With the world still recovering from the horrific killing of Goerge Floyd in a case of police brutality, citizens of India were left in anger when a custodial death of two citizens took place in Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu. Jayaraj and his son J Beniks had been brought into police custody for opening their shop for an hour longer than the timings prescribed as per COVID curfew, the torture that followed, however, could only be seen as heinous and barbaric. Signs of assault were evident on bodies of both the victims, yet no FIR had been filed as of Friday night against the police personnel who were involved in the incident, or against any other authorities which deemed them fit for custody and continued to keep them in jail in spite of their bleeding wounds. The post-mortem reports have also not yet revealed the true nature of the injuries on both the men which seems like a blatant cover-up.
Several people had in some sense been a part of the Black Lives Matter protest, and thus when a case of police brutality came forward in Tamil Nadu, the national outrage was obvious.
However, this wasn’t the first time when Tuticorin district saw its law enforcement officials become perpetrators , just last month two separate police stations were accused of killing a man brought in for questioning and causing kidney damage to another. Not only that, two years ago 13 people were killed in the district due to a police shooting incident and therefore people of Tuticorin shut down shops and businesses in protest on Friday.
Initially, the police had remarked that the injuries caused on both the bodies were self-inflicted, but following the protests, four policemen have been suspended and the bench of Madras High court has called for a full report on the case.
On the international front, India watches in silence as Nepal’s Oli led government faces major backlash and protest after it decided to cause tensions with India by giving constitutional status to a map which showed some of the disputed territories as its own. The citizens of Nepal heavily relied on trade with India as well as appreciated the long peaceful relation and support they got from our nation which was threatened by Oli’s move. Moreover, the Nepali citizens were already accusing the government of corruption and mismanagement which led to a rise in COVID19 cases and saw Prime Minister KP Oli’s decision as nothing but a diversionary tactic to move attention from the prevalent issues. It is also suspected that Nepal may have ceded a part of its territory to China last week, however, this has not been confirmed but it fueled the protests regardless. Citizens felt that the government had recently been acting as a puppet of China, and recent incidents just seem to confirm their speculations. Oli’s main opponent PK Dahal Prachanda accused Oli of failing the government and was not on board with the way things were being dealt with. It seems that KP Oli will soon have to resign from his post as PM as both the nation and the government lose faith in his tactics.
As we attempt to reach a new horizon, the famous Puri Rath Yatra which was initially cancelled took place in a unique and contained manner under a Supreme Court on Tuesday. For the first time in history, the Yatra took place without its usual sea of devotees and with masked priests who were all tested for the virus before the procession took place. The entire celebration was live telecasted worldwide and devotees could take part in the procession digitally and even those who had attended tried to maintain the social distancing norms as much as possible.
Religion and Spirituality were not the only, which saw a change in the way that they happen this week, as CBSE and ICSE both cancelled their remaining exams and left students confused and shocked. While most subject exams had already taken place, a few were left which will now be calculated on the basis of other subjects. This move could drastically impact students performances and change undergraduate admissions for many. However, considering the COVID19 surge, it seemed like the only plausible solution as many things have been left uncertain since the pandemic has ensued. With new drug approvals and some only providing non-verified claims, it is evident that we are trying to return back to our normal, but until then innovation and surprise decisions provide the only way forward.
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