Kerala CM expresses "shock" over the murder of two men by drug mafia
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday expressed shock over the recent murder of two persons in Kannur allegedly by a drug mafia gang and said the duo were killed for joining the government's fight against the drug menace.
The gruesome murder comes amid the ongoing mass campaign against intoxicants and contraband substances in the state, he said, adding strict legal action would be initiated against the culprits.
Khalid (52), a fisherman and his 40-year-old brother-in-law Shameer were hacked to death on Wednesday in Thalassery area of Kannur district allegedly by a drug mafia gang.
According to police, the two men who were killed and a third person, who was the victims' relative, were attacked by the gang, a day after they brutally assaulted the son of one of the victims for objecting to the sale of banned substances by them.
Vijayan said there has been widespread interference of people against the drug abuse and questioning of the sale of the intoxicants now-a-days.
"Drug mafia gangs are upset about it and such acts must be dealt with without any compromise. The whole society should wake up and work for it," the Chief Minister said here in a statement.
Stating that such crimes should be viewed as a challenge against the land, he said similar gangs would be rooted out through comprehensive probe and coordinated interventions by the police and excise departments.
The society should be aware that those who join the fight against drugs should not be attacked this way, he said, adding that their family members should not be left helpless.
"Let's fight together to save our land and future generations from a disaster," the CM said and conveyed his condolence to the families of the deceased persons.
According to police, Shameer's cousin Shanid (38) was injured in the attack and is presently undergoing treatment at the Thalassery Cooperative Hospital, police said.
It was Shameer's son, Shabeel, who was beaten up allegedly by the same gang the previous day, police said.
Those accused of having carried out the attack are in hiding, it said.
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Rajasthan Royals finish third after rain plays spoilsport in their IPL game against KKR
Guwahati, May 19: Rajasthan Royals paid the price for their shoddy show during the business end as a washout of their final IPL league game against table toppers Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday pushed them to third place behind Sunrisers Hyderabad.
While KKR finished the league engagements on 20 points with nine wins and two more solitary points courtesy wash-outs, SRH (17 points) pipped RR (17 points) by virtue of better Net Run Rate (NRR). SRH finished with NRR of 0.414 compared to RR's 0.273.
KKR will play Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first Qualifier in Ahmedabad on Tuesday followed by the 'Eliminator' between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the same venue.
Rajasthan Royals would blame themselves for getting into a nice little rut after an incredible run during the first half of the tournament when they had won eight out of their nine games.
But their campaign lost a bit of steam towards the back end as they lost four games on trot and with no Jos Buttler for crunch games, facing a marauding RCB in a winner-takes-all match could be a very tough proposition.
On the other hand, SRH, a team that redefined power-hitting with optimum use of 'Impact Sub', had one of their best chases on Sunday, albeit on a track that once again resembled a highway in terms of its placid quotient. The chase of 215 against a depleted Punjab Kings with five balls to spare also bolstered their NRR just when it was needed.
