kottayam l tuesday l march 18, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Cheetah Gamini can now be spotted by tourists in safari 17 big cats now released into the wild South African cheetah Gamini and her 4 cubs were released into the wild in the Khajuri forest area at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on Monday Project going strong for over 2 years Their release raised the number of cheetahs in the wild to 17. Nine others are still in the enclosures. On February 21, cheetah Jwala and her four cubs were released into the wild in KNP. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav hailed the development as an important day in the cheetah project and wildlife conservation ■ ■ PM Modi initiated the translocation project with eight cheetahs brought from Namibia released into KNP in September 2022. This marked the first-ever intercontinental translocation of the big cats Gamini gave birth to six cubs in her first litter on March 10, 2024, officials said. Two of the cubs, however, died in subsequent months 26 Cheetahs in KNP now, including 14 cubs born on Indian soil CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI HC quashes order appointing Munambam commission E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kochi In a setback for the state government, the Kerala High Court on Monday quashed the government’s order appointing a commission led by former acting chief justice C N Ramachandran Nair to inquire into the Munambam land issue. Allowing a petition challenging the appointment of the commission, the court said the government “acted mechanically and without proper application of mind”. Meanwhile, the state government said it will appeal against the High Court order. Setting aside the appointment of the Commission of the Inquiry — constituted to find out a solution to protect the legal rights of the occupants of the disputed Munambam land — the bench of Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas observed that issue was under consideration of the Waqf Tribunal. Further, when the Commission was appointed the government had not considered the significance of the observations ‘govt acted mechanically’ The High Court observed that the government acted mechanically and without proper application of mind in appointing the Commission of Inquiry. ‘will file appeal’ Law and Industries Minister P Rajeeve said the state government will file an appeal petition against the HC order. and findings of the Waqf Board or the provisions of the Waqf Act, the court said. The appointment of the commission was challenged by the Kerala Waqf Samrakshana Vedhi, Ernakulam, and others. “The government acted mechanically and without proper application of mind in appointing the Commission of Inquiry Thus, . relevant factors which would have a bearing on the appointment of the Commission of Inquiry were not considered by the government while issuing the order,” said the court. Announcing the decision to appeal against the HC order, Law Minister P Rajeeve pointed out that the court approved the government’s power to appoint a judicial commission. “It cancelled the appointment of Munambam commission because of the concern that a judicial report will influence the Waqf Tribunal,” he said. “The commission has not been asked to find whether it is Waqf land or not. The terms of reference of the commission is to submit recommendations to safeguard the interests of the bonafide residents there,” Rajeeve said. In the High Court, the state government argued that the order to appoint the commission was issued in the public interest and did not intend to override any court rulings, as alleged by the petitioners. The court said neither the explanatory note nor the recitals in the order appointing the Commission of Inquiry explain or narrate how a question relating to the right of ownership of certain properties assumes the character of ‘a definite matter of public ● More on P4 importance’.  E X P R E S S R EA D Lyricist Mankombu Gopalakrishnan no more Kochi: Malayalam lyricist and scriptwriter Mankombu Gopalakrishnan passed away in Kochi on Monday at the age of 78. He had been undergoing treatment at a private hospital for the past week following a heart attack and other agerelated ailments. Over a career spanning several decades, he wrote more than 700 songs for around 200 films. P5 1,343 cases registered in half-price scam: CM T’Puram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday informed the assembly that police have registered 1,343 cases related to the ‘half-price’ scam and 665 of these cases will be handed over to crime branch. P4 iftar bonding Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan share a light moment at the Iftar gathering organised by the Trivandrum Muslim Association on Monday | Vincent Pulickal Assault on Kuki-Zo leader triggers tension in Manipur P r a s a n ta M a z u m d a r @ Guwahati PROHIBITORY orders under Section 163 of BNSS were clamped in Manipur’s Kukidominated Churachandpur district following a senior Kuki-Zo leader’s assault. Richard Hmar, general secretary of Hmar Inpui and a member of Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), was assaulted by unknown miscreants late on Sunday inside the campus of VK Montessori School in Zenhang. He is undergoing medical treatment due to excessive bleeding and injuries. Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) empowers district magistrates to issue preventive orders in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger to prevent harm to individuals or public safety Authorities clamped prohibitory orders following reports from the Churachandpur SP. Unauthorised processions or unlawful assemblies of five or more persons were banned, as well as carrying of arms or objects which can be used as weapons. District magistrate Dharun Kumar S said, “…Our attention has been drawn to incidents where disputes are escalating in some areas, leading to unrest that threatens the peaceful co-existence of our citizens.” Throughout the day protesters attempt, ed to enforce a shutdown, urging shops to close immediately . Govt turns the screws on Khalistani radicals Army Col, son assaulted by Punjab cops, 12 suspended h a r p r ee t b a j w a @ Chandigarh Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon in New Delhi | Shekhar Yadav Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during a meeting with USA’s Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard | PTI ‘Rein in anti-India Gabbard urged to elements in NZ’ ban Pannun’s SFJ JAYA N TH JACOB @ New Delhi M AYA N K SI N G H @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday raised the issue of pro-Khalistan elements freely carrying out anti-India activities in New Zealand during his bilateral meeting with the Pacific island nation’s PM Christopher Luxon. Modi called for strict action against those guilty of terrorist attacks. “We will continue to cooperate together against terrorist, separatist and radical elements,” he said. Separately, the Ministry of External Affairs said the issue of Khalistan supporters getting space in New Zealand was discussed between the two leaders. “This was an issue that came up. We We have shared do alert our friends to the acour concerns about anti-India tivities of anti-India elements activities by in their countries and their certain illegal abuse of freedom of speech elements in New and other democratic Zealand. We’re freedoms to glorify terrorism, confident we will and to threaten attacks against receive the full our diplomats or our parlia- cooperation of the ment or our events in India. New Zealand govt So these were also conveyed,” Narendra Modi said Jaideep Mazumdar, secretary (east) in the Ministry of External Affairs, adding New Zealand was receptive to India’s concerns. India has been flagging various pro-Khalistan activities, including the so-called ‘referendum’ for an independent Sikh homeland organised by the pro-Khalistan group, Sikhs for Justice, permitted by New Zealand authorities under the guise of ‘freedom of speech’. PM Modi and Luxon held wide-ranging talks with a focus on ramping up overall bilateral ties. The two sides also inked six pacts to firm up defence and security ties, and cooperation in education, sports, agriculture and climate change. DEFENCE Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday conveyed to US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, India’s concerns over activities of Khalistani separatist group, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), on American soil and urged her to declare it as a designated terrorist entity sources said. , In an over 30-minute meeting at his office in the Raisina Hills, Singh apprised Gabbard about SFJ’s alleged links with Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) as well as its “collaboration” with the Babbar Khalsa terrorist group, and pressed for action against it, sources said. Singh flagged concerns over Drawing from the the SFJ, headed by Gurpatjoint statement issued after the want Singh Pannun, vandalisrecent Modiing various Hindu religious Trump meeting, structures in the US and said the discussions such radicalism must be reaffirmed the stopped, the sources said. growing strength The SFJ is a banned organiof the India-US sation in India. Gurpatwant bilateral defence Singh Pannun is wanted by Inpartnership dian probe agencies on variMinistry of Defence ous terror charges. During the discussion, both countries also explored avenues for collaboration in cutting-edge defence innovation and niche technologies. In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said, “Drawing from the joint statement issued after the recent meeting of PM Narendra Modi with US President Donald Trump, the discussions reaffirmed the growing strength of the India-US bilateral defence partnership.” Both leaders emphasised that strategic security remains a vital pillar of the comprehensive global strategic cooperation between the two nations.They addressed key areas such as enhancing interoperability and fostering greater integration of defence industrial supply chain. changing face Women shatter male boundaries in Koodiyattam theatre M a n o j V i s w a n at h a n @ Kochi The male domination in Koodiyattam, one of India’s oldest living theatre traditions that reflects Kerala’s rich cultural heritage, is slowly fading. Reflecting the decline in enthusiasm among males to learn Koodiyattam, only four boys have joined the course at Kalamandalam cultural varsity this year. At the same time, around 40 girl students are pursuing the course at Kalamandalam. Koodiyattam artists cite lack of patronage and limited opportunities as reasons for the male candidates’ poor response to the courses. There is a popular belief that the Sanskrit theatre is indigestible to the common man. “It is a reflection of the changing taste of society,” says Jishnu Pratap, assistant professor in Koodiyattam, Kalamandalam. “Parents want their wards to pursue a course that can help them get a job with lucrative salary They realise that there . is lack of patronage for traditional art forms and this profes- parking brawl Koodiyattam artist Kapila Venu performing as Sakunthala of ‘Abhinjana Saakunthalam’ | express sion cannot provide a steady income,” he says. “It is disappointing to note that there are hardly people below the age of 50 in the audience at Koodiyattam performances. Also, a majority of the audience is Koodiyattam ar tists and their relatives,” he said. Though women used to play female characters in Koodiyattam traditionally the roles were , limited to complementing the male characters. However, drawing inspiration from Kalamandalam Girija, Usha Nangiar and Margi Sathi — who reflect the changing face of Koodiyattam — the new generation of women has started portraying male characters. While Usha Nangiar redefined the role of women in Koodiyattam through the Panchakanya Mahotsav organised in Thrissur in 2024, Aparna Nangiar reintroduced ‘Dasamam Koothu’, a ritualistic art form that was never performed in the past 150 years. Kapila Venu brought the stories of Madurai Veeran and Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Chitra’ to the stage. The trio, who arrived in Tripunithura to participate in the 80th birthday celebration of K G Poulose and T K Sarala, the patrons of Sanskrit theatre, shared with TNIE their views on redefining the intangible heritage of Koodiyattam. “It is true that the patronage for Koodiyattam among male students has been declining for the past three decades, says Usha ● More on P4 Nangiar. A serving army Colonel and his son were allegedly assaulted by Punjab Police personnel in Patiala in the wee hours of March 14 over a parking dispute. The incident, caught on CCTV, left the Colonel with a fractured arm and his son with severe head injuries. Following an outrage over the incident, Punjab Police on Monday suspended twelve policemen, including three inspectors, and ordered a departmental probe against them. Sources said Colonel Pushpinder Bath, presently posted at the army headquarters in New Delhi, said he was assaulted on the night of March 13 when he, along with his son, were allegedly attacked by policemen posted in Patiala. The incident took place outside a roadside eatery near the hospital where Bath and his son had stopped for refreshments. It is alleged that three police personnel in plain clothes asked the army officer to remove his car so that they could park their vehicle. When the officer objected to their tone, the cops allegedly assaulted him and his son with baseball bats and sharp-edged weapons. One of the policemen claimed that it was the Colonel and his son who attacked them first. “They were inebriated and attacked us,” he claimed. Jaswinder Bath, Col Bath’s wife, claimed that the family is being asked to compromise or face dire consequences. Son of Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath at a hospital. The Patiala SSP issued an apology to the officer’s family | X