Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday led a 'Satyagraha' protest here against the BJP-led union government, accusing it of "political vengeance" and "bias" in denying the state its rightful financial allocations.

The day-long protest, which commenced at the Martyrs' Memorial in Palayam in the heart of the city in the morning, saw the participation of cabinet ministers, ruling MLAs, senior leaders and other people's representatives.

ALSO READ:  Cold grips Delhi, minimum temperature settles around 3 degrees

During his inaugural address, Vijayan charged the Centre with "deliberately creating obstacles" to stall the state's progress it has achieved in various sectors all these years.

"The Centre is trying to snatch away the constitutionally guaranteed rights of Kerala, which should not happen in a democratic country," he said.

He said the LDF government was forced to launch such a protest to protect the rights of its people in such an unprecedented situation.

He urged everyone to stand united to ensure that Kerala received its due share.

Vijayan also took aim at the opposition Congress-led UDF, accusing them of indirectly supporting the BJP and the saffron party-led union government in the matter.

The satyagraha is scheduled to be concluded in the evening.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Meerut (UP) (PTI): Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati have condemned the killing of a backward class youth in the Sardhana area of Meerut.

Both leaders on Sunday urged the government to be vigilant and proactive to prevent such crimes.

In a post on X, Mayawati said that the January 5 killing of a youth belonging to the Kashyap community, categorised under the Other Backward Classes (OBC), deserved the strongest condemnation.

She stressed that anti-social and criminal elements must have fear of the law.

In his post, SP chief said, "We raise our voice on behalf of the entire PDA community against the heinous act committed by goons who burned a young man from the Kashyap community alive in Jwalagarh, in the Sardhana area."

Responding to the posts, the Meerut police said the it was not a recent case and that had registered a murder FIR and solved the crime within 24 hours of the incident.

The accused, they said, is a minor who was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board and sent to a child reform home.

According to the police, the incident took place on January 5 on the Akhepur-Rardhana Road.

The victim was identified as Rohit alias Sonu, 28, a resident of the Kila locality in Muzaffarnagar city.

An investigation revealed that the crime followed an argument over loud music being played in a tempo. The accused, a 16-year-old tempo driver, allegedly assaulted Rohit with a brick, killing him.

Circle Officer (Sardhana) Ashutosh Kumar said the accused first befriended Rohit, made him consume liquor while he himself drank an energy drink and later struck him on the head with a brick.

To conceal his identity, the accused dragged the body about 15 metres to a spot near a school wall and set it on fire using clothes, dry leaves, and oil.

The incident came to light when a school watchman noticed a fire late that night and informed the police. The body was identified the next day.

Family members said Rohit worked as a confectioner in Mumbai and had come to his village to look for a bride.

The police said the accused was identified through a barcode on a liquor pouch recovered from the spot and CCTV footage from a liquor shop.