Lakhs of women expected to form 620 km 'Women's Wall in Kerala on Jan 1
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 31: Lakhs of women from across Kerala are expected to form a 620 km state sponsored 'Women's Wall Tuesday to uphold gender equality and renaissance values, in the backdrop of frenzied protests in Sabarimala after the ruling LDF decided to implement the Supreme Court verdict, allowing all women to pray at the Ayyappa shrine.
The women will form the wall from Kasargod in northern Kerala to the southernmost district of Thiruvananthapuram.
Health minister K K Shylaja will lead the chain at Kasargod and CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat will be the last person at the end of the chain in Thiruvananthapuram.
In order to ensure the success of the proposed wall, meetings were held at various levels-from ward level to district and constituency level.
The participants will gather at the designated centers on Tuesday at 3PM, where a rehearsal will be held.
The Wall will be formed between 4 and 4.15 PM, with participants taking a pledge to uphold gender equality and renaissance values.
The proposed wall was suggested at a meeting called by the Kerala government in the backdrop of frenzied protests by right-wing parties and a section of devotees over the states decision to implement the September 28 apex court order, allowing women of all ages In to Sabarimala.
"Finding a solution to the issues faced by women is seen as part of the class struggle,"Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Monday, adding that ensuring gender equality was part of class struggle.
In Marxist ideology, class struggle is the conflict of interests between workers and the ruling class in a capitalist society.
"The protests by communal forces against women's entry in Sabarimala prompted the government and other progressive organisations to build Women's Wall in the state," Vijayan had said, adding that all women, cutting across castes and religions, would join the wall "to save Kerala from the being dragged back into the era of darkness."
The Universal Records Forum, the team which records amazing feats across the globe, is also understood to have reached the state to witness the exercise.
The pledge for the women's wall, which was released by the Chief Ministers office Sunday, calls for upholding gender equality and renaissance values.
It also bats for secularism and to oppose the move to turn the state into a 'lunatic asylum.'
Though the state government had initially claimed that it would extend all support to the proposed wall, it withdrew the he order, allotting funds for it after a controversy erupted.
While senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala has described the initiative as a 'wall of contradiction', UDF MLA M K Muneer had has termed it as a 'communal' wall for inviting participation only from 'progressive Hindu organisations'.
The government has spared no effort to make the wall a huge success with all ministers given charge of either a district or a particular place for the success of the event.
The event is organised by the ruling CPI(M), along with over 176 other socio-political organisations, including the CPI, Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) and Kerala Pulayar Maha Sabha (KPMS).
The Nair Service Society (NSS), a prominent caste-based organization, RSS and the right-wing groups have opposed this move and formed Ayyappa Jyothi (lighting of sacred lamps) across the state on December 26 to counter it.
Thousands had taken part in the Ayyappa Jyothi, which was undertaken by the Sabarimala Karma Samiti.
The Kudumbashree Mission had earlier informed that it alone will field over 1.25 lakh women on January 1.
Many prominent personalities from all spheres of life are expected to take part in the event.
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Kerala court sentences man to life imprisonment for doc's murder in hospital
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Kollam (PTI): A teacher convicted in the sensational murder of Dr Vandana Das inside a hospital here was sentenced to life term on Saturday, and the prosecution said it will move an appeal seeking death penalty for the accused. The victim's family also batted for "maximum punishment".
Dr Das was brutally killed inside a taluk hospital in May 2023 by G Sandeep.
Kollam Additional District and Sessions judge P N Vinod sentenced Sandeep to a total of 30 years for various offences under the then Indian Penal Code (IPC) and said that after he serves that period, his life imprisonment for Das' murder will commence.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 2.35 lakh on the convict.
Though the prosecution had sought death penalty for the accused during the arguments on sentence, the court was of the view that the case does not fall under the rarest-of-rare category to warrant the maximum punishment.
It was also of the view that there was a chance of the convict getting reformed as he told the court that the rest of his life would be one of repentance, the order on sentence said.
"At the same time, I agree with the stand of the prosecution to the effect that the sentence should commensurate with the gravity of the crime and the sentence should not only be reformative, but should also have a deterrent effect."
"In my view, the said objective can be achieved by directing that the term sentences that will be imposed will run consecutively and life sentence that has to be imposed will commence only after the expiration of terms sentences," the judge said.
After the verdict, special public prosecutor (SPP) Prathap G Padickal told reporters outside the court that he will recommend to the prosecution to file an appeal seeking enhancement of the life imprisonment to death penalty.
The victim's father said that the verdict has come as a relief for the family, but that he cannot authoritatively say whether his late daughter has got justice. He indicated his dissatisfaction with the punishment, saying that steps will be taken to seek its enhancement after discussions with the public prosecutor.
Dr Das' mother said that the family can only wish for the maximum punishment and it was up to the court to decide what sentence should be given. She said that the family will go in appeal, but declined to comment on whether her daughter got justice.
She tearfully said that she wants the convict to suffer the same pain that her daughter underwent "as he stabbed her 27 times".
The court on March 17 had convicted Sandeep for various offences under the IPC, including murder, destruction of evidence and wrongful restraint.
It had also held him guilty under the provisions of the Kerala Healthcare Service Persons and Healthcare Service Institutions (Prevention of violence and damage to property) Act 2012.
Sandeep was brought to the taluk hospital by the police for medical treatment during the small hours of May 10, 2023 and he went on a sudden attacking spree using a pair of surgical scissors kept in the room where his leg injury was being dressed.
A school teacher by profession, he had initially attacked the police officers and another person who had accompanied him to the hospital and then turned on the young Dr Das, who could not escape to safety.
She was stabbed several times and later succumbed to her injuries in a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram where she was rushed following the attack.
Dr Das was a native of the Kaduthuruthy area of Kottayam district and the only child of her parents.
She was a house surgeon at Azeezia Medical College Hospital and was working at the Kottarakkara taluk hospital as part of her training.
Sandeep had called the emergency number 112, claiming that his life was in danger. When local police located him, he was standing close by his home, surrounded by local residents and his relatives, and had a wound on his leg following an alleged quarrel.
He was then taken to the hospital for dressing the wound.
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