Gujarat: Villagers take out kalash yatra for coronavirus 'protection'; 83 held
Himmatnagar (Gujarat), May 25: More than 80 people were arrested after a social media video showed them participating in a religious procession for performing a ritual to "protect" their village from the scourge of coronavirus in Prantij taluka in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district, police said on Tuesday.
Over a hundred people from Lalpur village took out the procession on May 22 to perform a ritual with a belief that it will "prevent coronavirus" from affecting their village, a local police official said.
He said some members of the procession beat drums while others, including women, carried a 'kalash' or a small pot filled with sacred water on their heads.
Police came to know about the incident on Monday after a video went viral on social media, said Prantij police inspector PL Vaghela.
"We have registered an FIR against 28 identified and a hundred unidentified people for participating in the procession in violation of the government's notification regarding the coronavirus pandemic. We arrested 83 people in the last two days," the officer said.
A case was registered against the participants of the procession, including women, under the provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act, the Disaster Management Act, and under section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code, he said.
A similar incident had occurred in Navapura village in Ahmedabad district of the state earlier this month wherein a large number of women turned up at a religious event to "eradicate coronavirus".
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
