Heavy rain lashes high ranges of Kerala; orange alert in four districts
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Intermittent heavy rain accompanied by strong winds lashed several parts of Kerala causing inundation, uprooting of trees and traffic snarls there on Monday.
The high ranges of southern Thiruvananthapuram and northern Kozhikode and Kannur districts experienced widespread rains and overcast climate throughout the day.
Heavy downpour that lasted for nearly an hour caused waterlogging in Thiruvananthapuram-Thenkasi road. Road traffic was interrupted in Elavattom in Palode road also for some time due to inundation in the evening.
In Kannur, flood water entered in the premises of some houses and commercial establishments. A wall reportedly collapsed upon a house in the district following heavy rains.
Houses were damaged in lightening in Mala in Thrissur district and Elanji in Ernakulam. Walls developed cracks and electric equipment damaged in such incidents, local people said. A family had a narrow escape after an uprooted tree fell upon their house in Pallippurm in Thrissur.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert in four districts -Ernakulam, Idukki, Malappuram and Kozhikode - predicting very heavy rainfall. The rest of the districts were placed under a yellow alert.
In the wake of heavy rain, the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) asked people living in areas prone to landslides, mudslides, and flash floods to move to safer locations as directed by officials concerned.
Residents living along riverbanks and in areas downstream of dams should also relocate in advance, following official instructions, in view of possible danger, the SDMA said in a statement.
An orange alert refers to very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm, and a yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 cm and 11 cm.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
