by Jafar Narasimhan
Security services demolish Ravel house
Civil liberties campaigners demand explanation
The "old house in Bhagya" is no longer standing
Under the direct orders of Internal Affairs Minister Gajra Comar, a property belonging to suspected terrorist Kotari Ravel has been completely demolished. According to high-level sources, the Minister instructed the demolition crew "not to leave a single trace of the property, not even a speck of dust - it must be as though this building never existed".
Ravel is believed to have been hiding out at the property before fleeing in the middle of the night, after he worked out that the police were onto him. The property, an old house in Bhagra, is owned by Kotari Ravel. He had been letting it out rent-free to his 92-year old grandmother, Narmada Ravel, who has been described by a neighbour as "absolutely distraught" by both the situation with her grandson and the dramatic demolition of her home.
The Potensian Civil Liberties Association has criticised the move, demanding that the Minster of Internal Affairs "provides a full explanation of why it was judged to be necessary to do this" and calling for "an independent investigation to be conducted". Age Concern Potensi has expressed concern about "the disrespectful, inconsiderate and completely inhumane treatment of Mrs. Ravel", warning that "to force elderly and frail people to move out of their homes is very traumatic and distressing for them, and our guidance would be that this should only be done when it is really, really necessary".
Gajra Comar has refused to be drawn at length into discussing the issue, although he has stated that "the demolition of the house was necessary as a security precaution".
We will hunt down so-called Army of Equality, vows President Tripathi
President Vijay Tripathi has condemned "the so-called Army of Equality", who he says "want us all to be equal only in the sense they want us all to be dead". He has promised "a massive, co-ordinated operation, involving the police, the intelligence services and the army, to bring these scoundrels to justice".
The latest news is that 5 arrests have been made in Rajdarbar. Also, the Potensian Civil Liberties Association has accused the police of "using excessive brutality in dealing with suspected Army of Equality sympathisers" and has requested a full independent investigation.
Police tackling protesters in Jamgal
Rajdarbar pollution smog "just fog", claims Environment Minister
Central Rajdarbar during yesterday's rush hour
Environment Minister Vrishni Sharma has infuriated air quality campaigners by dismissing Rajdarbar's notorious pollution smogs as "just fog" and "nothing serious, nothing to worry about - it's all just weather". Even according to his own Ministry's statistics, the capital city's air quality ratings have become progressively worse over the last decade, largely as a result of increasing car use and congestion on the roads. After facing a storm of criticism, he backtracked somewhat, claiming he "was not saying air quality isn't a serious concern" and that "all I meant was that we shouldn't get too carried away by the fact the air gets worse for a few months during the summer".
Protesters descend on the Ministry of Environment in protest
Yesterday morning, a small demonstration was held outside the Ministry of the Environment in central Rajdarbar, in protest against the Ministry's "lack of action in taking care for the environment seriously". Green issues have become increasingly prominent in Potensi of late, and the rise of a new political party, the pro-green Potensian People's Party, is partly ascribed to this.
Bennotsville "birdperson" was me, claims Chakraborty
Gagan Chakraborty = Kalguda the Gerajan bird god?
Following a wave of speculation amongst his devotees, the renowned spiritual guru Gagan Chakraborty has admitted that he is indeed the mysterious birdperson of Bennotsville. In an interview with a friendly journalist, he explained:
I sometimes take the form of Kalguda, the bird god, because Kalguda is another aspect of myself. Sometimes at night, when I want to see the world, I turn into Kalguda and fly around the world, to visit other countries. It is all to do with expanding my field of work and fulfilling my spiritual mission.
Since the admission, dozens of alleged sightings of Kalguda have been reported all over Terra, some of them involved miraculous events, such as objects materialising and dramatic healings taking place. Several of the alleged encounters also involve the bird god flying people around the nightsky on long journeys.
Also, a woman in the city of Bairak has claimed the bird god swooped into her garden, ate her dog, spat out its head and tail and then flew away. She says she "began writing a letter to Gagan Chakraborty, demanding to know why he had behaved in such a horrible way" but that "as I began writing the letter, I began to see that the Swami was teaching me a spiritual lesson, because I had become too attached to the dog, and needed to move on from that...so after that, I was at peace".