TN This Week: Officials Seal 2 Temples, Upper Castes Oppose the Move

Twenty-two universities from Tamil Nadu featured in the top 100 list in the university category of NIRF ranking 2023, which is one more than last year. However, the performance ranking of most of the state universities has dropped.

Kerala topped the Food Safety Index 2022-23, replacing Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu slipped to third position in the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) index. Punjab stood in the second position.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday said that he would participate in the meeting of the top Opposition leaders convened by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Stalin gave a clarion call to non-BJP parties to shed their differences and join hands to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The chief minister inaugurated on Tuesday 500 urban public health centres that will offer free healthcare services, including vaccines for pregnant women and children, tests for diseases such as tuberculosis, hypertension, and diabetes, and medicines for ailments to the urban poor.

Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami and ousted AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam condemned the Tamil Nadu government over the tariff hike for commercial establishments and industries. They demanded an immediate withdrawal of the hike.

Meanwhile, after many years of hatred, Panneerselvam has joined hands with the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) to ensure ‘Amma’s rule’ in Tamil Nadu.

A lawyer in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari was arrested for spreading fake news about June 2 Balasore train crash. Advocate Senthil Kumar had put out a tweet claiming the station master at Bahanaga Bazaar Station, Mohammed Sheriff Ahmed, had gone underground after the accident and he sought action against Ahmed.

A 52-year-old Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker was arrested in Coimbatore for spreading fake news claiming that DMK workers in police custody were distilling illicit liquor inside a school. The image shared on social media was found to be morphed.

Two sisters from Tamil Nadu’s Tiruchirappalli district appear to have died by suicide after their parents opposed their relationship with two brothers from a different faith.

The Lotte Choco Pie factory workers’ strike crossed its 54th day this week. The strike was called after four union office bearers were dismissed for “forming a trade union”. Read more

With a demand to end manual scavenging, the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front (TNUEF) held an event upholding the 'human dignity' of the conservancy workers. It featured a demonstration of 'HomoSEP', a robot to clean septic tanks and TNUEF urged the state to opt for total mechanisation of sanitation works. Read more

NewsClick brings you a round-up of the happenings in the past week in Tamil Nadu.

TWO TEMPLES SEALED

The Sri Dharmaraja Draupadi Amman Temple in Melpathi village, located in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district, was sealed shut on June 7 by the district administration. This action came after unsuccessful peace talks and persistent tensions between the Vanniyars, a dominant caste, and Dalits, regarding the latter’s entry into the temple.

In another incident, revenue department officials in Karur district sealed a temple on Thursday after members of the Urali Gounder community prevented the entry of Dalits. The closure of Sri Kaliamman Temple in Veeranampatti near Kadavur sparked protests by Urali Gounders, classified as a Backward Class (BC) in Tamil Nadu.

SOLIDARITY WITH PROTESTING WRESTLERS

Members of the Tamil Nadu Government Employees Association (TNGEA) staged marches across the state on Tuesday in solidarity with the wrestlers who are seeking the arrest of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh – accused of sexual harassment.

All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), the Democratic Youth Federation of India and other organisations also held protests in solidarity with the wrestlers.

HEATWAVE 

Despite the conclusion of the Kathri heat wave in Tamil Nadu, intense heat continued to grip several districts, leading to rising cases of dehydration, skin diseases, smallpox, and high blood pressure.

Amidst the relentless heat, the school education department decided to postpone the reopening of schools. Classes from VI to XII will commence on June 12.

ELEPHANT ARIKOMBAN FREED

Arikomban, the wild tusker, was freed in an upper Kodayar forest in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district bordering Kerala on June 6.

On April 29, Arikomban entered Tamil Nadu's Cumbum town from the state’s forest ranges. Three people were injured while fleeing from the elephant, while one succumbed to the injuries. Since then, the forest department has been on a chase for the jumbo.

A protest was staged by tribals from the Chempakathogkudi colony, Idukki, Kerala on Tuesday, demanding that the Kerala government bring back Arikomban to Chinnakanal.

The Madras High Court on Tuesday said that it will post a public interest litigation seeking the translocation of the rogue elephant Arikomban to Kerala before the forest bench.