Page 49 - Kerala

Who are Jehovah's Witnesses, the community targeted in Kerala serial blasts

The Jehovah's Witnesses reject modern evolutionary theory and also oppose blood transfusions, saying that blood is sacred

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Kerala under CM Vijayan tolerant towards radical elements: Chandrasekhar

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday alleged that Kerala under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has shown tolerance towards radical elements and radicalisation. Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Chandrasekhar was hitting back at the CM who a day ago slammed the BJP leader over his social media posts criticising Vijayan over the blasts at a religious gathering in Kalamassery near here. Terming the BJP leader's posts as part of his communal stand, Vijayan, without naming Chandrasekhar, sought to know based on what information the union minister made such remarks against him and how a person holding a responsible position could come out with such statements while the investigation was going on. Vijayan, during a brief press meet held at the Secretariat complex in Thiruvananthapuram, had alleged that the statements by the BJP leader were the reflection of an absolute communal outlook. Responding to the CM's remarks, Chandrasekhar clarified that he did

Kerala blasts: All-party meet resolves to resist efforts to create mistrust

An all-party meet, called by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the wake of the multiple blasts at a religious gathering in the state that claimed three lives, commenced here on Monday. The all-party meeting began around 10 am in the Chief Minister's conference hall in the Secretariat complex. The blasts occurred at a convention centre in Kalamassery near Kochi that was hosting a prayer meeting of the Jehovah's Witnesses -- a Christian religious group that originated in the US in the 19th century -- on Sunday. Initially, one woman had died and 52 were injured, six of them critically, in the blasts. Subsequently, one of the six critically injured -- a 53-year-old woman -- succumbed to her injuries. By Monday morning, the death toll rose to three with the death of a 12-year-old girl who had suffered 95 per cent burns in the incident. State Police Chief DGP Shaik Darvesh Saheb had on Sunday confirmed that the blast was caused due to an improvised explosive device (IED). A fe

Kalamassery blasts: Toll rises to 3 as 12-year-old girl succumbs to wounds

The death toll from the blasts at a Christian religious gathering near this port city has risen to three, according to an official statement. A 12-year-old girl, identified as Libina from Malayattoor in Ernakulam district, succumbed to her injuries in the early hours of Monday at the Kalamassery Government Medical College Hospital. In the statement issued by the hospital's medical board, the girl was admitted to the hospital on Sunday morning with severe burns covering 95 per cent of her body. Despite receiving ventilator support, her condition continued to deteriorate, leading to her death at 12.40 am, it said. This marks the third casualty from the blasts at the convention centre. Two women who were part of the gathering had lost their lives on Sunday. Over 50 individuals were injured, some seriously, during the multiple blasts at the international convention centre in Kalamassery where the followers from the minority Christian group, Jehovah's Witnesses, had gathered for the f

Who are these people who want to create chaos here: Anurag on Kerala blasts

"I condemn the bomb blast incident in Kerala...," Thakur told reporters in Himachal Pradesh's Bilaspur on late Sunday evening

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20-member team led by ADGP to probe Kalamassery blast case: Vijayan

"A special team led by ADGP Law and Order will be investigating this incident...20 members will be in the investigating team," Vijayan said at a press conference

NSG arrives in Kerala after twin blasts rock prayer meet in Kalamassery

"A total of six people are critically ill. Every possible treatment and support is being provided," Kerala Health Minister said

Kerala IED blasts: Another woman dies, death toll rises to 2 in Kochi

Two women died and 51 persons were injured, some seriously, in multiple blasts at a Christian religious gathering in a convention centre near this port city on Sunday morning, sending shockwaves across Kerala. The blasts took place at an international convention centre in Kalamassery where hundreds of followers of the minority Christian group Jehovah's Witnesses had assembled on the concluding day of a three-day-long prayer meeting. A few hours after the incident, a man claiming to be a member of Jehovah's Witnesses, surrendered before police in Thrissur district of the state, saying that he carried out the multiple blasts. Police has registered an FIR against unknown persons under Sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC as well as provisions of the Explosives Act and the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Later in the day, state Health Minister Veena George said that of the 51 injured, 30 were admitted in various hospitals in the ...

Kerala Blast: Ministers visits Kalamasery's Medical College, meets injured

One person died and several others were injured after multiple explosions took place at a prayer meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses in Ernakulam's Kalamassery at around 09.00 am

Those who foster violence must be dealt with iron hand: Mallikarjun Kharge

Multiple explosions took place at a prayer meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Kalamassery area of Kochi at around 9:00 am

Blasts in Kerala shake minority Christian group Jehovah's Witnesses

: Jehovah's Witnesses, whose prayer meeting in Kochi was marred by devastating bomb blasts on Sunday in which one person died and 52 others are seriously injured, is a Christian religious group that traces its origins to 19th century America. According to historians, Jehovah's Witnesses was considered an offshoot of the International Bible Students' Association, founded by Charles Taze Russell in Pittsburgh in the year 1872. Unlike mainstream Christian denominations, Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in the Holy Trinity (God, the Father; God, the Son - Jesus; and God the Holy Spirit) but worship Jehovah as the "the God of the Bible and the Creator of all things". Followers of the group see Jesus Christ as the son of God, and not God himself. They learn from the teachings and examples set by Christ; hence they consider themselves Christians. The group follows certain strict social mores, which forbid them from receiving blood transfusions and prevent married couples from divorcing,

Man puts out video message claiming responsibility for Kerala blasts

A man claiming to be a member of Jehovah's Witnesses put up a video message on a social media platform claiming responsibility for the multiple blasts at a Christian religious gathering at Kalamassery here on Sunday morning. Identifying himself as Martin in the video, which was aired on various TV channels, the man alleged that he took the decision as the teachings of the organisation were "seditious." No one from the organisation has reacted to his allegations. Meanwhile, a person claiming to be a member of the religious group told a TV channel that no such person was part of their organisation presently. The man said that everyone must have come to know about the bomb explosions and the serious consequences that followed. "What happened there I do not know exactly, but I know it (blasts) happened and I am taking full responsibility for the same," he said in the video which is no longer available on the social media platform. He said he was making the video to tell people why he

IED device caused blast at convention centre in Kerala: State Police chief

The blast at a convention centre in Kerala on Sunday that claimed one life and injured 36 others was caused due to an improvised explosive device (IED), state DGP Shaik Darvesh Saheb said. The State Police Chief told reporters here that according to the preliminary probe the blast occurred due to an IED. "We are examining it," he said. "This morning at 9.40 am approximately, there was an explosion in Zamrah International Convention Centre in Kalamassery in which one person died and 36 people are undergoing treatment as per our information," the DGP said. However, there were conflicting reports about the number of blasts as state Ministers V N Vasavan and Antony Raju said there were two blasts, while Congress MP from Ernakulam, Hibi Eden, said there were multiple blasts according to one of his friends who attended the convention. "What they have told us is that there were two blasts according to the initial findings," the ministers said. On being asked whether it was a terror atta

Kerala blast: Amit Shah speaks to Kerala CM; NSG, NIA teams being sent

One person died and over 20 were injured in a blast at a convention centre in Kalamassery here on Sunday morning, police said. An officer of Kalamassery police said the cause of the blast or whether there was more than one was not confirmed. The blast reportedly occurred at a convention centre of a Christian group. He said a call was received around 9 am about the blast and seeking police assistance. Visuals of the incident on TV channels showed fire rescue and police personnel in large numbers evacuating people from the site. Disturbing visuals of the blast inside the convention centre showed multiple fires inside the hall as people were screaming in fear. Hundreds of people were seen outside the convention centre post the explosion.

Kerala blasts: Veena George puts hospitals on alert, orders staff to return

In the explosions that took place in the morning hours, one person died and many were feared injured, during the prayer meeting at a convention centre in Kalamassery

ICMR detects Nipah virus presence in bats in Wayanad: Kerala govt

The Kerala government on Wednesday said that the ICMR has informed them about the presence of the Nipah virus in bats in the Wayanad district of the state, but there was no need to panic. State Health Minister Veena George said that the Indian Council of Medical Research gave this information based on its studies of the bat samples collected by it. "ICMR has said that it has found the presence of the virus in bats in Wayanad. It is a continuation of the ecosystem there," she said. The Nipah virus outbreak this year was in Kozhikode district, which neighbours Wayanad, and six persons were infected, of whom two had died. George said there was no need for the public to be afraid or panic as the information was being conveyed only to create awareness and to make people cautious and vigilant. She said that healthcare activities in connection with the virus were being coordinated and training was being provided to healthcare and medical professionals on how to deal with suspected cases

Kerala LIFE mission case: ED attaches assets worth over Rs 5 crore

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it has attached assets worth more than Rs 5 crore in connection with its ongoing money laundering probe into an alleged scam in Kerala's LIFE Mission, which was meant for providing homes to flood victims. The properties attached include residential premises in the name of Santhosh Eappen and immovable property and bank balances in the name of Swapna Suresh, the federal agency said in a statement. The total value of these properties is Rs 5.38 crore, it said. It alleged that a conspiracy was hatched by Sarith PS and Swapna Suresh, former employees of the UAE consulate, with "active support" of M Sivasankar, a former principal secretary to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and Sandeep Nair and others. This was done, the ED said, to "generate commission as bribe" from the funds donated by Red Crescent by awarding the LIFE Mission project to Unitac Builders and Developers and Sane Ventures LLP run by Santhosh Eappen "without following ..

Over 13 Sabarimala pilgrims injured as bus overturns in Kottayam, Kerala

More than 13 Sabarimala pilgrims were injured after a bus they were travelling in was involved in an accident in Kottayam district on Wednesday morning, police said. The accident occurred at Kanamala, near Erumeli, they said. The pilgrims, hailing from Kolar in neighbouring Karnataka, were proceeding to the hill shrine located in Pathanamthitta district. A senior official said as many as 43 people, including 40 pilgrims, were in the vehicle when it overturned after the driver lost control of it. Over 13 people suffered injuries, he said. Four injured pilgrims were rushed to the government medical College here, he said, adding that four persons were taken to the general hospital and some other accident victims were admitted to a nearby private hospital, the official added.