BJP MLA and former Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka KS Eshwarappa, in an interview with Dainik Bhaskar, talked about reclaiming Hindu temples which were destroyed and mosques were built on them. He said, “I am not asking to demolish any new mosques, I am only talking about the mosques that were built after destroying Hindu temples. Such mosques will be demolished and Hindu temples will be reconstructed there.”
KS Eshwarappa had recently questioned whether Allah will listen to prayers only if loudspeakers are used to call him has now said that mosques constructed after destroying Hindu temples will be demolished. He said that he had read an article about the destruction of 36,000 temples and the construction of mosques in their place.
“I have read in an article that 36 thousand temples were destroyed in order to build mosques. I’m not aware of the actual figure. I have not yet taken any action. Will see what can be done about it. I simply expressed what was in my mind,” the Shivamogga MLA said.
The BJP leader said this in response to a question over his last year statement wherein he said that over 36000 temples were destroyed and Mosques were built over them. Eshwarappa had in a statement issued on May 27, 2022, that all such Hindu temples will be reclaimed through legal means. The Karnataka BJP MLA had said this back then in the context of the discovery of a Hindu temple-like architectural design underneath the Malali market mosque in Mangaluru.
“36,000 temples have been destroyed and masjids were built over it. Let them build mosques elsewhere and offer namaz, but we cannot allow them to build masjids over our temples. I am telling you, all the 36000 temples will be reclaimed by Hindus & legally,” Eshwarappa said last year.
On his recent ‘Is Allah deaf’ remark, Eshwarappa said, “Our Vijay Sankalp Yatra is now underway. Every leader is going around the state. I am also leading a Rath Yatra. On Monday, I was in Mangaluru. Just as I was beginning my speech, the Azaan began and it disturbed everything. At that time I made this statement about Azaan. Even the Supreme Court has also said about loudspeakers.”
It is notable that KS Eshwarappa had on March 12, 2023, while addressing a rally organized as part of the BJP’s ‘Vijay Sankalp Yatra’ in poll-bound Karnataka said that playing Azaan on loudspeakers gives him a headache.
“Wherever I go this is a headache for me. I have no doubt there will be an end to this soon as there is a Supreme Court judgement. Honourable PM Modi has asked us to respect all religions, but I must ask can Allah hear only if you scream on a microphone?” he had said.
BJP MLA KS Eshwarappa makes controversial remarks during his speech in Mangaluru as Azaan plays in the background. “This (Azaan) is a headache for me, does Allah hear prayers only if one screams on a microphone? is Allah deaf? This issue must be resolved soon” pic.twitter.com/Xlt3Up7pJp
Notably, the Senior BJP leader and former minister KS Eshwarappa was addressing a public gathering when Azaan blared from a mosque nearby. Commenting on the usage of loudspeakers by the mosques for Azaan, the BJP leader added, “even we Hindus pray in temples, sing shlokas and bhajans. It’s Bharat mata that protects religions, but if you say that Allah listens only if you pray with a loudspeaker I must question if he’s deaf. It’s not needed, this issue must be resolved,” he said.
On March 13, ABP News aired an interview of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi who is currently lodged in Bathinda jail. The Punjab Police authorities have denied the channel’s claims that the interview was shot inside the prison. It is unclear when the interview was recorded. OpIndia could not verify if the interview was recent or recorded while Bishnoi was in Bathinda prison.
In a 57-minute+ interview, Lawrence Bishnoi talked in detail about the Sidhu Mossewala murder case and other cases in which he was allegedly involved. When asked how he could contact the channel from inside the prison, Bishnoi said he used loopholes in the prison system to access the mobile phones.
Bishnoi alleged that he was jailed for his involvement in university scuffles but never had a chance to choose the right path since then. He claimed if given an opportunity, he would choose the way of non-violence, and build a Gaushala.
Punjab Police authorities refute the claim that the interview was recorded inside the Bathinda prison
In an official statement, a Police spokesperson said, “It has come to notice that a private TV news channel has aired an interview of prisoner Lawrence Bishnoi purportedly from inside a jail. Rumours are that the interview was recorded from inside Bathinda Jail. This is to clarify that the rumours are baseless and that this video is not from either Bathinda Jail, where the prisoner is currently confined or from any other jail in Punjab. It is further clarified that this prisoner is at present confined in the high-security zone of Bathinda Jail, where strict surveillance is kept over his activities 24×7. If anyone is caught spreading fake news tarnishing the image of Punjab Prisons administration, action as per law shall be initiated”.
Punjab Anti-Gangsters Task Force (AGTF) Assistant Inspector General Sandeep Goel also denied it was recorded in Punjab jail. He said, “This is not from Bathinda jail or any Punjab jail or Punjab Police custody. Bathinda jail, where he is lodged, is a high-security dead phone zone”.
‘I was not involved in Sidhu Moosewala murder plan’, claims Bishnoi
During the interview, Bishnoi said he was not involved in planning to kill Sidhu Moosewala. His associates Goldy Brar and Sachin hatched the plan. He accepted that a couple of weeks before the murder, he had an argument with Goldy, and the revenge for the murder of their associates was pending, but he was not aware of the plan to kill Moosewala. “I did not have access to a phone at that time. I only learned about the murder after being taken into custody for the same,” he said.
He further claimed Sidhu Moosewala was not a saint as he is being projected by the media nowadays. He said, “Tell me one instance when Sidhu Moosewala spoke against gangsters, drug problems, Pakistan or Khalistan. He was no saint.” He further claimed that Moosewala had good relations with former Punjab CM Channi and others. “He used his contacts to create problems for my associates,” Bishnoi said.
Bishnoi said a lot of people who have been named in Moosewala’s murder case have nothing to do with it. “Everyone is in jail over suspicion. If the accused drank water at someone’s place at some point, he got arrested. No one is being questioned. Everyone is being thrown directly in jail.”
He said though he knows he has done wrong and is being punished for it, he is not anti-national. “I am against Khalistan, Pakistan and anything anti-national. I love my country. If given a chance, I will do something for India.”
When asked about the intentions of Moosewala for his alleged involvement in Mithu Khera’s murder, Bishnoi said, “He might want to become a gangster himself. He might want to live his songs in real life.” Bishnoi added that after the murder of one of his associated Gurlal, he asked Goldy, who was his junior in college, to see what could be done to take revenge.
Speaking about the evidence that Moosewala was involved in the murders of Bishnoi’s associates, he said, “His manager’s involvement was proven in the case. He had brought the shooters with him for reece.” They were allegedly planning to take revenge on Moosewala for over a year. When asked about the funding, Bishnoi said the money was collected as protection money from the liquor smugglers who supply illegal liquor to states like Bihar.
Bishnoi said he made a lot of contacts while in jail. The same goes for his associates, including Goldy and Sachin, who hatched the alleged plan to kill Moosewala. Bishnoi added that they came in contact with Imran Khurja in jail, who later arranged weapons, including AK47 and a grenade for Moosewala’s murder. Khurja was killed in an encounter.
He accused Moosewala’s father of doing politics and said, “Did he speak against any gang other than ours? He is just doing politics. I can assure you he will contest the elections. Many have been named in the case because of his personal enmity.”
Blaming the system for not taking any action in Gurlal and Vicky’s murder, Bishnoi claimed Punjab Police was working under the influence of Moosewala and did not act in matters related to the murders of his associates.
‘Salman Khan should apologise to my community’
Speaking about the grudges against Bollywood actor Salman Khan, Bishnoi said Khan never apologised to his community. If he got a chance, he would take revenge for killing the animal in his community’s area, he hinted. The Bishnoi community does not let anyone kill animals or cut green trees in their region.
He said, “There is anger in our community for Salman Khan. He humiliated my community. A case was filed against him, but he did not apologise. If he does not tender an apology, be ready to face the consequences. I will not depend on anyone else.” He added, “There has been anger in my mind for him since childhood. He will break his ego sooner or later. He should come to our deity’s temple and apologise. If our community forgives, then I will not say anything.”
‘I am just part of the game’
Though he said he would change if given a chance, later during the interview, he said that after spending nine years in jail, he has no intention of becoming a good person. “I am just part of the game. There are a lot of criminals out there. I am facing the consequences for what I did,” he said. Bishnoi said the media is prefixing his name with adjectives like gangster and terrorist. “I was jailed for what happened at the university. It was not such a big deal. However, now the media is using gangsters and even terrorists with my name.”
Lawrence Bishnoi is one of the main accused in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case. Moosewala was killed in May 2022. Gangster Goldy Brar took the responsibility for the murder and claimed he was killed as revenge for the murder of their associates.
Reacting to the interview, Moosewala’s father told Indian Express, “I will not talk about that right now. I have just listened. I will see it again. I will clear everything. I will clear everything on [Sidhu Moosewala’s death] anniversary”.
At least two policemen were killed and four others sustained injuries in attacks which Pakistani forces called “militant attacks” on census team in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s southern districts of Tank and Lakki Marwat, the Dawn reported.
According to the spokesperson for the district police, the police van came under attack in the Kot-Azam area of Tank district while it was returning from a village. “Militants opened fire on the police van when it was returning from Manjhi village (after duty hours). As a result, one policeman embraced martyrdom and four others sustained injuries,” said police spokesman Syed Yaqoob Bukhari, adding that the attackers fled after the shooting.
The injured personnel were rushed to the Tank district headquarters hospital from where they were referred to Dera Ismail Khan due to the unavailability of required facilities, he said, adding that law enforcement agencies’ personnel reached the site and launched a search operation against the militants, reported the Dawn.
The deceased policeman was identified as Khan Nawab, a recruit of Kohat police training centre, belonging to Swat district. A funeral prayer for the martyred policeman was later offered at the District Police Office which was attended by officers of law enforcement agencies, police, and others.
Meanwhile, a similar attack on the census team took place in the Pirwala area of the Lakki Marwat district where a Frontier Reserve Police (FRP) police constable was killed.
Last week, a police personnel was killed while four others were injured in a terrorist attack targeting a census team in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district. The outlawed terrorist group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack, as per the Dawn report.
Pakistan’s law and order situation has worsened over the past few months, with terrorist groups launching attacks with near impunity across the country. The TTP has intensified its attacks, particularly targeting the police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and areas bordering Afghanistan since the terrorist group’s talks with Pakistan broke down in November last year, as per the Dawn report.
According to the statistics revealed by Islamabad-based think tank, Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, January 2023 remained one of the deadliest months since July 2018, as 134 people lost their lives and 254 received injuries in at least 44 terrorist attacks across the nation.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
On Tuesday, March 14, Gurugram Police arrested two people who were seen throwing Indian currency notes on the Golf Course road in Haryana from a moving white coloured Baleno car in a viral video. The arrested accused have been identified as YouTuber Jorawar Singh Kalsi and Gurpreet Singh.
Detailing about the matter, ACP Vikas Kaushik said that the police came to know about the viral video of two men throwing cash through social media. “Both the accused have been arrested and currency notes have been recovered from the possession of Jorawar Kalsi. Besides, efforts are on to recover the car seen in the video as well,” ACP Kaushik told ANI.
Police came to know about an incident through a video on social media where two men tried to re-create a scene from a movie by throwing currency notes from a car on Golf course road. Police filed a case under various sections of IPC. Main accused identified: Vikas Kaushik, ACP,… https://t.co/QBNi1iWEGupic.twitter.com/fat3vsnv05
According to the police, the currency notes hurled in the viral video had ‘Manoranjan Bank of India’ written on them and were fake adding that the accused had not sought permission from the police for shooting such a video.
“Two others had recorded the video for Instagram reels while riding a motorcycle behind them. The Rs. 500 and Rs. 2,000 notes in circulation are bogus. The notes read ‘Manoranjan Bank of India’,” Police said in a statement.
ACP Kaushik informed that the accused persons were trying to recreate a scene from a movie. An FIR has been filed at the Sushant Lok police station against Kalsi and his friend under IPC sections 279 (rash driving), 336 (act endangering the life or personal safety of others), and 283 (obstruction of public way). The FIR was lodged on the complaint of Mohammad Zahid, an assistant sub-inspector. ASI Zahid stated in his complaint that he came across the video on Instagram titled ”Paise uda Feroz” on Kalsi’s account.
Both the accused, Jorawar Singh Kalsi & Gurpreet Singh were arrested. Two others were riding a motorcycle and recording the video. Currency notes were recovered from Jorawar Singh Kalsi’s custody & we’re trying to recover the car as well: Vikas Kaushik, ACP, DLF Gurugram (14.03) pic.twitter.com/MpThD0zbz6
In the said video posted by the accused on their Instagram page, a man was seen throwing notes into the air while sitting in the boot of a white vehicle and covering his face with a mask. The accused were recreating a scene from a recently released Amazon Prime web series ‘Farzi’ starring actors Shahid Kapoor and Vijay Sethupathy in lead roles.
According to the ASI, “Both men refer to each other in the video as “Feroz” and “Sunny,” the character of the ‘Farzi’ web series. The vehicle number is clearly seen in the video. The driver recorded the video while driving at a high speed on the Golf Course Road and his friend threw money from the vehicle after opening the boot. Not only was this negligent, but it also endangered both his life and the lives of other people.”
The two were later released after they joined the investigation. It is notable that Joravar Singh Kalsi is a 24-year-old media influencer and YouTuber from Delhi. He has 342K Instagram followers in addition to 3.51 lakh YouTube subscribers. He is well-known for his YouTube videos.
For days now, ‘activists’ have been trying to paint the unfortunate suicide of an IIT Bombay student as a case of caste discrimination, even though the probe into the incident did not find any caste angle.
Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC) wrote in a tweet thread, “Asking rank has been a tactic used by savarnas to mark SC/ST students and harass them. Despite the testimony by his senior, the committee hid it from the report and lied that he denied instances of discrimination.”
Asking rank has been a tactic used by savarnas to mark SC/ST students and harass them. Despite the testimony by his senior, the committee hid it from the report and lied that he denied instances of discrimination. #justicefordarshansolankihttps://t.co/wGaRo908xx
They added, using quotes from a report, “He told me that my roommate had reduced talking to me after knowing each other’s rank, and he also said that my roommate belongs to the General Category and does not discuss study. The senior had explained to Mr Solanki that there was no procedure to change hostel rooms and asked him to look to make other friends.”
“I suppose that he felt both loneliness and pressure of studies, then he took step suicide,” the tweet further said.
and asked him to look to make other friends. “I suppose that he felt both loneliness and pressure of studies then he took step suicide,” he said in the statement.
In a Hindustan Times report, a survey of SC/ST students was highlighted where the students from said communities claimed they do not feel comfortable discussing their caste on campus. The survey that was done by the SC/ST cell claimed that 21.6% of students said they feared backlash from students or faculty if they talked about caste discrimination.
Furthermore, the Dalit activists and organisations criticised the 12-member interim investigation committee report for calling the death a suicide.
Leftist portal Newslaundry used the unfortunate incident to claim ‘caste discrimination’ because students were asked about their JEE rank at the institute. The report also mentioned the survey done by the SC/ST cell at IIT B. It also talked about the call recording of a student named Uday with another student Naveen where Uday claimed Darshan told him the roommate was ‘discriminating’ against him because of his low rank.
The report also included a statement by Uday Singh Meena, mentioning that Darshan told him his roommate reduced talking to him after learning about his rank. He also mentioned the roommate was a general-category student. He further added many students in the institute did not talk to him. “I suppose that he felt both loneliness and pressure of studies then he took step suicide”, he wrote in the end. Notably, though Uday mentioned the roommate was from the general category, the note nowhere hints at caste discrimination.
The internal panel ruled out caste discrimination
Earlier on March 6, it was reported that the interim report submitted by the committee on March 2 does not mention the statement. It instead reads, “A senior SC-ST student whose audio call recording was submitted to the committee by one of the student collectives denied any specific instance of caste-based discrimination faced by Darshan during direct deposition to the committee.”
The matter is linked to the death of Darshan Solanki, who allegedly committed suicide in February this year. On February 24, the Maharashtra Home department issued an order to transfer the investigation from the local Powai police station to the Crime Branch, just before the beginning of the state’s Budget Session on Monday. The student’s family has claimed that Darshan Solanki was subjected to ‘caste discrimination’, which ultimately drove him to take his own life.
The internal committee’s report mentioned that Darshan has got poor marks and may have been worried about his deteriorating academic performance.
Reports suggest Darshan jumped from the refuge area of the IIT-Bombay hostel building on February 12 at around 1 pm. He hailed from Ahmedabad and joined the institute for a B-Tech course three and a half months before the incident.
Soon after Darshan’s death, popular Dalit activists and organisations on social media deemed Darshan’s suicide “institutional murder”, adding that Rohit Vemula, Payal Tadvi, and Darshan were all victims of “harassment, discrimination and casteism”.
As per a senior officer of the Mumbai Police, the investigation has been moved to the Mumbai Crime Branch. An SIT has been created under the guidance of Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Lakhmi Gautam, with DCP (Detection) KK Upadhyay and ACP (Santacruz Division) Chandrakant Bhosle. At the same time, additional members may be included later.
A case was registered after three people including two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers were allegedly assaulted with weapons, police said on Wednesday.
The incident happened on Tuesday night in the Palakkad district of Kerala.
The two BJP workers namely Vishnu and Dinesh were allegedly attacked with weapons. Vishnu’s mother was also attacked when she tried to stop the attackers.
All three have been admitted to a hospital. Alathur Police has registered a case in the matter and started the investigation.
Further details are awaited in the case.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
In the morning OpIndia reported that a TTE was caught urinating on a female passenger and was subsequently sent to Judicial Custody. The TTE who was identified as Munna Kumar was drunk when he committed the disgusting act.
In a swift and stern action, the railway TTE was removed from service after he was caught urinating on a woman passenger. The incident occurred on the Akal Takht Express train running from Amritsar to Kolkata.
Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways posted on his Twitter account a copy of the termination letter of the offender. The minister referred to reports published in two media portals and taking cognizance of the incident, directed the officers to remove the TTE involved in the urination incident.
In the statement released to the press, Mr Vaishnaw said that “The action showing disrespect to women construes serious misconduct, in the process bringing disrepute not only to your own self but also to the Railways as an organization. It is also seen that you are in Judicial custody. Taking cognizance of this grave matter, I consider it to be a fit case to adopt the provisions of Rule 14(II), thus I hereby deem it fit to impose the punishment of REMOVAL FROM SERVICE WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT for behaviour unbecoming of a railway servant.”
Notably, such swift actions have become a hallmark of the BJP government. The policy of Zero Tolerance towards crimes against women has been a principal thing for the present government.
The TTE was detained by GRP and taken into custody. Navratna Gautam, in charge of GRP Charbagh railway station, said that strict action was taken based on the complaint of passenger Rajesh, a resident of Amritsar, whose wife faced the nightmare.
The victim, who was traumatized by the incident, has been provided with all necessary medical assistance and counselling. The incident has sparked widespread outrage, with many people demanding that such acts of indecency be dealt with severely, which is exactly what the Ministry for railways has done. The Railway Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, has condemned the incident in the strongest language possible and stated that the railways have a zero-tolerance policy towards such behaviour.
The incident has highlighted the need for better security measures on trains, especially for women passengers. The railway authorities have promised to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of passengers, and have urged the public to report any such incidents immediately.
The removal of the TTE from service is a welcome move, and the swift action taken by the railway authorities is commendable. The incident serves as a reminder that such acts of indecency cannot be tolerated and that strict action must be taken against those who engage in them.
The railways have a duty to ensure the safety and security of their passengers, and incidents such as this must not be allowed to happen again. The public can rest assured that the railways are taking all necessary steps to prevent such incidents and ensure the safety of all passengers.
Another case of purported love jihad/grooming jihad has come to the fore from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, where a Muslim boy named Shadab posed as a Hindu to befriend a Hindu girl. Shadab, according to reports, entrapped the girl into a love affair while pretending to be a Hindu boy. He then allegedly took her to a hotel on the pretext of celebrating her birthday, where he spiked her drink. Thereafter, he raped her and took compromising photographs with her which he used to blackmail her to the tune of Rs 55 lakhs.
The incident was reported from the Tilak Nagar police station area in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
The victim, who hailed from Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh, reportedly came to Tilak Nagar in 2016 to pursue higher studies. She began staying with her brother there. In 2021, she visited a cafe in Tilak Nagar to meet her friend Saurabh who promised to get her a job. There, Saurabh’s girlfriend introduced the victim to the accused. Shadab, a resident of the Khirjabad Colony of Kharjana, introduced himself as Kabir. The duo started talking to each other and soon became friends.
To garner sympathy, Shadab told the victim that he was suffering from cancer. This drew her closer to him and Shadab tactfully lured the victim into his love trap. One day, Shadab took the victim to a hotel in Ujjain on the pretext of celebrating her birthday. Shadab decorated the room and even invited his friend Bittu there.
Shadab gifted the victim a ring and vowed to marry her. To celebrate their ‘alliance’, he then offered the victim a drink, which he had spiked. When the girl fell unconscious, he raped her and clicked objectionable pictures with her without her knowledge.
After a few days, Shadab began blackmailing her with these photos. He began pressurising the girl to stay with him in his Bakhtawar Ram Nagar flat, where he forced her to establish physical relations with him. He pressurised her and took her to Bhopal, Mahabaleshwar, and Mandav, where he again raped her. The girl became pregnant twice, but both times Shadab got her abortion done.
Shadab extorts Rs 55 lakhs from the victim, forces her to read Kalma
During this time, the victim alleged that Shadab extorted Rs 12 lakh from her. He not only threatened to kill her when she asked him to return her money but constantly hounded her to give him more money.
To meet his demands, the girl even had to sell her ancestral home in Tikamgarh. Shadab forcefully took away the Rs 55 Lakhs that the family received as sales proceeds. After a few days, Shadab took the girl to the Ajmer dargah in Rajasthan where he forced her to read Kalma-Namaz.
The girl finally mustered the courage and approached the Tilak Nagar Police station to lodge a complaint against Shadab. Based on her complaint, the police filed an FIR against the accused under relevant sections for rape, blackmailing, and the anti-love jihad law.
Speaking about the case, Manju Yadav, the SHO of Tilak Nagar PS said that the police are investigating the matter. A search team has been deployed to look for Shadab, who went missing after the incident was reported.
In anticipation of the upcoming Navratri festival and the occasion of Ramnavmi, the Yogi Adityanath administration in Uttar Pradesh has planned to conduct Ramayana and Durga Saptshati recitations in each district of the state. The first day of Chaitra Navratri is on March 22 while Ram Navmi will be observed this year on March 30.
The government would provide each district with a sum of Rs 1 lakh for these events, and a letter in this respect has been addressed to the district magistrates and divisional commissioners of every district. According to the reports, throughout Navratri, there will be special activities at all Shaktipeeths and temples located in the state.
Programs will be organized by the government at the district, tehsil, and block levels. The officers, as per the official directive, are expected to have finished all of the preparations by March 21. The officers have been asked to submit the names and addresses of the temples where the events would take place, as well as photos and phone numbers of the administration of the temples.
At the state level, two nodal officials have also been appointed who will aid in the effective execution of these programs. The programs will start on March 22 and conclude on March 30. The government authorities are meanwhile making sure that a large number of women and girls participate in the program.
“A committee head by the district magistrate in each district will select the artists who will perform at the religious and cultural programs. Public representatives will be invited to these events and public participation has to be ensured,” the directive was quoted.
Mukesh Kumar Meshram, the principal secretary of the cultural department, said that similar events had previously taken place in temples. Meshram said the district administrations had been directed to coordinate with the temple committees regarding the arrangements to be made at the temple premises during the nine days of festivities.
Assistant Director (Culture) Rangbharti also said that such events on Chaitra Navratri had been organized in the past too at the divisional-headquarter level and before the Covid-19 pandemic. “This time programs are going to be organized at the district level at a grand scale at several temples,” Rangbharti was quoted, who is the state-level nodal officer for the programs.
Whatever events are planned at the temples, pictures of them will be posted on the Cultural Department’s website.
The Kerala government has proclaimed victory over the large-scale fire, the cause of which is still unknown, and the poisonous vapours that many fear may have slowly poisoned the city of Kochi and its outskirts. The fire started at the solid waste treatment facility in Brahmapuram on March 2, and it has been burning for the last twelve days.
Since March 2, the fires that were playing hide-and-seek in the vast garbage “dumping yard” forced the firemen of the Fire and Rescue Services and other organisations to work day and night to contain them. The blatant mishandling of Kochi’s mounting garbage problems has been exposed by the outbreak and the stretched control effort though the fire now has been put out. Massive protests erupted in the city of Kochi on Sunday owing to the fire which led to toxic fumes degrading the air quality.
According to the reports, the Air Quality Index as of Sunday was above 200 and officials in the pollution control board had said that it might cross 300. While locals have already complained of respiratory illnesses, several other residents living in the city have also moved out to other places owing to the health hazards.
Also, Mammootty, a well-known Malayalam actor, has asked the authorities to take the appropriate action since the garbage plant’s poisonous smoke is wreaking havoc on the environment. Mohanlal, another well-known actor, also commented on how terrible the environmental catastrophe is. Mammootty addressed the media and admitted that the terrible air quality was keeping him up at night. The well-known actor also acknowledged that he has been coughing and having breathing issues. On the other hand, actor Mohanlal has also requested the government to find out a permanent solution.
Netizens slam Kerala government over the fire in Brahmapuram landfill
Netizens on social media condemned the government over the incident and demanded the implementation of strict measures. Trending the hashtag #GodsOwnTrash which illuminated from ‘God’s own country’, a popular attribute by which the state of Kerala is known, netizens said that the CPM government was silent over the matter and not even a single leader was speaking against the mismanagement.
“The entire commie army is silent over the Brahmapuram Disaster. Not even a single commie in Kochi has spoken against the mismanagement, while their own family is suffocating. But Pinarayi Vijayan govt is adopting dog in the manger attitude towards NDMA,” said one of the netizens.
A Hindu activist also commented on the issue and said that the state government should make public his meeting with company Zonta Infratech which is at the centre of a series of controversies since the fire broke out.
“For more than 10 days smoke from Brahmapuram waste plant is killing people. Kerala CM should reveal his previous meetings with the owner of Zonta company which stands suspicious in this case. Unless CM himself will be considered as first accused,” he said.
For more than 10days smoke frm Brahmapuram waste plant is killing people. Kerala CM should reveal abt his previous meetings w/ owner of Zonta company which stands suspicious in this case. Unless CM himself will b considered as 1st accused.#KochiCantBreathe#GodsOwnTrashpic.twitter.com/LYz1iJYgEL
The National Institute of Technology (NIT), Kozhikode had surveyed to estimate that around 5.5 lacks cubic meters of legacy waste had heaped over 40.25 acres of land at the Brahmapuram plant by 2022. Reports mention that the survey was conducted by the NIT before Zonta Infratech was assigned the task to bio-mine the legacy waste. The company Zonta Infratech has been at the centre of a series of controversies and political allegations after the fire breakout.
Biomining is an environmentally beneficial process that turns waste products from dump yards into usable resources. The Kochi Corporation began moving the city’s trash to the facility in 2007, which is when the enormous legacy waste at Brahmapuram first appeared. As the state government intervened and took over the site’s solid waste management from the Kochi Corporation, biomining was necessary at the factory. The main issue affecting the site, according to the authorities, is legacy garbage.
Zonta began the biomining process on January 15 and planned to complete the task of recovering the dumpsite land in 18 months while also digging, separating, sorting, collecting, storing, and selling recoverable items from the legacy trash. Around 28% of the work was finished, according to the government. On March 2, 2023, the largest and longest fire in Brahmapuram’s horrific history of summer fires broke out. It is unknown how much additional work Zonta would have accomplished between the government report’s release and the nine-month mark. Unsettling images from the site, including waste heaps that appear to be older than years, indicate that there is still a lot of work to be done.
In 1998, the Kochi Metropolitan area purchased land for a garbage disposal facility in the Vadavukode-Puthencruz panchayat. To dispose of its garbage, the corporation sought out a new dump site. Cheranalloor and Willingdon Island existed before Brahmapuram. People objected at Cheranalloor, and the Navy later cancelled authorization to dump waste there in 2006 because the birds that nibbled on the garbage were messing with their flights.
The existence of the Brahmaputra and its inhabitants was in jeopardy the next year when the Corporation began disposing of trash at the site it held at Chellipadam, a rice field. When trash accumulated around the city, the High Court urged the Corporation to use the Brahmapuram facility. On January 1, 2007, the high court issued a directive stating that the aforementioned area must be utilized for dumping or storage of trash until a permanent waste disposal plant is developed and made functioning at Brahmapuram.
The Kochi Corporation has been maintaining the yard without any authorization from the Kerala State Pollution Control Board since April 30, 2010. Approximately, 206 tonnes of waste is dumped at Brahmapuram a day, the government’s report submitted before the NGT noted.
The fire however has exposed the blatant mishandling of Kochi’s mounting garbage problems and the stretched control effort though the fire now has been put out. Reports mention that the Congress-led Opposition has demanded a CBI probe into the fire incident at the Brahmapuram plant. The opposition leaders also believe that the garbage was deliberately set on fire as the contractor had failed to clear the waste pile.
The tragedy has raised doubts about the project’s future ambitions as well as the biomining work. According to reports, it is regrettably the result of poor planning, ineffectiveness, poor administration, and—most importantly—obvious but unsubstantiated corruption.
Up to 800 individuals have so far sought medical attention, and on Tuesday, a doorstep health survey shall start, according to state health minister Veena George. “We will identify people who are affected by the smoke and start treatment,” she said. All hospitals have been instructed by the government to treat patients who present with respiratory issues as their first priority. However, the Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan is still silent.
