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The charred body of a 50-year-old woman was found in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram. Locals discovered the body in a vacant site. Police are investigating whether her death was murder or suicide.

In Short

• Charred body of a woman found in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram
• Deceased’s cousin calls for thorough police investigation into death
• Police to probe whether the death was murder or suicide

A charred body was found late Thursday night in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram district. According to the police, the body was later identified as that of a local 50-year-old woman. The police said that local residents, after hearing a scream, discovered the body in a vacant site in Kaimanam and immediately alerted the authorities.

An officer from the Karamana police station confirmed the discovery of the burnt body, following a search of the area. A cousin of the woman later confirmed the body to be hers. The police opened an investigation to determine whether the death was the result of murder or suicide.

The cousin, speaking to a local television channel, revealed that the deceased had been in a relationship with a man living in the area. As her family had not approved of the relationship, she had been staying at a hostel. He expressed doubt over the possibility of suicide, saying, “Let the police investigate and find it out.”

Police said that the body will be sent for a postmortem examination after the completion of inquest proceedings.

In February, bodies of an elderly couple were found in their house in Alappuzha. The police took their son into custody on the suspicion of setting the house on fire. According to the police, the son, Vijay frequently fought with his parents, Raghavan (96) and Bharathi (86), over property.

In another similar instance, last January in Telangana, a woman’s body with 90 per cent burns was found on a road leading to a farm land in Moinabad in Rangareddy district. In that case, the police suspected that she was killed elsewhere and her body was brought to the site and then set on fire.

A man was killed in a tiger attack in Malappuram in Kerala, triggering a massive search operation by the forest department. Authorities plan to tranquilise the animal and capture it.

In Short

• Forest team launches a search for tiger in Malappuram
• Tiger killed rubber tapper, dragged body towards forest
• Officials plan to tranquilise tiger; shoot it if necessary

A major search operation is underway in Kerala’s Malappuram to locate a tiger that killed a man on Thursday. The forest department deployed its Rapid Response Team (RRT), led by Chief Veterinary Surgeon Dr Arun Zachariah, near Kalikavu region in western part of the district.

Kerala Forest Minister AK Saseendran stated that the initial plan is to capture the tiger after tranquilising it. He also said that if that proved difficult, the tiger might have to be shot.

On Thursday, a rubber tapping worker, identified as Gafoor, was killed in a tiger attack near Kalikavu, leading to the search operation.

The deceased was a native of Chokkad, Kallamoola, and according to the officials, was attacked while tapping rubber in a plantation in the area. Another rubber tapper, who witnessed the incident, alerted the police and told them the tiger dragged Gafoor’s body into the forest.

Following a complaint filed at the Kalikavu police station, a police team launched a search. They later found Gafoor’s body about 5 km from the attack site. With no motorable roads leading to the forest boundary, the police had to trek on foot to retrieve the body.

Separately, Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi spoke with Nilambur South Divisional Forest Officer Dhanik Lal over the phone. She inquired about the incident and urged officials to take immediate steps to allay public fear; Wayanad is Malappuram’s neighbouring district in the north.

The sub-caste enumeration of Karnataka Scheduled Castes is likely to finish on deadline, said Justice HN Nagamohan Das. However, he pointed out certain challenges such as hesitancy to disclose cash and sub-caste identity confusion among respondents.

In Short

• Justice Das says survey method electronic, first-of-its-kind in India
• Sub-caste confusion, cash information divulgence biggest challenges
• Final report will guide Karnataka’s internal reservation policy

Justice HN Nagamohan Das, who is heading the committee overseeing the internal reservation process for the Scheduled Castes (SC) in Karnataka, said on Thursday that the ongoing survey is progressing better than expected.

He expressed confidence that the entire survey would be completed by the end of the extended deadline.

“The progress is more than our expectation. I hope that within the extended time today that we have given, I am confident we will cover 100%,” said Justice Das, who is also tasked with submitting a report to the state government on internal reservations for Dalits.

The caste census, being carried out to determine the sub-caste distribution within the Scheduled Castes (SC) category, has encountered some difficulties. “The main challenge is that in some of the Economically and Socially Challenged houses, households are not coming forward to declare their cash details,” Justice Das noted.

He also highlighted significant gaps in awareness among respondents, particularly regarding sub-caste identities. “Some of the people who have taken certificates as Adi Karnataka and Adi Dravida don’t know that they’re original castes. In the second category, some of them know their original castes, but they are not in the list. Some of them are not willing to disclose though they know their sub caste,” he said.

Justice Das emphasised that the method employed for the survey was both innovative and unprecedented in India. “The Government of India has asked for information about the electronic, online method that we have adopted, and we have given the details. It is for them, but we have done a unique job, which nowhere in the country as of now, to my knowledge, this method is adopted,” he said.

Reflecting on the origins of the current process, Justice Das recalled that in his interim report he had recommended a new survey due to inadequate data for a scientific classification. “In my interim report, I only said that on the basis of available data, it is not possible to make a scientific classification, therefore I recommend it to the Government of Karnataka to conduct a fresh survey. The government accepted my interim report and ordered a fresh survey.”

The survey is part of a wider initiative launched by the Karnataka government on May 5, to gather empirical data on SC sub-castes, with the aim of guiding internal reservation policy. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had called it essential for ensuring social justice and equitable distribution of benefits. “There are 101 sub-castes, including Left, Right, Lamani and others, but no empirical data is available,” he had said, adding that the 2011 census lacked this granularity.

The enumeration is being held in three phases: Home visits from 5 to 17 May, special camps from 19 to 21 May, and an online self-declaration option from 19 to 23 May. Over 65,000 schoolteachers have been deployed as enumerators, using a mobile application active daily from 6.30 am to 6.30 pm. One supervisor is assigned for every 10 to 12 enumerators. “If people miss the home visit, they can declare details at camps or online. Nobody should be left out,” Siddaramaiah had said.

He had said that the initiative fulfils a Congress manifesto promise and is backed by a Supreme Court ruling of August 1, 2024, that permits states to introduce internal quotas for SCs based on empirical evidence. “To clarify sub-caste identities and ensure internal reservation, we have formed this one-man committee. The Cabinet will take a decision based on its report,” he had said.

Kerala schools will kick off the 2025 academic year to begin in June with the first two weeks focused on social awareness. These programmes will cover issues like drug abuse, hygiene

In Short

• Kerala introduces two-week social awareness program for students
• Programme focus on issues like drug abuse, hygiene, digital discipline
• Teachers trained in workshops to deliver awareness-based curriculum

The Department of Public Education in Kerala announced that the first two weeks of the 2025-2026 academic year will be dedicated to social awareness classes instead of the regular textbook curriculum. This initiative is the first of its kind in the country, and aims to educate students on pressing social issues.

Education Minister V Sivankutty shared that the awareness campaigns will address a range of topics, including drug abuse, destruction of public property and emotional control.

“For two weeks, children are not going to study textbooks but we will have awareness sessions and discussions on various topics,” Sivankutty said.

He added that guidelines for these sessions were set after a two-day workshop involving experts from Police, excise, the Child Rights Commission, Social Justice, National Health Mission, Women and Child Development, Kerala The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and other relevant departments.

The topics to be covered in the two weeks will include drug use, controlling violent behaviour, environmental and personal hygiene, emotional control, healthcare, and law awareness, among others.

Students in Classes 1 to 10 will participate in the two-week sessions starting June 2, while higher secondary students will have a similar program for one week, beginning July 18. Schools will also adjust their timetables to ensure adequate time for arts, sports, and social issue education.

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