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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ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, 'cosmetologist' for alleged money laundering
New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday it has arrested a woman, who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist, under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud and misrepresentation.
The agency said the purported links of the woman, Sandeepa Virk, with a Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (President, Corporate Affairs), are also under its scanner. Sethuraman, in a statement, denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Virk was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday after searches were conducted against her and her associates in Delhi and Mumbai over the last two days.
A special court sent her to the ED's custody till August 14, the agency said. The woman claims to be the owner of a skin care products selling website named hyboocare.com, which the ED claimed was a "front" for money laundering.
She and her associates are being probed for allegedly exerting undue influence through "misrepresentation" and "defrauding" individuals by soliciting money under false pretences.
According to an Instagram ID of Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of the said website.
The federal agency said in a statement that the woman was also "in touch with" Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited.
She was communicating with him regarding "illegal liaisoning", the ED claimed, adding that the searches at Sethuraman's residence "confirmed" these allegations.
"Besides, diversion of funds for personal benefit has also been unearthed during the course of the search action," it said.
The ED alleged that public money worth about Rs 18 crore belonging to Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL) was disbursed to Sethuraman in 2018 by "flouting" prudent lending norms.
The funds were lent under terms that allowed a deferment of the principal amount as well as the interest, with multiple waivers granted and no due diligence conducted, it said.
The ED claimed that besides this, a home loan of Rs 22 crore was provided by Reliance Capital Limited by "violating" the prudential norms. "A large part of these loans are seen to have been eventually siphoned off and remained unpaid," it alleged.
Sethuraman, in a statement, dismissed the allegations as "baseless". He denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Detailing about Virk's web portal, the agency said it purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. However, the ED said the products listed on the website have been found to be non-existent and the portal lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues.
A scrutiny of the website uncovered minimal social-media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact number and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which reinforce the finding of "non-genuine" commercial activity, the ED claimed.
"These factors, including limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval and technical inconsistencies, indicate that the website serves as a front for laundering funds," it said.
Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist.
The ED said several "incriminating" documents were seized during the searches and the statement of a man named Farrukh Ali, stated to be an associate of Virk, was recorded.
The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Punjab Police.
Sethuraman said that the home loan he received from Reliance Capital was granted following due process and was secured by the property offered as collateral.
