Tantri consultation: BJP state chief backtracks
Kozhikode, Nov 10: After kicking up a row over his statement that the Sabarimala head priest had consulted him before threatening the closure of the Ayyappa shrine if women of menstrual age entered it, the BJP's state unit chief P S Sreedharan Pillai Saturday made a complete volte-face saying someone else in the tantri's family had sought his views.
Pillai, who is on a 'Save Sabarimala Rath Yatra' from Kasaragod to Erumeli along with Bharatiya Dharma Jana Seva president Thushar Vellapally, told reporters here that what he meant was that someone in the tantri's (head priest) family had called him to seek clarification and not the tantri.
Since the head priest has clarified that he had not called him up, there is no need to doubt it, Pillai said.
Television channels had aired a video clip last week in which Pillai purportedly is heard saying at a yuva morcha meeting that the head priest Kandararu Rajeevaru had consulted him before threatening to close the shrine in case women in the 'barred' age group of 10-50 entered it to offer prayers.
When the controversy broke out, Pillai had said as a lawyer practising in the Kerala High Court the priest had sought a legal clarification, which he had given.
However, the tantri had denied having consulted Pillai and said he had only spoken to his senior tantri Kandararu Mohanararu.
The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the shrine, has sought an explanation from the head priest.
At the height of protests against entry of women of menstrual age into the hill shrine, Rajeevaru had on October 19 threatened to shut the sanctum sanctorum if two young women, then escorted by police, were allowed to reach the 'Sannidhanam' (temple complex).
Around 200 devotees tried to prevent a woman pilgrim from entering the hill shrine, suspecting her to be of menstrual age, and allegedly attacked a cameraman of a Malayalam television news channel when the shrine was opened for a two-day special ritual on November 6.
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Man wanted in rape-murder case of his 4-year-old niece killed in police encounter in Ghaziabad
Ghaziabad (UP) (PTI): A 55-year-old criminal wanted in the case of rape and murder of his four-year-old niece was killed in a police encounter late on Sunday night in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad district, a police official said on Monday.
In the joint operation carried out by the police and Crime Branch, the accused Jeeshan, carrying a cash reward of Rs 50,000, allegedly opened fire to evade arrest, resulting in injuries to two personnel, the police said.
According to the police, at around 12 noon on April 11, Jeeshan allegedly lured the child from outside her home on the pretext of buying her toffees. He took her to his room, where he allegedly raped her and subsequently strangled her to death. Following the crime, the accused carried the body on his shoulders and dumped it under a car on an 80-foot road in the Shalimar Garden police station area before fleeing.
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Two days ago, his presence was captured on CCTV footage at Delhi railway station when he was trying to flee out of Delhi. The police received a tip-off that the accused was scheduled to meet someone near the Banthla canal in Loni, the police said.
Following this, a team of the Teela Morh police station barricaded the area, and began checking. They spotted the suspect and signalled him to stop. Upon seeing the police, Jeeshan attempted to flee. Finding himself encircled by the police, he allegedly opened fire on the police team. The police fired in self-defence, in which the accused sustained gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead, the police said.
ACP Shalimar Garden Atul Kumar Singh said that the accused was killed in retaliatory firing and the injured policemen -- head constables Amit and Iqbal -- are out of danger.
The body of the deceased has been sent for a post-mortem examination, Singh said, and added that the police have recovered weapons and cartridges from his possession.
