hit out against the governor for the delay in forwarding the ‘anti-NEET’ Bill.

Leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Edapaddi K. Palaniswami with AIADMK MLAs walkout with black batches in connection with NEET suicides during the State Budget Session, at Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai, Monday, Sept. 13, 2021. Photo: PTI

At least twice since then, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham’s parliamentary party leader T.R. Baalu has raised the issue in parliament, urging the Union government to recall the governor over this “constitutional deadlock”. DMK MPs had also raised slogans in the parliament, demanding the same.

Meanwhile, DMK MP P. Wilson has moved a private member bill seeking a fixed time for a governor to decide on pending bills.

DMK MP and senior advocate N.R. Elango told The Wire that the constitution does not specify a time frame for governors and presidents when it comes to assent, because there is a “legitimate expectation from the makers of the constitution that the governors will discharge their duties at the earliest.”

“As a Constitutional authority, they cannot be expected to delay things. When the expectations of the framers of the constitution are violated, there is naturally a sentiment against it.”

Elango also says that the provision for the governor or the president to act on a bill is not discretionary. “It is governed by law. Also except for a few matters like Article 356, which requires sanction to prosecute a person like a cabinet minister, the governor is bound by the aid and advice of the council of ministers. By violating it, the governor is not exercising his powers in a manner known to law or as per law.”

‘Double standards’

Recalling an incident during the previous AIADMK regime when Stalin, as the them opposition leader, had met the governor after a ruckus in the state assembly, seeking intervention, AIADMK spokesperson Babu Murugavel has accused the party of double standards. “If the governor was all-powerful then, why is the DMK not allowing him to exercise his powers now?” he asked.

He said that the governor had got no time to decide on the bills. “The AIADMK government too had sent a resolution against NEET to the governor and we followed up through democratic means by meeting the prime minister and the president and putting pressure on the governor. Not by hurling things at the governor’s convoy,” he said.

On April 19, about hundred protestors from various political parties waved black flags to governor Ravi as he travelled to Mayiladuthurai for a function at the Dharmapuram Atheenam Mutt. Some tried to hurl the flagpoles at Ravi’s convoy, leading to a minor scuffle.

People wave black flags at TN Governor R.N. Ravi’s convoy. Photo: PTI

Condemning the incident, Annamalai said it was a compromise on the governor’s security. Chief minister Stalin, however, brushed this concern away and said that police had taken steps to ensure that the governor’s convoy passed through without any incident. He told the state assembly that police had already filed cases against the protestors and action will be taken.

But there is more to the discomfort.

Governor Ravi’s remarks on how the nation was marching forward to fulfil “Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of Ram Rajya” on the occasion of Ram Navami celebrations has also reportedly not gone down well with the ruling party – which is aggressively projecting a Dravidian model to be emulated at the national level.

Also read: ‘After All, My Name Is Stalin’: In a Speech at CPI(M) Congress, a Roadmap to Counter BJP

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi MLA Sinthanai Selvan also demanded in the state assembly that the governor be allotted a bungalow on Greenways Road, where ministers reside and that the Raj Bhavan should be put to public use.

On April 14, the DMK, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the VCK had boycotted the annual tea party hosted by the governor in a mark of protest against his “undemocratic actions against the interest of the people.”

This series of events has sparked the usual range of debates on the abolition of the governor’s post – an idea that the DMK has traditionally held on to. DMK’s founder and former chief minister C.N. Annadurai had famously drawn a comparison between the governor’s post and a goat’s beard, to stress on its redundancy.

Meanwhile, there have been independent efforts to recall the governor. “There is no other option,” senior lawyer of Madras high court M. Radhakrishnan tells The Wire. “In every matter, he [governor Ravi] acts unconstitutionally and some of us lawyers are seriously considering the option of filing a public interest litigation to recall the governor,” he added.

Chennai Rains: Four Killed, More Downpour Expected as Cyclonic Circulation Persists

Most roads and by lanes are waterlogged. Low lying localities have up to two feet of water. Power has also been snapped in some places.

Chennai: Surplus rain water gushed out of reservoirs while several roads here resembled swollen rivers and four persons were killed in rain related incidents in Tamil Nadu and over 60 houses suffered damage, authorities said on Monday, as alert was sounded to people living in low-lying areas in parts of the State.

The Poondi, Cholavaram, Puzhal, Chembarmbakkam and Thervai Kandigai reservoirs in Chennai and Veeranam lake, about 230 kilometres from Chennai released surplus water, which was cumulatively a little over 10,000 cusecs of water, as showers continued in catchment areas.

The Mettur reservoir in Salem district is expected to touch its full level of 120 feet soon and the discharge of surplus water is expected on Tuesday. People have been alerted and local authorities advised to move residents of low lying areas to safer locations.


With the catchment areas of Cauvery river in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka receiving heavy rains, the inflow of water to the dam was over 27,000 cusecs, almost touching 118 feet, official sources said.

Also read: Why Chennai’s Flooding Problem Won’t Be Solved for Another 10 Years

Coimbatore district administration also sounded an alert to people living along banks of the Noyyal river in view of continuing rains.

Vellore district authorities said the discharge from Ponnai Anaicut was increased to about 6,364 cusecs by evening. In view of release of surplus water from reservoirs, an alert was sounded to people in their respective regions.

In Chennai, most roads and by lanes were covered under sheets of water while there was water upto two feet in low lying localities. Power supply has also been disconnected for several neighbourhoods considering safety.

Commuters wade through a waterlogged area following heavy rain in Chennai on Sunday. (Photo: PTI)

Commuters wade through a waterlogged area following heavy rain in Chennai on Sunday. Photo: PTI

A flooded city police station, Adambakkam had to be shifted to a temporary building. At least 75 trees got uprooted here and these were cleared by civic personnel.

Monsoon rains picked pace for a while and receded for some time, playing hide and seek through the day, in Chennai and in several other regions including the northern districts.

A section of subways  in Chennai and in suburbs continued to be closed and traffic diversions too were on, giving road-users a harrowing time even as civic workers slogged to remove silt and de-clog drains.

Southern Railway said due to rains and water-logging, ‘Sunday pattern’ (minimal services) would be in force on November 9 in Chennai suburban train services in Central-Arakkonam, Central-Sullurpeta (Andhra Pradesh), Beach-Chengelpet and Beach-Velachery sections.

Of the 290 water-logged areas, flood water was drained using heavy equipment in 59 localities and swift action is on to pump out flood water in the remaining 231 neighbourhoods, the government said in an official release.

Four persons lost their lives in rain related incidents in Chennai, Theni and Madurai districts in the past 24 hours and 16 heads of cattle died, the release added.

Of the 16 city subways that witnessed flooding, water has been drained in 14 of them and the remaining two would also be free of rainwater soon, the authorities said.

As many as 237 huts were partially damaged and 26 completely and 65 and 5 houses were partially and fully damaged respectively.

The government said 37 districts received rainfall and the state average was 14.2 millimetres (1.42 CM) for the past 24-hours.

Also read: Kerala Floods Trigger More Migration

Since the start of northeast monsoon last month and till date Tamil Nadu has recorded about 43% rainfall above normal. While the normal is 241.2 MM (24.12 CM), the state recorded 346.1 MM (34.61 CM).

In Chennai, as of now 1,107 people have been sheltered in 48 relief camps and in total 3,58,500 food packets have been provided.

Similarly, in northern districts of Kancheepuram, Tiruvannamalai, Chengelpet and Tiruvallur 314 people have been housed in 10 shelters and they are being provided food and all other basic amenities.

The Meteorological department advised ‘alert’ and preparedness on Tuesday for Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Dindigul, Theni, Tenkasi and Tirunelveli districts.

In a bulletin, the department said the cyclonic circulation over south east Bay of Bengal and adjoining South Andaman sea, extending up to 5.8 kilometres above the mean sea level, persists.

Under its influence, a low pressure area is very likely to form over southeast Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood during the next 24 hours.

It is likely to move west northwestwards, concentrate into a depression and reach near north Tamil Nadu coast by November 11, early morning and bring widespread rainfall in several regions of the state, the bulletin said.

Fishermen were advised to not venture into sea for fishing between November 9 and 12.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister KKSSR Ramachandran said two teams of NDRF personnel have been deployed in Madurai and one team each in Chengelpet and Tiruvallur. Similarly, the state disaster response teams are stationed in Thanjavur and Cuddalore districts.

The Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services wing is on alert mode with all the necessary equipment, he said.

A view of Marina Beach following heavy rain in Chennai, Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. Photo: PTI

The 24 x 7 state control room here and those in districts could be contacted through the toll free numbers 1070 and 1077 respectively, the Minister said.

People may also get in touch with authorities of Greater Chennai Corporation by using the 1913 toll free number.

The rainfall (from 8.30 AM, 7 Nov to 8.30 AM, 8 Nov) recorded in Chennai and in suburban areas ranged between 4 CM and 14 CM. Other regions, including Tiruvannamalai, Kancheepuram and Cuddalore, recorded between 3 CM and 1 CM showers.

For the second consecutive day, Chief Minister M K Stalin inspected affected areas and gave away flood relief assistance to affected people at Royapuram here.

To clear water-logging, inundation of subways and rain related tasks, Greater Chennai Corporation deployed 23,000 personnel who slogged amid showers to restore normalcy.

Stalin has appointed 15 IAS officials to monitor relief work in 15 corporation zones.

As many as 200 special monsoon medical camps were held, in which 3,776 people received medical assistance. A total of 152 fever cases, 165 cases related to skin infections and over 2,600 other cases were treated, the corporation said.

Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji said of about 44,50,000 power connections in the Chennai distribution circle, only 12,297 connections were disconnected, considering safety. “Power supply will be restored expeditiously with receding of flood waters and rains,” the Minister tweeted.

Though state-run bus services here and in other neighbouring regions continued to ply, there was disruption in services on several routes. Metrorail services were not affected.

Also read: Changing Climate Rings Alarm Bells in Kerala, Yet Again

In view of rains, prices of vegetables shot up sharply with a kilo of tomato, which was available for about Rs 30-40, a couple of days ago now being sold at Rs 90-Rs 100. Similarly prices of other veggies also saw an increase.

Considering the showers, the Arignar Anna Zoo here said a ‘monsoon monitoring team’ has been constituted to ensure the safety and security of animals and to undertake immediate remedial measures, if and when warranted.

(PTI)

Pollachi Sexual Assault Case: 7 Policemen Suspended for Allowing Accused to Meet Family

The case had first come to light in 2019 after a complaint by a college student unearthed a sexual assault racket which had allegedly targeted hundreds of women.

New Delhi: Seven police personnel from Tamil Nadu’s Salem Armed Reserve were suspended on Wednesday, October 20 after a video went viral on social media which showed them allowing the accused in the 2019 Pollachi sexual assault case to meet their family on their way back from court, the News Minute reported.

The video shows a van, which was carrying the accused from the Coimbatore Mahila court back to Salem prison, stopping near Coimbatore airport where several relatives of the accused were waiting for them. As the vehicle was stopped, the accused can be seen interacting with their relatives, reportedly for several minutes.

Vasantha Kumar, Thirunavukarasu, Manivannan, Satheesh and Sabarirajan, were the accused who had been produced before the court on Wednesday, the Indian Express reported.

The video was shared widely on social media and soon went viral, drawing heavy criticism from social media users who were irate that the accused were being given special treatment.

Following the outrage, Salem police commissioner Najmul Hoda suspended seven police personnel who were part of the team escorting the accused, which included sub-inspector Subramanium as well as Karthik, Prabhu, Velkumar, Natrajan, Rajesh and Rajkumar.

The Pollachi sexual assault case came to light after a 19-year-old college student filed a complaint in February, 2019. She detailed that she had been sexually assaulted by four men in a car. The men took a video of the assault and blackmailed the victim, threatening to share the video if they were not given payment.

Also read: If Stigma Against Sexual-Assault Victims Continues, so Will Cases Like Pollachi

After the victim confided to her parents, her brother was assaulted by friends of the accused, a police report was filed and four of the accused were subsequently arrested. 

Following the arrests, media reports unearthed that this was not an isolated incident and that an organised sexual abuse racket had been operating in the state, reportedly since 2013 and that hundreds of women had been made victims of the ring, according to the Indian Express.

Women were, allegedly, befriended by men on social media after which they were asked to meet up with them in secluded areas. There, the men would assault them while others recorded videos which they used to extort further sexual favours and eventually, money from them. The 19-year-old victim was apparently the first of many to file a complaint, the others remaining silent for fear of the social stigma attached to sexual assault. 

The subsequent handling of the situation by the police also drew criticism as, in one instance, a police superintendent even referred to the victim by name while addressing the media. Soon after, the videos of the assaults started making the rounds on social media.

The case even assumed political dimensions as allegations surfaced of affiliations between the accused and the AIADMK. One AIADMK-affiliate, A. Nagaraj, was accused of assaulting the victim’s brother. Although his involvement could not be proved, he was later expelled.

Protests from women’s organisations followed as well, highlighting the social ramifications of the developments and familial sanctions and subsequent harassment. 

The CBI took over the case in April, 2019.

Tamil Nadu Govt Withdraws 5,570 Cases Against Journalists, Protestors

The Madras high court’s public prosecutor’s opinion was considered while issuing the order.

New Delhi: The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday issued an order withdrawing 5,570 cases filed against journalists, media personnel and protestors between 2011 and 2021, LiveLaw reported.

Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin had announced that these cases would be withdrawn while addressing the state assembly on June 24 this year, the Deccan Herald reported.

The 5,570 cases withdrawn by Government Order (GO) 368 included several cases filed against media personnel by the former AIADMK government.

The remaining cases are against people who demonstrated against the 2020 agricultural laws, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the construction of the eight-lane Chennai-Salem expressway, the methane project, the neutrino observatory project and the Koodankulam nuclear power plant project.

The number of cases relating to each issue is as follows:

  • Farm bills protestors: 2,831
  • CAA protestors: 2,282
  • Methane, neutrino, and expressway projects protestors: 405
  • Koodankulam nuclear power plant protestors: 26
  • Media personnel: 26

S.K. Prabhakar, home secretary of the Tamil Nadu government, is the undersigned of the GO.

The Madras high court’s public prosecutor’s opinion was considered while issuing the order. The police will drop cases where investigation is ongoing or where chargesheets have not been filed.

For cases pending trial, the assistant public prosecutor dealing with the respective cases shall be directed to move an application under Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) Section 321 (withdrawal from prosecution).

Of the 5,570 cases, 4,460 are under investigation and 1,110 are awaiting trial.

The GO also made reference to the Supreme Court’s interim order, issued on August 10, 2021, which laid down that no prosecution against a sitting or former Member of Parliament (MP) or Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) shall be withdrawn without the leave of the high court.

Thus, the director-general of police was directed to collect the details of cases against sitting and former MPs and MLAs and send them to the government so that it could take up the matter before the Madras high court.