Pondy govt assessing impact of cyclone, to send report to Centre: CM Rangasamy
Puducherry (PTI): Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy has said that a detailed report was being prepared assessing the extent of damage caused by the Cyclone Fengal and will be sent to the Centre seeking relief.
All schools and colleges remained closed in Puducherry and Karaikal regions on Monday, Puducherry Home Minister A Namassivayam said in a release.
After making landfall near Puducherry on November 30, Cyclone Fengal weakened on Sunday, but torrential downpour under its influence paralysed the union territory, with the Army stepping in to evacuate stranded persons in inundated streets.
Four people died in rain-related incidents, officials said without divulging details.
Power supply which remained suspended for the whole region was restored in a phased manner on Monday morning. Some of the sub stations of the electricity department were water logged and immediate steps were taken to pump out the water, officials said.
Venkata Nagar, Kamaraj Nagar, Vallalar Salai, Kamarajar Salai and a number of residential colonies were water logged and residents stayed indoors, they said.
The chief minister visited rain-ravaged areas in and around Puducherry on Sunday.
The extent of damage caused by the cyclone Fengal and also heavy rainfall in Puducherry and Karaikal regions are being assessed and a report would be sent to the union government, Rangasamy told reporters.
Lieutenant Governor K Kailashnathan also visited several rain ravaged areas.
Meanwhile, Puducherry district Collector A Kulothungan on Monday said that the union territory recorded the heaviest rainfall and this was the first time that such a heavy downpour was recorded during the last 50 years in Puducherry.
Relief camps were opened and people marooned in the flood were shifted to the camps where food packets were given, he said in a release.
The Collector said that with the help of the National Disaster Response Force team from Arakkonam (Tamil Nadu) and also with the help of the Army personnel deputed by the Defence department, a number of people including senior citizens were evacuated from their houses to the relief camps.
Kulothungan said that voluntary organisations, including the Pondicherry Heritage Round Table 167 volunteered to get ready the food packets and gave them to the inmates of the relief camps.
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APCR Karnataka condemns 'illegal raid', 'harassment' of activist Nadeem Khan by Delhi Police
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Chapter of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) has strongly condemned the alleged illegal raid, harassment, and attempted detention of its National Secretary, Nadeem Khan, by Delhi Police officials at the residence of his brother, Kashif Khan, in the Sampigehalli Police Station limits.
The raid, conducted without notice or intimation to local police, reportedly violated multiple Supreme Court guidelines, including those laid down in Arnesh Kumar vs State of Bihar and Siddharth vs State of UP. The Delhi Police officials, including personnel from the Shaheen Bagh Police Station, allegedly trespassed into the house and intimidated the family.
According to APCR, the case against Nadeem Khan, registered under Crime No. 0280/2024 at Shaheen Bagh Police Station, Delhi, includes allegations under s.196, 353(2), and 61 of the BNS Act. APCR has claimed the charges are fabricated and linked to Khan’s active role in opposing the demolition of houses in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and other states under the guise of criminal investigations. The Supreme Court, in a landmark judgment last week, declared such demolitions unconstitutional, terming them a violation of Article 21.
Nadeem Khan, who was in Bengaluru attending a function, was reportedly at his brother's residence when the Delhi Police arrived. Despite interventions by local activists, lawyers, and human rights organizations, the officers allegedly insisted on detaining him without presenting proper documentation or seeking local police permission. A complaint against the Delhi Police for trespass, harassment, and intimidation has since been filed by Kashif Khan.
APCR Karnataka Chapter President P. Usman and General Secretary Mohammed Niyaz have decried the actions of the Delhi Police as "illegal, arbitrary, and an affront to the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution." They accused the police of targeting Khan for his activism and urged the Karnataka Government to take strict action against the officials involved.
The organisation further called for the registration of an FIR against the Delhi Police officials responsible and demanded adherence to constitutional norms to uphold the rule of law.
