Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan condemns Israel's bombardment of Gaza
Sivagiri (Kerala) (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday condemned Israel's bombardment of Gaza and said what the Israeli establishment is doing to the Palestinian people is an attack on humanity.
He was speaking after inaugurating the 91st Sivagiri pilgrimage here when he made the remarks.
"There were no Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, this time. There were no Christmas lamps or stars. How will they celebrate Christmas?" Vijayan asked.
He said when when one hears of Palestine, the images that come to mind are often of the Muslim faithful, but there is also a significant Christian community living in Gaza.
Speaking about Palestinians being unable to celebrate Christmas, which brings the message of peace, the chief minister said the social reformer saint Sreenarayana Guru, who founded the Sivagiri Mutt, had also spread the message of peace and harmony.
Emphasising the guru's teachings, which uphold universal humanity, he even went on to say that "if the light of the guru's message had reached that soil, the river of blood would not have flowed like this."
Sree Narayana Guru had propagated the message of 'One Caste, One Religion, and One God for Mankind.'
The 19th-century spiritual guru and social reformer was born into a backward Ezhava family in an era when people from such communities faced social injustice in the caste-ridden society of Kerala. He went on to herald a major change in society, being at the forefront of the movement for universal temple entry and against untouchability.
The event organised at Sivagiri was attended by dignitaries including Kerala Cooperation Minister V N Vasavan, ISRO chairman S Somanath, and SNDP Yogam General Secretary Vellappally Natesan.
It was presided over by Sivagiri Mutt head Swami Sachidananda.
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Advocate found dead in car on Nainital court premises
Nainital (PTI): A 55-year-old advocate allegedly died by suicide after shooting himself inside his car at the Nainital district court parking lot here on Monday, police said.
According to the police, Puran Singh Bhakuni, a resident of Mallital, was found in the rear seat of his vehicle with a gunshot wound to his temple.
Police recovered a licensed pistol from his hand and a suicide note from the car’s dashboard. The note stated that Bhakuni was unwell and suffering from depression.
"We received information through lawyers around noon. The deceased was lying in the back seat with a pistol in his hand and blood near his ear," Circle Officer Anjana Negi said.
Forensic teams and ballistic experts reached the spot to collect evidence, as no witness reported hearing the gunshot.
Government counsel Sushil Sharma stated that Bhakuni left home at 9 am and was found dead at 9.30 am.
Sharma raised concerns over the circumstances, noting that the body was in the rear seat, and demanded a thorough probe to rule out foul play. Bhakuni, who worked as a notary, had married six months ago, he said.
Police took the body into custody and sent it for a postmortem to confirm the cause of death.
The forensic laboratory will examine the suicide note and the ballistics of the weapon, the police said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
