Kasaragod: Deputy Tahsildar arrested for sexist, casteist remarks against Air India crash victim
Kasaragod: Deputy Tahsildar of Vellarikundu, A Pavithran, was arrested on Friday by Kanhangad Police for making derogatory remarks, including a sexist and casteist slur, against a nurse who died in the recent Air India crash. The arrest followed a complaint lodged by Nair Service Society’s Kanhangad taluk union president, Prabhakaran Karichery.
Pavithran’s Facebook post targeting the late Ranjitha Gopakumaran Nair (42), a nurse from Koipuram panchayat in Pathanamthitta, sparked widespread protests both online and on the ground in Kanhangad and Vellarikundu. Ranjitha, who had taken a UK-based nursing job after serving in Kerala’s Directorate of Health Services, died while travelling to London via Ahmedabad on the ill-fated Air India flight.
Several organisations took to the streets demanding Pavithran’s arrest. The BJP and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh marched to his residence in Mavungal. The Muslim Women’s League of the Indian Union Muslim League held protests in Kanhangad, while the Youth Congress organised a torch march in Vellarikundu.
Unaware of the growing outrage, Pavithran reported to duty on Friday morning. By 11 p.m., he was served a suspension order by Vellarikundu Tahsildar V Murali, acting on instructions from Kasaragod Collector Inbasekar K. The Collector has recommended Pavithran’s dismissal, citing repeated instances of misconduct.
Following concerns over his safety, Pavithran was intercepted by police while driving home and taken to Vellarikundu police station, before being handed over to Kanhangad DySP Babu Peringeth.
He has been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita s.75 (sexual harassment), s.79 (insulting womanhood), s.196 (promoting enmity between groups) and s.67A of the IT Act (publishing sexually explicit content online).
The Collector described Pavithran’s post as defamatory and insulting to womanhood, adding that it tarnished the image of the Revenue Department. Past records show a pattern of similar behaviour. In August 2023, he received a warning for allegedly spreading defamatory content about a temple official. In February 2024, another warning was issued after he verbally abused a CPI union leader and his father. In September 2024, he was suspended for targeting Kanhangad MLA E Chandrasekharan through a social media post, but was reinstated after a minor censure.
Speaking to reporters, MLA Chandrasekharan said Pavithran’s actions had caused pain to his family and condemned his pattern of online abuse. "It’s not just about one community. He has consistently vilified various communities, including Vishwakarmas, through his social media posts," the MLA said.
Collector Inbasekar reiterated that despite repeated warnings and disciplinary actions, Pavithran continued to misuse social media, compelling him to recommend permanent dismissal.
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Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
