Sabarimala Thanthri Family Disowns Rahul Easwar, Says He is Cheating Ayyappa Devotees
Thiruvananthapuram: The Thazhmon Madhom Thantri family on Monday dissociated themselves from Ayyappa Dharma Sena president Rahul Easwar, who has been leading the protests against the entry of women in Sabarimala temple despite a Supreme Court order.
In a public statement, the family – members of which are traditionally the head priests of Sabarimala temple – made it clear that Rahul was not a part of the family and was in no way related to the practices and traditions of the temple or the Thantris.
The Thantris clarified that Rahul was related to the family from his mother’s side – he is the son of Easwaran Namboothiri and Mallika Namboothiri. According to customs, she is no longer part of their family after marriage, they said.
Rahul projected himself as the voice of the Thantris during the protests against the entry of women, but in their statement, the family said he had put them in a fix with his actions.
“Rahul Easwar is cheating Ayyappa devotees, general public, media and government only because his mother is from the family. He is trying to speak as the voice of our family and his immature actions are putting the family in a fix,” the statement said.
“He is not related to the family (practices in anyway). My sister got married and moved away. We practice a patrilineal system now. Which means only the sons inherit the legacy,” Thanthri Kandararu Mohanararu, Easwar’s uncle, said.
The statement also said the family did not agree with Rahul’s controversial speech, where he revealed an organised conspiracy to desecrate the temple by spilling blood from wounds, in case women entered. The family said he could go to any length for media attention.
“He even made an attempt to become a priest in Sabarimala by using a fake letter pad of Sabarimala Chief Thanthri Kandararu Maheswararu. He took his grandfather’s signature on blank cheques and withdrew large amounts on multiple occasions,” the statement added.
Rahul has been arrested and later released on bail twice for his role in instigating protesters against the lawful entry of women in Sabarimala. The cases registered against him include charges of rioting, unlawful assembly and promoting enmity between people on the basis of religion.
Courtesy: www.news18.com
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Israeli airstrikes kill 23 in Gaza as outcry over aid blockade grows
Deir al-Balah, May 10 (AP): Israeli airstrikes overnight and into Saturday killed at least 23 Palestinians in Gaza, including three children and their parents whose tent was bombed in Gaza City, health officials said.
The bombardment continued as international warnings grow over Israeli plans to control aid distribution in Gaza as Israel's blockade on the territory of over 2 million people is in its third month.
The UN and aid groups have rejected Israel's aid distribution moves, including a plan from a group of American security contractors, ex-military officers and humanitarian aid officials calling itself the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Among the 23 bodies brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours were those of the family of five whose tent was struck in Gaza City's Sabra district, Gaza's Health Ministry said.
Another Israeli strike late Friday hit a warehouse belonging to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, in the northern area of Jabaliya. Four people were killed, according to the Indonesian Hospital, where bodies were taken.
AP video showed fires burning in the shattered building. The warehouse was empty after being hit and raided multiple times during Israeli ground offensives against Hamas fighters over the past year, said residents including Hamza Mohamed.
Israel's military said nine soldiers were lightly wounded Friday night by an explosive device while searching Gaza City's Shijaiyah neighborhood. It said they were evacuated to a hospital in Israel.
Israel resumed its bombardment in Gaza on March 18, shattering a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. Ground troops have seized more than half the territory and have been conducting raids and searching parts of northern Gaza and the southernmost city of Rafah. Large parts of both areas have been flattened by months of Israeli operations.
Under Israel's blockade, charity kitchens are virtually the only source of food left in Gaza, but dozens have shut down in recent days as food supplies run out. Aid groups say more closures are imminent. Israel has said the blockade is meant to pressure Hamas to release remaining hostages and disarm. Rights groups have called the blockade a “starvation tactic” and a potential war crime.
Israel accuses Hamas and other fighter groups of siphoning off aid in Gaza, though it hasn't presented evidence for its claims. The U.N. denies significant diversion takes place, saying it monitors distribution.
The 19-month-old war in Gaza is the most devastating ever fought between Israel and Hamas. It has killed more than 52,800 people there, more than half of them women and children, and wounded more than 119,000, according to the Health Ministry. The ministry's count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas members, without giving evidence.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel in which Hamas group killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped over 250 others. Hamas still holds about 59 hostages, with around a third believed to still be alive.
Hamas released a video Saturday showing hostages Elkana Bohbot and Yosef-Haim Ohana, who appeared under duress. They were abducted during the Oct. 7 attack from a music festival where over 300 people were killed. Hamas released a video of them a month and half ago and has released several videos of Bohbot alone since then.
