Woman gangraped in temple choultry

In a shocking incident, a woman who came on a pilgrimage to Brahmamgari Matham along with a man was gangraped on Sunday night.
What is more shocking is, a police constable and a home guard, in an inebriated condition, outraged the modesty of the woman and allegedly brought their friends also and instigated them to rape the hapless woman in a room in the choultry (inn) attached to Sri Pothuluri Veerabrahmendra Swamy temple.
According to information reaching here, the woman and her companion from Nagulapalem in Venkatagiri mandal in Nellore district, came to the matham on Sunday.
After offering prayers in the temple, the couple decided to stay for the night in the choultry, which proved to be a curse. The choultry register gives out their names as Mr Ch Gupta and Mrs Gupta.
Around midnight, constable Narasimhulu and Home Guard Sekhar on security duty, approached the choultry watchman and took the accommodation register. After threatening the watchman, the duo went to the room where the couple were staying and woke them up on the pretext of making an enquiry. Alleging that they were not a couple, they questioned the pilgrims separately in adjacent rooms.
They locked the man in a room and raped the woman in another till the wee hours. As if quenching their own lust was not enough, they went to a nearby private lodge and brought in their friends to quench their lust too.
They left the choultry after returning the accommodation register to the watchman. The watchman went to the room, unbolted the door and freed the man from confinement.
The two then found the woman in a dazed state in another room. Without making a fuss and without informing the choultry officials, the couple vacated the choultry and left the place.
Choultry manager Penchalaiah, who came on duty at 10 am today, lodged a police complaint. Mydakur DSP Koti Reddy and circle inspector Balaswamy Reddy interrogated the watchman and the manager.
A police team was sent to the victim’s address mentioned in the choultry register. Koti Reddy said the couple were suspected to be having an extramarital affair. The constable was taken into custody

Puducherry observes bandh

Shops and business establishments remained closed here today following a dawn to dusk bandh called by opposition AIADMK, Left parties, MDMK, RPI and RSP in protest against ‘delay’ by the territorial administration in getting Medical Council of India approval for the first state medical college.
Private buses and vans were off the roads while government buses plied under convoy system. The bandh supporters stoned a state run bus at Modeliarpet. However, no one was injured in the incident, police said.
The bandh did not affect functioning of offices and schools, official sources said.
Police were deployed in strength at vantage points. No untoward incident was reported from from any part of the union territory so far, police said.
The bandh supporters also held a procession protesting against the ‘anti-student policy’ of the government. They also demanded immediate scrapping of regional reservation policy for selection of students to professional colleges.

Govt questions Anand’s Indian citizenship

World chess champion Viswanathan Anand may have earned India laurels across the globe, but the government isn’t convinced that he is an Indian citizen. The world’s best chess player was denied an honorary doctorate he was to have received on Monday, because the government is confused over whether Anand is an Indian or Spanish citizen.
The University of Hyderabad decided to award Anand honorary doctorate in 2009. But the university only formally forwarded the proposal to the Human Resource Development Ministry.
When the HRD Ministry twice prompted the university with these queries, it was informed that Anand – who lives with his wife in Spain – is a Spanish citizen. But it still did not inform the Ministry that it needed the approval urgently as the awards ceremony was to be held on Monday.
When asked about the same from Anand’s wife Aruna told, ‘I do not understand from where the confusion on Anand’s citizenship comes from. Anand is and has always been a citizen of India.’
University sources said all relevant documents were forwarded to the ministry, which was expected to approve them and send them to President Pratibha Patil, who holds the official title of Visitor at the University of Hyderabad.

Trisha fuming on false reports

Irked by reports appeared in a section of the media dragging her name into the Tollywood drug controversy, Trisha has said that legal action would be initiated on those spreading “malicious and cheap rumours” on her.
The actress, who is currently shooting for a Tamil movie, ‘Manmadhan Ambu’ starring Kamal Haasan, in Kodaikanal, said, “There is not even an iota of truth in such reports. They are totally false and have ulterior motives.”
Claiming that some were trying to damage her image, Trisha said she had approached her advocate in this regard. “I will initiate necessary legal action based on the advice from my lawyer,” she said.
Trisha added: “It’s shameful the extent people would go to bring someone down. Actors are here to do their jobs and not be used for false media publicity. The disgusting news that’s been spreading about me is absolutely false and done in bad taste.”

Karunanidhi seeks explanation from former LTTE leader

eferring to the remarks of former LTTE leader Kumaran Pathmanathan on the role some politicians from Tamil Nadu in the efforts to arrive at a ceasefire in Sri Lanka’s war against the LTTE, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi said Mr. Pathmanathan has to explain the facts relating to the war.
Mr.Karunanidhi pointed out that KP had contended that MDMK leader Vaiko had stood in the way of a ceasefire. Quoting KP, he also said that Mr.Vaiko influenced a change in the decision of the LTTE leadership to enter into a ceasefire because if a peace process began, then the DMK and Congress would get credit for such a development.
Also, CPI (M) MLA K. Mahendran had contested the part in which KP had stated that it was Mr.Mahendran who conveyed to Mr.Vaiko that the LTTE wanted to enter into a dialogue with the Sri Lankan government. It was up to KP to clarify this, he said.
Answer to Vijaykant
Responding to DMDK leader Vijaykant’s allegation that both the DMK and the AIADMK were corrupt parties, Mr.Karunanidhi questioned Mr.Vijaykant’s locus standi to speak about corruption. People will laugh at his contention, Mr.Karunanidhi said and advised him that before finding fault with the appearance of others, it would be better if he had a long and hard look at the mirror.
Mr.Karunanidhi said that the proceeds from two of his movies (‘Mannin Maindhan’ and ‘Kannamma’) were given towards tsunami relief operations. His son, M.K.Stalin, had handed over the cheque for Rs. 21 lakh to the then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. Similarly, income from ‘Uliyin Osai’ minus income tax was given to senior artists. Also, the Kalaignar Karunanidhi Trust had disbursed to the poor Rs.72.65 lakh from November 2005 to August 2010.
To encourage young writers and to ensure quality work in Tamil, he had given Rs.1 crore to Book Sellers and Publishers Association of South India. Using this corpus, five upcoming writers were being given Rs. 1 lakh every year. So far, 17 writers had received the award. He had also donated Rs.1 crore to the Institute of Classical Tamil and a trust had been formed for research and to recognise scholars.

VCK will lead alliance in 2016: Thirumavalavan

Power sharing would be the next tangible step in letting Dalits taste political power, said Vidudhalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) founder Thol Thirumavalavan as he urged party office bearers to align their activities towards achieving this goal.
Addressing an in-camera meeting of the regional district executive committees here on Sunday night, Thirumavalan said the party’s, ‘Vision 2011’ did not translate into capturing power next year, but to make a significant jump towards the goal.
Even as he dropped ample hints that the party leadership was not prepared to make any offhand moves in the coming Assembly elections, he did not rule out an alliance in future. “To achieve the long-term goal of Dalit liberation through the attainment of political power, the party will lead an alternative alliance in the State in 2016. But not in the coming elections,” he said.
“Millenniums of oppression suffered by Dalits can be brought to an end only when they have their hands on the government machinery,” Thirumavalavan said. He slammed the ruling DMK for giving second-class treatment to Dalits and allowing the police to foist false cases against them.
He pointed out that winning political approval and the election commission’s recognition before the Assembly elections was the party’s top agenda. He said the VCK’s intensive membership drive in the last six months had seen an enrolment of 12 lakh members in 44 districts.
He clarified that the memberships were bonafide and each was approved only after the membership fee was paid. “This is an unprecedented feat in Dalit political history,” Thirumavalavan stressed.
The goal, he said, was to get 30 lakh new members and form at least 750 new camps in each district. “An increase in memberships and camps will arm us better at the alliance negotiating table at the time of seat allocation,” he justified. Although the Election Commission mandates the magical figure of seven MLAs for party recognition, he said the VCK would strive to win 15 seats, ensuring that they have a share in power.
He added that the party would align with all democratic forces and organisations representing regional, racial, ethnic, communal, religious and linguistic minorities. Henceforth, he said, the party would broaden its vision to absorb all democratic forces in the party, while asking partymen to enlist more people from outside the Dalit fold.

Vijayakanth pitches in for alliance leadership

Putting an end to speculation on tie-ups with major parties for the coming state Assembly elections, DMDK founder president, ‘Captain’ Vijayakanth said on Sunday that he would lead the electoral battle only from the front, which means that parties that accept his party’s leadership alone can join his alliance.
Speaking about any electoral alliance for the first time, Vijayakanth told party workers, after opening a new marriage hall built by him at Mamandur near Chengelpet, that the party would build a formidable alliance without the DMK and AIADMK.
The DMDK was a force to reckon with in Tamil Nadu and that parties that accept DMDK’s leadership were welcome to join hands, he said, evoking a roaring round of applause.
The call assumes significance in the background of the PMK’s present “neutral” position and the party founder Dr S Ramadoss making it clear recently that he was not averse to joining hands with Vijaykanth.
The Kongunadu Munnetra Kazhagam (KMK), which wields some influence in Coimbatore, Pollachi and Erode, has also indicated that it was not averse to a “third front”.
DMDK presidium chairman Panruti S Ramachandran exuded confidence on the emergence of a third front and said: “The fact that we got 11 per cent votes in the last Parliamentary elections proves that sizable sections in Tamil Nadu support a third alternative force.”