Suspect in train fire incident brought to Kerala by road
Kannur (Kerala) (PTI) The man suspected of starting a fire onboard a train in Kerala which led to the death of three, including a toddler, was brought to the southern state by road on Thursday morning after being caught in Ratnagiri in Maharashtra on the previous day.
The on-road journey of suspect Shahrukh Saifi to Kozhikode, however, witnessed some dramatic events.
After entering Kerala by road in the wee hours, as the police SUV carrying Saifi in the rear seat proceeded towards Kozhikode, one of its tyres burst and the vehicle could not be used.
Subsequently, after waiting on the roadside for more than an hour, the vehicle arranged by the Edakkad police in Kannur district for onward journey did not start, delaying the journey further.
Another vehicle had to be arranged before the police team and the suspect could proceed to Kozhikode.
On the night of April 2, an unidentified man had set fire to passengers after pouring petrol on them when the train reached Korapuzha bridge near Elathur. Nine people suffered burn injuries and are undergoing treatment at various hospitals.
The bodies of a woman, an infant, and a man, who went missing from the train after the fire, were recovered from the tracks near Elathur railway station. Police believe they fell off the train or attempted to get down after seeing the fire.
According to police, the incident was probably pre-planned as he was carrying petrol in a bottle in his bag.
Subsequent to the tragic incident on April 2, the Kerala Police had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to identify and apprehend the assailant.
After a sketch of the assailant was released by Kerala Police based on the statements of passengers who witnessed the incident, the suspect was caught from Ratnagiri by Maharashtra ATS.
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Caste census report to be tabled in next cabinet meeting: Karnataka CM
Mangaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Friday said a report on caste census in the state would be tabled in the next meeting of the Cabinet.
The Karnataka Socio-Economic and Education Survey report, commonly known as the 'Karnataka caste census', was originally scheduled to be presented in the state cabinet meeting on January 16.
"We didn't table the caste census in this cabinet meeting but we will table it in the next meeting," he told reporters here. Asked what was there in the report, he said, "I don't know what is there because it has not been tabled yet."
On the Mangaluru bank heist, the chief minister said he has instructed police to find out the culprits.
Caste census has emerged as a contentious issue, particularly among the state's dominant communities -- the Lingayats and Vokkaligas -- who have expressed reservations about the survey done, calling it "unscientific" and have demanded that it be rejected and a fresh survey be conducted.
The survey was commissioned by the previous Congress government in 2015, with then Backward Classes Commission chairman H Kantharaju heading the committee.
The survey, conducted at a cost of approximately Rs 169 crore, was completed by 2016 but subsequent governments kept it in cold storage. In 2020, the BJP government appointed Jayaprakash Hegde as the commission chief. Hegde submitted the final report to the Siddaramaiah government on February 29, 2024.
Hegde had said the report was prepared based on data collected by 1.6 lakh officials, including 1.33 lakh teachers, under the leadership of respective deputy commissioners across the state.
