Two more from Karnataka confirmed dead in Lanka blasts
Bengaluru:The agonizing pain and wait for over 48 hours finally came to an end for the family of 37-year-old Puttaraju, a JD(S) worker, with the High Commission of India in Colombo Tuesday confirming his death in the multiple blasts that rocked Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday.
"We just got to know about his death, Sushma Swaraj (External Affairs Minister) has tweeted. Finally we have heard what we were suspecting," a friend of Puttaraju's brother Rudresh said.
"It was a long wait... While those with him (Puttaraju) were declared dead and their bodies have been traced, we had not got any information about his status," he said, adding he was unable to speak further.
The high commission on Tuesday confirmed the death of two more Indians in the blasts.
"Regret to confirm the deaths of two more Indian nationals Mr A Maregowda and Mr H Puttaraju in the blasts in Sri Lanka on Sunday, taking the total number of Indian deaths in the tragedy to 10 as of now," it tweet said, which was re-tweeted by Swaraj.
The names of both Maregowda and Puttaraju had figured in the list of missing JD(S) workers tweeted by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Monday.
The state government has received information about the death of five persons Ramesh, K M Lakshminarayan, M Rangappa, K G Hanumantharayappa and Narayan Chandrashekar, Karnataka Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar had said Monday.
Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry later in the evening confirmed the death of one more Shivakumar.
A holiday in Sri Lanka after a gruelling campaign for Lok Sabha polls had pushed the JD(S) workers to the jaws of death when the blast happened very close to the dining table as they sat for breakfast at Shangri-La hotel in Colombo, one of the major targets of the deadliest terror strikes in the island in recent times.
Most of the victims had phoned their families and informed them about reaching Colombo safely, even as death was staring at them with the blast happening minutes thereafter.
Meanwhile, Kumaraswamy said, he has spoken to the Indian High Commission officials and requested them to speed up the process of bringing the mortal remains of the deceased to the state at the earliest.
"I spoke to the Indian HighCommission @IndiainSL t'day and enquired about the situation with regard to people from Ktka who were injured in the #TerrorAttack.
"I have requested them to speed up the process of bringing the mortal remains of the deceased to the state at the earliest," he tweeted.
Seven suicide bombers believed to be members of an Islamist extremist group carried out a series of blasts that tore through churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, killing 290 people in the country's worst terror attack, authorities said Monday.
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Malayalam film director Ranjith remanded in sexual assault case; FEFKA takes action
Kochi (PTI): A court here on Wednesday sent noted Malayalam film director Ranjith to judicial custody after he was arrested late last night in connection with an attempted sexual assault case.
Following his remand, the director claimed that the accusations against him were "false" and that he would be able to prove it.
He made the claim before reporters while being taken inside the sub-jail here.
Even as the director claimed innocence, state Culture Minister Saji Cherian indicated that the government and the police were with the victim, and the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) recommended suspension of Ranjith's membership from the directors and writers unions.
The police said that the victim was "traumatised" by the incident and had to undergo counselling and psychiatric treatment before she could come forward with the complaint.
Kochi City Police Commissioner S Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar said that a Special Investigation Team was formed after recording the victim's statement, and then the allegations were discreetly verified before moving forward with the arrest.
"It should not happen to any woman, especially at the workplace," he told reporters here.
The officer also said that the director had attempted to remove himself from the area.
Kumar also said that the biggest challenge before the police was to maintain the confidentiality of the case and protect the identity of the victim.
He also said that there were several witnesses to the alleged sexual assault, as the incident happened on a shooting set.
The officer said that the evidence collection was progressing, and the director's custody will be sought when required.
FEFKA general secretary B Unnikrishnan told reporters here that there was no complaint made to the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) in connection with the incident.
FEFKA is an association of several craft unions in the Malayalam film industry.
Ranjith was taken into custody from the Idukki district on Tuesday evening, and subsequently, his arrest was recorded.
He was produced at the residence of a magistrate here in the morning and remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.
The case against Ranjith was registered by Kochi City Police a few days ago based on the victim's complaint.
Earlier in the day, Cherian told reporters that "such acts will not be accepted by the government or the society" and that the government and the police were with the victim.
Ranjith was appointed as chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy in 2022 and resigned from the post in 2024.
The minister said that the director was appointed to the post because he was qualified for it, and at that time, there were no such allegations against him.
"He carried forward the academy in a good way. When such allegations came up earlier, he had left the position. We are viewing the repetition of the same allegations against him seriously. Neither the police nor the government is protecting him," he said.
He said that the quick action taken against the director is an outcome of the recent changes in the movie sector, including holding of the cinema conclave and the state film policy.
"Let the investigation take its course," he added.
The minister also said that anyone in the film sector having similar bad experiences can come forward with a complaint and stand firm on it, as the government will be with them.
According to the police, the woman actor alleged that the director had invited her to a caravan during the shooting of a film and attempted to sexually assault her.
Ranjith had earlier faced allegations of sexual harassment following revelations in the Justice K Hema Committee report on harassment and abuse in the Malayalam film industry.
In 2024, a case was registered against Ranjith after a Bengali actress filed a complaint with the Kochi City Police Commissioner.
The complaint, sent via email, alleged that Ranjith had touched her inappropriately with sexual intent after inviting her to act in the film Paleri Manikyam in 2009.
