Kerala Minister blames globalisation for incident of human sacrifice
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The shocking incident of ritualistic human sacrifice of two women in Kerala was allegedly an outcome of frustration caused by globalisation and efforts of some reactionary forces to bring back hollow and obsolete value systems, state Minister Dr R Bindu believes.
The Social Justice Minister claimed while such incidents were occurring across India, it came to light quickly in the southern state as the public are more alert and vigilant.
"You should not see it as something prevalent only in Kerala. As the society here is more alert and vigilant, such instances are coming to light quickly here. In other states of the country where superstitious practices are rampant, no one even comes to know of such incidents happening there.
"India is a country with deep-rooted superstitions and customs and the power of the same is increasing as some people are trying to bring back ancient customs and practices. Therefore, it is not confined to Kerala and across India we are now seeing an increase in the tendency to resort to violence and brutality. Some of it you are seeing in Kerala," she told PTI.
One of the reasons for this is "the frustration created by globalisation," according to her.
"Globalisation is creating pitfalls for people as they desperately try to make a quick buck. In such a scenario, some people are easily misled by fake illusions that human sacrifices can bring them prosperity. So illusory promises are being given to people to carry out such horrendous crimes and scams," the minister said.
The accused couple - Bhagaval Singh (68), a massage therapist and his wife Laila (59) - are an example of the same as they carried out the crime for their financial well-being, she said.
"They wanted a bit more financial stability in their life and therefore, they joined the prime accused -- Mohammed Shafi (52) -- who is a born criminal," the Social Justice Minister said.
Another reason for such incidents were the efforts of some "reactionary" forces to bring back "hollow" or "obsolete" value systems, she claimed.
Asked who was behind such value systems, the minister said, "Who amongst us is trying to revive reactionary forces? Who is it? Very conservative, very reactionary, very obsolete things are being revived or brought back by whom?"
Queried as to whether she was referring to the Sangh Parivar or RSS, Bindu said, "Yes. The waves or ripples of what they are doing are being felt and seen everywhere, including Kerala, and we are watching it with fear and apprehension."
Kerala is a progressive state with renaissance and public movements and high literacy rate, despite which such incidents are happening here and it is being viewed with serious concern, the minister said.
As a result we are continuously fighting against it, unlike in other states, she added.
As to how the government was fighting this problem and would continue to do so, the minister said public awareness programmes are already being conducted in various districts with cooperation of various social welfare organisations.
Besides, the government was considering bringing out a law to curb such superstitious practices and the same was recently announced by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, she said.
Bindu further said a drive similar to the 'no to drugs' campaign may also be launched across the state to create awareness among the public against superstitious practices.
"There is an increase in aggression among people compared to the past. There is ruthlessness among people. This is happening across the world. A major cause of that is globalisation. It is also leading to an emotional disconnect from each other and that is why such brutal killings are taking place," she said.
The minister said black magic and superstitious practices were there in the past as well, however, they were never so brutal as in the instant case.
According to the police remand report, the victims were not only killed, their bodies were mutilated and chopped into pieces. This, along with decomposition of the bodies by the time they were exhumed, made accurate identification of the victims difficult and is one of the reasons why the remains have not been handed over to the families.
"We are awaiting the DNA analysis report as conclusive proof of the identity of the victims. Then the remains will be handed over to the families," a top police officer said.
Asked about the veracity of some news reports claiming that the accused indulged in cannibalism, the officer said that while the trio confessed to the same during interrogation, there was no scientific evidence yet regarding that.
The officer said evidence collection was going on at a brisk pace and police were trying to recover the personal belongings, like ornaments and phones, of the victims which the accused had allegedly disposed of in a river. The recovery was proving difficult as the water body was full of silt, he added.
Belgian Malinois breed dogs were used to search the house in Elanthoor area of Pathanamthitta district, where the accused couple lived as well as the surrounding area, from where the victims' remains were discovered, to find whether there were any more bodies, he said.
While that exercise elicited no results, police were actively examining if there were other victims other than the two -- Roslin (49) and Padma (52) -- who were allegedly lured to the couple's home by Shafi with monetary promises.
Both women sold lottery tickets to earn a living, police had said.
According to the remand report, Roslin was persuaded by prime accused Shafi after promising a whopping Rs 10 lakh to act in a porn film and brought to the crime site. It also said it was Laila, who murdered her.
Padma, who went missing in September, was offered Rs 15,000 for sex and lured to the couple's home by Shafi, according to the report.
While investigating Padma's disappearance, police found Shafi's involvement which led them to the couple. Only thereafter did the police come to know about the murder of Roslin in June by the trio. All three were sent to police custody by a magisterial court here and the order has been challenged by them in the Kerala High Court.
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Post poll TN alliances divided in supporting TVK
Chennai (PTI): In a changed political atmosphere in Tamil Nadu with no single political party having a simple majority to form the government post the Assembly election, opinion is divided among the allies led by the Dravidian majors in extending external support to Vijay-led TVK in government formation.
Both the DMK and AIADMK are at unease as the Congress and also a section in the AIADMK express willingness to extend external support to Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagtam in forming the government.
Post poll, the TVK's political prospects appear to impact alliances led by both the Dravidian majors in a different manner, triggering a speculation of a split.
Leema Rose Martin, who won from Lalgudi on an AIADMK ticket, has stated that talks were underway on extending support to the TVK. Her son-in-law Aadhav Arjuna, who won from Villivakkam is TVK's general secretary.
On May 5, former AIADMK minister O S Manian, emerging from his meeting with party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, stated that AIADMK would not support TVK in forming the government.
The AIADMK, which finished third in the elections with 47 seats has cancelled its meeting of MLAs designate on Wednesday amidst a difference in extending external support to the TVK, which won 108 seats, including two seats by its founder Vijay.
As Vijay is gearing up for his swearing-in on May 7, the police have tightened security at his residence here. The party has lodged its MLA-elect at a resort in Mamallapuram and has simultaneously engaged in talks with the Congress and AIADMK, a source said.
The DMK that won 59 seats on its own, has convened a meeting of its newly elected legislators on May 7 evening and the party is likely to elect the youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin, who won from Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni as its legislature party leader.
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal admitted that TVK chief Vijay requested the Congress for support to form the government.
"The INC is clear that the mandate in Tamil Nadu is for a secular government, committed to protecting the Constitution in letter and spirit. The INC is determined not to allow the BJP and its proxies to run the government of Tamil Nadu in any manner. Thiru Vijay has also spoken about drawing inspiration from Perunthalaivar Kamaraj," he said.
Accordingly, the Congress leadership has directed the TNCC to take a final decision on Vijay’s request, keeping in view the sentiments of the state as reflected in the electoral verdict, Venugopal said in a statement.
DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai slammed the Congress decision and said the move to ally with TVK, pledging the support of its five MLAs to the party, was tantamount to "backstabbing the DMK and the people of Tamil Nadu."
"They have betrayed the mandate given by the people. Even before the ink on the returning officer’s signature on the victory certificate has dried, they have chosen to go ahead with this alliance," he told PTI.
The most important question was who took this "foolhardy decision, and how is it going to backfire on the Congress?" he asked.
"I don’t think they had any serious deliberation on this. The larger issue is their opposition to the BJP, which is their ideological enemy. We have supported the Congress throughout. It was our leader M K Stalin, who named Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate when the BJP and RSS were criticising him. And now, within a day, they say they are supporting TVK. This is not the mandate of the people of Tamil Nadu,” Saravanan said.
The Congress' exit from its long-standing alliance with the DMK will be a significant moment in the political scenario of the state, commentator and political analyst Sumanth Raman said.
The Congress may be betting on the TVK as a long-term partner option, but that comes with risks, as the TVK is as yet an unknown quantity, he said.
"For the DMK, if the TVK+Congress becomes the choice of the minorities as it well could, it is an existential threat. It was the minority vote that gave the DMK alliance a 12%-15% cushion in the polls. If that goes, their chances of winning drops dramatically," Raman said on 'X.'
The Congress won 5 seats. However, DMK's other allies, the IUML, VCK, CPI and CPI (M) and DMDK have categorically stated that they would not support TVK.
As of now, the TVK requires the support of 11 MLAs to attain a simple majority of 118 to form the government.
The PMK, which won 4 seats and AMMK one - both allies of AIADMK - have not announced their decision yet.
"AIADMK’s real post-result drama may not be outside the party, but inside it. Whispers from the west and north suggest that a Coimbatore hand and a Villupuram voice may soon ask the question everyone is avoiding: Is it time to save the party from the leadership, before the cadre are forced to do it themselves? In politics, coups don’t begin with slogans. They begin with silence, phone calls and “review meetings,” Aspire Swaminathan, who is credited with founding the AIADMK IT wing in 2014, said on 'X.'
He has resigned from the AIADMK in 2021 and now acts an as independent political analyst.
