KL This Week: BBC Modi Documentary Screened Across State, BJP Protests

The BBC documentary India: The Modi Question is being screened across Kerala by different organisations, including Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the minority wing of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its affiliated organisations are holding protests to oppose its screening. 

Around 46 lakh members from 3.09 lakh neighbourhood groups of the Kudumbashree Mission met simultaneously on January 26 to discuss their achievements and chart out a plan for the next five years. It was one of the largest gatherings in the state. 

The Kerala Startup Mission (KUSM) was ranked among the top five public/private business incubators by the World Benchmark Study for 2021-22. The winner will be announced in May. 

In another incident of human-animal conflict, a forest watcher was trampled to death by a wild elephant in the Idukki district on January 25, the second such death within two weeks. 

Special teachers appointed in schools under Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK) in 2016 are holding protests against the reduction in salaries from Rs 29,000 to Rs 14,000.

Newsclick brings a round-up of the important happenings across Kerala this week.

SCREENING OF BBC DOCUMENTARY

The DYFI and SFI are screening the BBC documentary on the Gujarat riots in educational institutes and public places. Soon after the documentary was taken down from social media across the country, the youth and student organisations announced screening it wherever possible. 

The documentary was screened at the College of Engineering (Trivandrum), Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), Kannur University, Maharaja’s College, among others. The SFI announced that it would be screened on campuses while the DYFI decided to screen it at all possible locations under the aegis of the local and area committees. 

DYFI member screen the ‘BBC’ documentary in Palakkad. (Picture: DYFI Kerala).

The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) are holding protests against the screening, leading to tension and minor clashes in a few places. 

The KPCC’s minority unit screened the documentary at multiple locations, including Shangumugham beach, in Thiruvananthapuram. 

The Centre had instructed YouTube channels and other social media platforms to pull down the two-part documentary in the country. The BJP and its right-wing organisations have claimed the documentary to be propaganda. 

DIFFERENT CONGRESS VOICES ON DOCUMENTARY

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor Anil K Antony, son of former chief minister (CM) AK Antony, questioned the need and timing of the release of the documentary. Tharoor claimed that there was little to gain from debating the issue and later said that he did not ask people to “move on”.

Anil K Antony tweeted in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and condemned the documentary immediately after its release. He resigned as KPCC Digital Media convener and AICC Social Media and Digital Communications Cell national coordinator a day later.

KSUM ON GLOBAL TOP 5 LIST

KSUM is on the list of five public/private investors in the sixth edition of the World Benchmark Study for 2021-22. The mission achieved the recognition among 109 incubators from 56 countries. 

The winner from the top five will be announced at the World Incubation Summit in Belgium in May. Kerala will compete with the start-up missions from Brazil, Turkey and China.

CM Pinarayi Vijayan tweeted on the selection of KSUM and thanked those supporting start-ups. The LDF government has rolled out schemes to improve the start-up ecosystem in the state. The mission has won several accolades nationally in the last couple of years. 

FOREST WATCHER KILLED IN ELEPHANT ATTACK

A temporary forest watcher identified as Sakthivel, from Devikulam range office, in the Idukki district, died of a suspected elephant attack on January 25. He was called for help by the workers in Santhanpara estate when a herd of elephants was spotted in the locality.

Sakhtivel arrived by 6 am but his body was found later in the noon owing to the presence of elephants and intense mist. 

Two weeks ago, a farmer was mauled to death by a tiger in the Wayanad district. People and farmers living close to forest areas are seeking scientific measures to bring human-animal conflict and deaths to an end. 

SPECIAL TEACHERS PROTEST

Around 1,400 part-time special teachers working under SSK held a statewide protest demanding better wages on January 24. The teachers were appointed in 2016 to teach music, drawing and physical education in schools by SSK at a monthly salary of Rs 29,000.

The Special Teachers Association held a protest in front of the SSK head office in Thiruvananthapuram on January 17 to press their demand. The association has planned an indefinite protest if the demand is not fulfilled.