Case filed against Sharan Pumpwell for placing saffron flag in shops during Mangaladevi temple fair
Mangaluru, (PTI): The Mangaluru city police have registered a case against Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Sharan Pumpwell and his associates for allegedly indulging in communally divisive activities near Sri Mangaladevi temple here.
Pumpwell, along with a group of followers, had allegedly placed saffron flags at the shops owned by members of the Hindu community situated in the vicinity of the temple during the Dasara celebrations on Tuesday.
He also made a press statement urging the Hindu community to exclusively patronise shops owned and operated by fellow Hindus for their essential needs. These actions and statements have the potential to incite religious enmity, police said.
The case was registered at the Mangaluru South police station. The charges include causing communal disharmony and promoting divisive behaviour on religious grounds, sources said.
Mangaluru city police commissioner Anupam Agarwal, in a statement here on Wednesday, emphasised the police department's commitment to maintaining peace and security within the city.
Meanwhile, the joint forum of secular parties and organisations of Dakshina Kannada condemned the VHP call and said the right-wing outfit is dividing people by giving a call to boycott traders of other faiths.
Forum general secretary and DYFI state president Muneer Katipalla said people of all faiths have joined the Navaratri celebrations of Mangaladevi temple for centuries.
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.
Four of family found dead in Maharashtra’s Nanded district in suspected mass suicide
Nanded (PTI): A farmer, his wife and their two sons were found dead in two different locations in Maharashtra’s Nanded district on Thursday morning, in what police suspect to be a mass suicide, an official said.
Around 8 am, the bodies of Ramesh Sonaji Lakhe (51) and his wife Radhabai Lakhe (45) were discovered on a cot in their home at Jawala Murar village in Mudkhed tehsil, he said.
ALSO READ: Mercury dips across West Bengal on Christmas, Darjeeling at 4.5 degrees C
The bodies of their sons, Umesh (25) and Bajrang (23), were subsequently found on nearby railway lines. It appears they jumped in front of a speeding train, the official said.
Police inspector Dattatray Manthale told reporters, “The parents were found dead inside their home, while the sons took their lives on the railway tracks. We have asked a Forensic Science Laboratory team to collect evidence. The truth will come out only after a thorough technical investigation and autopsy.”
While the nature of their death appears to be part of a suicide pact, police said the exact circumstances remain unclear.
The family belonged to the small-scale farming community, but it is not yet confirmed if financial distress or a domestic crisis triggered the extreme step, the official said.
Neighbours described the Lakhes as a hardworking family who struggled against the odds of small-land farming to sustain themselves.
The Nanded rural police are recording statements of relatives and checking for notes or final messages left by the family.
