Kota PSI suspended, five officers transferred over police brutality in Mehendi event
Udupi: Concerning the case of police brutality, in which the police reportedly barged into an ongoing Mehendi function at the Kotathattu Barikere Koraga Colony and subjected the members of the Koraga community to unwarranted violence on Monday night, the Kota Station PSI Santhosh B. P has been suspended.
The Udupi District Superintendent of Police N. Vishnuvardhan informed that based on the investigative report concerning the case reported by the Koraga community and after reviewing the statements provided by him, the IGP of the West Division has suspended the Kota PSI, he said.
“The five police personnel who participated in the incident have been transferred from the Kota Police Station”, he informed.
On Monday night, during the Mehendi function of an individual named Rajesh which was occurring at Kotathattu Barikere Koraga Colony, the police reportedly arrived at the event site based on a complaint provided by an individual, and subjected the people attending the function to unwarranted beating using their lathi at Brahmavara Taluk, and thus subjected them to police brutality, it is learned.
Due to the beatings received from the police lathi, including children and women, approximately ten guests attending the Mehendi function were injured.
As there has been widespread condemnation against police brutality, Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary has reportedly notified the senior police officials to take strict action against the guilty police personnel.
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No unannounced load shedding in Kerala, outages due to overload, says Minister
Palakkad (PTI): Kerala Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty on Saturday said there was no unannounced load shedding in the state, attributing recent power interruptions to temporary overload caused by high consumption.
Clarifying concerns raised from various parts of the state, the minister said the disruptions are not deliberate but occur when demand peaks, particularly between 10 pm and 11 pm.
"It is not being done intentionally. Power consumption has risen sharply, and when there is excessive and indiscriminate usage, the system experiences overload, leading to natural supply interruptions," he told reporters here.
His remarks come amid complaints that several areas have been witnessing frequent power cuts, often lasting around 15 minutes and occurring multiple times during the night.
Krishnankutty said the state's power demand has crossed 6,195 MW, putting pressure on the supply system. He added that around 70 per cent of Kerala's electricity is procured from outside, and existing power banking arrangements have been exhausted.
"We have approached the Regulatory Commission seeking permission to purchase more power. However, this will come at a higher cost," he said.
The minister said the government is trying to avoid increasing electricity tariffs and urged consumers to exercise restraint in usage to help manage the situation.
Responding to opposition criticism over the ruling LDF's earlier claims of a decade without power cuts, he said the current situation is not unique to Kerala.
A power crisis is emerging across the country, he said, and sarcastically asked the Opposition to take note of the role of natural factors in this.
Krishnankutty expressed confidence that the situation would improve within two days, while cautioning that long-term energy security would depend on enhancing in-state power generation.
He also warned that future generations could face serious challenges if adequate electricity production capacity is not developed within Kerala.
