kollam l monday l October 12, 2026 l `10.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Flash flood strikes Nepal again, weeks after deadly disaster A flash flood in the Budhi Gandaki River swept away houses and bridges and damaged three hydropower projects in Gorkha district on Sunday Two women among five persons missing Nepalese authorities rescued more than 80 people, including nine foreign nationals, with the help of four helicopters. Five people, including two women, remain missing. Locals said they fled their homes after hearing loud roaring sounds from the streams around 4 am. Over 40 houses were completely damaged while 27 suffered partial damage, authorities said ■ 700 Failure of temporary dam blamed ■ The flood may have been caused by the failure of a temporary dam created by a landslide near Chumchet in Gorkha district, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said The disaster struck roughly a month and a half after the devastating Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river floods on August 26 | P9 Security personnel have been mobilised for relief work 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 In spl sitting, court orders restoration of metro, internet, finds prima facie case for contempt SC says peaceful protesters cannot be illegally detained S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi In an unusual special sitting on Sunday a spe, cial bench of the Supreme Court said there can be no illegal detention of those peacefully gathering and that barricades in the national capital must be reviewed immediately based on lawand-order and traffic requirements. The court also held that Metro services and railway facilities shall function normally until and unless they need to be regulated keeping in mind reasonable restrictions envisaged under Article 19 (2). Further, internet facilities should be restored and lawyers and journalists must not be obstructed from discharging professional duties, the court ordered. The court observed that petitioners had prima facie made out a case of contempt against the Centre and Delhi authorities for violating the court’s October 9 directions against “complete prohibition” of transport services. The two-judge Bench of Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana sought a response from Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Chairperson D Thara in the next hearing on October 13. “Free movement of people in the city shall be ensured subject to law and order situation and/ or traffic regulations... There shall be no illegal detention, particularly in cases of peaceful unarmed assemblage of people beyond the area where Section 163 BNSS is in operation,” the court ordered the Centre and Delhi Police. On being informed that a notice board had been put up in the court premises mentioning that Section 163 BNSS had been invoked in and around the precincts of the SC, the bench ordered it removed. The interim directions came on a contempt plea and a habeas corpus petition filed by lawyer Shailendra Mani Tripathi and senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy respectively The SC issued notices in . both cases, and sought a compliance report in the contempt plea. The court accepted the government’s assurance that Metro services would be normalised unless public order situation arose. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke before being released on Sunday along with Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das | PTI Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has declined to meet leaders from the Congress, including LoP Rahul Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, on Monday. The CJI cited the pendency of related matters before the SC for declining to meet the leaders. Rahul had said the INDIA bloc would meet CJI to submit a memorandum on “vote chori” CJP leaders say protests won’t stop till cec quits Parveen Negi India rejects UN’s ‘interference’ India on Sunday rejected as “unacceptable interference” concerns raised by the United Nations Human Rights Office over detention of protesters, saying authorities had acted in accordance with the law. In a video, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Constitution guaranteed the right to peaceful assembly, which was safeguarded by the country’s institutions, an independent judiciary and a free media Dream big, pursue ideas sans fear: PM S u b ashini Vi j ayakumar @ Chennai PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked students to dream big, think differently and pursue their ideas without fear, saying young people could help find solutions to the challenges facing India and the world. Addressing students at a school here, he urged them to contribute to the goal of build- PM Modi at the event on Sunday | Shiba Prasad Sahu A g e nci e s @ Dubai/ Riyadh CJI declines to meet Rahul, Kharge Police personnel physically remove protesters in Connaught Place, New Delhi on Sunday | ing a Viksit Bharat by 2047. His appeal came amid protests by student groups demanding removal of the CEC. However, he did not refer to the protests in his speech. Stating that the world is looking for solution providers, the PM said the students have the potential to provide these solutions. He urged the students to make the most of opportunities available to them. Day after 12 deaths, Houthis target Riyadh airport again u d ayan kishor e & anup v e rma @ New Delhi HOURS after being released from detention on Sunday Cockroach Janta Party leaders vowed to , intensify their agitation demanding removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, as around 200 protesters were detained and New Delhi remained under a thick security blanket. Following the Supreme Court order after a special hearing earlier in the morning, police partially relaxed the clampdown, including opening of Metro stations and resumption of internet services. The hide-and-seek continued between protesters and security personnel, who kept doing flag marches and chasing protesters away who regrouped to resume the agitation. , CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were released on Sunday morning Keralam to on the condition that they seek CEC’s would not “breach peace” for ouster a year. YouTuber Dhruv T’Puram: Chief Rathee, after he was released Minister V D in the morning, claimed he Satheesan will was not detained, but “kid- move a resolution napped” by police. urging the Centre CJP co-convener Ranka and the Election said he and other leaders Commission to would approach Delhi Police remove CEC on Monday to seek a date for Gyanesh Kumar holding a fresh protest at on the opening Jantar Mantar. day of the second At a press conference held session of the at Press Club of India, Das 16th Kerala alleged the government had Assembly on turned the state against its Monday. The LDF own citizens and the CJP’s will back the agitation would continue. resolution | P5 “Protests will happen not just in Delhi but in the whole country This will . not stop till Gyanesh resigns,” he said. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said he had not signed any bond barring him and other CJP leaders from staging further protests. “I have not signed any bond. We will take to the streets again... We are not afraid of your dictatorship; we will end your dictatorship,” Dipke told reporters at Nagpur airport, before proceeding to Hingoli in Maharashtra to attend the last rites of his grandmother. CPM Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas was injured after Delhi Police allegedly manhandled him in Connaught Place. Brittas said security personnel nearly choked him despite his attempts to identify himself as an MP He was later . admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. Among others detained were CPI leader Annie Raja and members of SFI, AISF and AISA, including Neha Bora and Aishe Ghosh. Reporters Sans Frontieres said “at least 16 journalists were brutally detained”. A fresh Houthi attack targeted Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Sunday, a day after a missile attack there killed 12, including an Indian national, and wounded more than 300 in the sharpest escalation of the ongoing war between Iran-backed Yemeni rebels and Saudi Arabia. A Saudi official said an unidentified projectile struck Terminal 4 of the airport, causing a fire. The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority said there were injuries, but did not specify . About an hour after the airport attack, AFP journalists reported hearing two explosions in quick succession in central Riyadh. The cause of the blasts was not immediately clear. Earlier in the day the au, thorities had extended the airport’s closure till Sunday night. It was also announced that schools in the capital would hold classes online till the end of the week. One Indian national, who was injured in Saturday’s attack and was undergoing treatment, died on Sunday, the In- As the sun rose over the ground near Sopanam School of Panchavadyam at Kandanakam in Edappal, Malappuram, on Sunday a group of men and women , began a collective effort to save a rare ritualistic art form, an effort that would continue until the next sunrise. For the next 24 hours, the artists immersed themselves in an elaborate sequence of songs, ceremonies and dance, bringing alive Pallippana, one of the rarest traditional ritual art forms of Valluvanad region that is rooted in the worship of Goddess Bhadrakali. Artists performing chenda melam during the 24-hour ‘Desappana’ in Edappal, Malappuram, on Sunday Organised by the Sopanam School of Panchavadyam in association with the Thanjavur South Zone Cultural Centre, the performance was held as a Desappana, a ritual seeking the prosperity and peace of the region. A group of nearly 50 men Leaders and senior officials from across the world condemned the attack on Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney were among those who denounced the attack | P9 dian Embassy in Riyadh said. “We convey our heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased. We are in touch with the family and will provide all support for ensuring the early repatriation of mortal re- mains,” the embassy said in a statement. At least 10 more Indians have been injured in the attack. The Ministry of External Affairs condemned the attack. “We strongly condemn the repeated attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport over the past few days, including the dastardly attack on October 10, which have led to loss of lives, injuries and property damage,” its statement read. Amid the attacks, several flights connecting Keralam with Saudi Arabia and other destinations in West Asia have P4 been cancelled.  festivities begin E X P RE S S RE A D 3 killed as car rams scooter in Ernakulam Kochi: Three youngsters were killed after a speeding car rearended their scooter near Moozhiyal, Ernakulam, around 1.45am on Sunday. The deceased are Iyas, Devika and Gopika. Suhail Sajeev, 19, who was behind the wheel of the Mini Cooper, and one of the passengers Ninav, 19, were arrested, while two others who were in the car were taken into custody from Alappuzha later. Accordingto the police, Suhail had reportedly consumed alcohol from three bars | P4 All-night rites, 4,444-line song: Pallippana back in spotlight and women artists helmed the various aspects, from preparation to performance. “Pallippana demands extensive preparation and coordination. Every stage has to follow the prescribed ritual sequence, and sustaining the performance for 24 hours requires considerable dedication from the practitioners. This is why presenting it in its complete form — from one sunrise to the next — is significant,” said Santhosh Alankode, director of Sopanam School of Panchavadyam. The ceremony revolves around Darikavadham Thottam Pattu, a ritual song cycle comprising 4,444 World leaders slam strike on Riyadh airport Devotees perform after the installation of the idol of Goddess Durga during the Navaratri celebrations organised by the Maheswari Sabha at Gangothri Hall in Ernakulam on Sunday | A Sanesh A ritual for Revival L akshmi Athira @Malappuram People gather outside a metro station near Riyadh airport on Saturday | AP lines narrating the slaying of the demon Darika by the goddess. The performance includes Thiriyuzhichil (fire dance), Guruthi (ritual) and Valathu, or Pana Pidutham (dance by men) along with chenda melam and other musical events. Traditionally associated with Bhadrakali temples and sacred groves (kavu), Pallippana survives in fewer than 10 temples across Valluvanad region, where Malappuram, Palakkad and Thrissur meet. It is considered an important offering to the Goddess, performed to seek the fulfilment of wishes and the well-being of families and communities.  ● More on P4 Amid nat’l rise, Keralam loses 23,632 factory jobs; steepest fall among states M S Vi d yanan d an @T’Puram Factory jobs in Keralam fell by 23,632 in 2024-25, the steepest drop among states, according to the fact sheet of the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) released recently even as , the number rose nationally by 7.2%. The gross value added (GVA) of the state’s factories, the worth of produce minus the cost of materials and fuel, also fell by 16.4% against a national growth of 9.6%. In absolute numbers, employment in the state’s factories fell to 3,34,279 from 3,57,911 in 2023-24, a drop of 6.6%. TNIE’s analysis of the survey’s previous editions showed that factory employment in Keralam was still below the preCovid level. The state’s factories employed 3,41,411 people in 2019-20. Between 2019-20 and 2024-25, factory employment across the country grew 26.3% whereas Keralam recorded a fall of 2.1 %. The state’s share in the country’s total factory employment fell from 2.05% to 1.59% during the period. However, the average earning of workers in Keralam, `2.55 lakh a year, was higher than the national average of `2.28 lakh. “The decline in employment is worrying,” said Prof C Veeramani, director of the Centre Shrinking base The number of registered factories in the state has fallen every year since 2021-22, from 7,712 to 7,497. In the same period, India added 16,944 factories, taking the total to 2,66,931. The Annual Survey of Industries covers factories registered under the Factories Act, 1948, and certain other establishments. Average earnings higher Factory jobs drop by 6.6% from 2023-24, against 7.2% rise nationally Gross value added of state’s factories drops from J39,718 crore in 2023-24 to J33,206 crore in 2024-25 Average earning of workers in state, J2.55 lakh a year, higher than the national average of J2.28 lakh for Development Studies (CDS), Thiruvananthapuram. “It is not due to problems in the petroleum sector, which employs a comparatively low number of people. The decline would be in labour-intensive industries such as marine products, food processing, spices, coir and cashew. The fall could be due either to some factories closing down or to existing ones reducing jobs,” he said. The GVA of the state’s factories came down from `39,718 crore in 2023-24 to `33,206 crore in 2024-25. Only Assam saw a bigger fall, 21.3%.  ● More on P4