THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Journalist’s life snuffed out; IAS officer blamed
The death of journalist KM Basheer, 35, and the drama which unfolded showed the lackadaisical attitude of the police which shocked the public. Journalist Basheer lost his life when a speeding car allegedly driven by IAS officer Sriram Venkitaraman rammed into his motorbike in the early hours of August 2.
The accident occurred near Public Office under the Museum police station limits and though Basheer was hospitalised, he could not be saved. Witnesses said they saw Sriram Venkitaraman step out of the driver’s seat. But the IAS officer has denied this and placed the blame on his co-passenger Wafa Firoze. The delay in taking the blood sample of Sriram for examination by the police and allowing the accused to get admitted at a private hospital in the city, thereby helping the accused, were all brought under question.
An emphatic win for VK Prasanth
It was a historic win for V K Prasanth in Vattiyoorkavu assembly bye-election. The former Mayor who contested as the LDF candidate emerged victorious upsetting the caste and community equations in the constituency, that was considered a Congress bastion. Popularly known as ‘Mayor Bro’, Prasanth defeated his nearest rival and UDF candidate K Mohan Kumar by a margin of 14,438 votes. Prasanth clocked 54,782 votes and flaunted a neat victory considering the setback the party received in the last assembly election in 2016 when it was pushed to third place behind BJP. The by-elections were held in five assembly constituencies in Kerala.
The dark side of college politics
The dark side of college politics could be seen when clashes between students groups became the norm. Akhil, a third-year political science student, was stabbed in the chest and case was registered against six students belonging to SFI. In another incident, police took action against five SFI activists who were involved in the attack on KSU state president KM Abhijith. Nithin Raj, a second-year MA History student, was brutally beaten up, allegedly by an SFI member.
The major turn of events occurred after bundles of Kerala University answer sheets were seized by the police from the house of Sivaranjit, one of the main accused in the stabbing case of Nithin Raj. The three accused in the case were also rank holders in the PSC examination, following which, the three were removed from the PSC rank list.
A walk to reclaim public spaces
The Women and Child Development Department organised a night walk where women congregated on the streets and undertook walks at night across the state. The walk was held to coincide with the Nirbhaya Day, on December 29.
The night walk upheld the concept of ‘Pothu idam entethum’ (Public space is mine too) and was about claiming the public spaces for women. The walk began from 11 pm and was organised in 22 centres in the capital. Manaveeyam Veedhi was one of the main centres of activities as many women started the walk from there. Cultural programmes were also held.
Solar festival in the city
After nine years, the city was witness to the solar eclipse. The young and the old trooped in to watch the visual extravaganza as sun, moon and earth lined up on December 26. The Kerala State Science and Technology Museum had made elaborate arrangements including a range of safe viewing equipment for the public at the Central Stadium in the city. The partial eclipse started at 8.07am and by 9.30am, 96 per cent of obscurity was achieved.
Apart from Central Stadium, arrangements were made at Gandhi Park. This facility was arranged by the Breakthrough Science Society in association with Aero club of SCT College of Engineering and Advent. The next solar eclipse in the state will be in 2031. Kottayam will be the best place to watch the same.
The Koodathil murders
Bearing an uncanny resemblance to the sensational Koodathayi murders in Thamarassery where accused Jolly Joseph used cyanide-laced food and drinks to do away with family members, the capital also saw its share of foul play when seven members of the Koodathil family at Kalady in Karamana died over 20 years.
The property grabbing of the family by the caretakers brought attention to the case. It was the relatives of the family members who alleged serial murders on the lines of the Koodathayi case. In the FIR of property grabbing case, former caretaker Raveendran Nair is the prime suspect. Sahadevan, another caretaker who had served the family for 40 years, is the second suspect while the former collector Mohandas figures as the tenth suspect.
India-West Indies T20I
December 8 was a day to remember for the thousands of cricket enthusiasts who thronged the Sports Hub stadium at Kariyavattom to see the T20 match between India and the West Indies. Shivam Dube who scored a half-century for India entertained the spectators with his explosive strokes during the match in which India lost. Even though the fans were disappointed as Sanju Samson couldn’t graze the field, many left the field with happy faces as they were able to see their favourite stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in action.
Secretariat celebrates 150 years
The Secretariat celebrated its 150th anniversary on August 23. On July 8, 1869, Ayilyam Thirunal Rama Varma, the erstwhile ruler of Travancore, inaugurated the Secretariat complex. On August 23, its offices started functioning. The government marked the occasion with a range of programmes including cultural events, an exhibition of historical records, a photo exhibition and competitions for children.
The Secretariat complex was designed by William Barton and an amount of `1.7 lakh was spent on building it. On December 7, 1865, the foundation stone was laid. It was the then Diwan of Travancore, T Madhava Rao, who played a pivotal role in the construction of the Secretariat.