Chennai, Oct 30: Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will lead the state’s homage to freedom fighter and national leader Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar on the occasion of his 118th birth anniversary and Guru Puja Day on Thursday.

The Chief Minister, accompanied by ministers, Members of Parliament, and MLAs, will offer floral tributes at the leader’s memorial in Pasumpon, Kamudi taluk, Ramanathapuram district, today. Simultaneously, in Chennai, ministers, MPs, MLAs, and representatives from local bodies will pay tribute by garlanding the statue of Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar at the Nandanam Junction on Anna Salai.

Born on October 30, 1908, in Pasumpon village to Ukkirapandi Thevar and Indrani Ammal, Muthuramalinga Thevar emerged as a towering figure in Tamil Nadu’s socio-political and spiritual spheres.

From a young age, he opposed colonial domination and championed values such as spirituality, nationalism, anti-imperialism, anti-communism, and the eradication of caste discrimination.

His life was an inspiring blend of devotion, discipline, and unwavering patriotism. Thevar passed away on October 30, 1963, but continues to be revered as a symbol of courage, faith, and unity among Tamil people.

During the tenure of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in 2007, the Tamil Nadu government lavishly celebrated Thevar’s centenary.

Thevar’s ancestral house in Pasumpon was renovated, and several public facilities were established to honour his legacy, including a centenary gateway, a photo exhibition hall, an eternal flame, a new library building, a ‘Mulai Paari’ hall, and a ‘Mudikkanakai’ hall.

In further recognition of his contributions, three government colleges in Nallur (Tirunelveli district), Kamuthi (Ramanathapuram district), and Usilampatti (Madurai district) were named after him.

The tallest statue of Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar was also erected in Madurai.

Continuing this legacy of respect, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, on behalf of the Tamil Nadu government, inaugurated the Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar Memorial Auditorium (Thevar Arangam) at the Pasumpon memorial site on October 28, 2024.

The annual Guru Puja and birth anniversary celebration stand as a reminder of Thevar’s enduring impact on Tamil Nadu’s political and cultural history, a legacy rooted in justice, equality, and spiritual nationalism.

Mumbai: Two days after Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray raised concerns over discrepancies in the Worli voters list, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray is set to make a similar presentation highlighting alleged irregularities in Mumbai’s electoral rolls.

The MNS has organised a rally at Bandra’s Rangsharda Auditorium on Thursday evening, where Raj Thackeray will present what he calls ‘massive anomalies’ in the city’s voter lists. The event will be attended by senior MNS office-bearers, city leaders and volunteers from across Mumbai, marking an escalation in the party’s campaign against what it terms a deep-rooted electoral scam.

Thackeray will showcase data, maps and video clips to demonstrate large-scale manipulation in the voter registration process. The alleged anomalies include multiple entries under a single address, names of deceased individuals, and bogus voter IDs listed across different constituencies. He is also expected to unveil a strategy to prevent fake voting during the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other local body elections.

The rally comes just days before a joint Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)–MNS protest march against the Election Commission, scheduled for November 1. Party leaders have said the march will demand a full audit and cleansing of the voters list across Maharashtra.

Raj Thackeray, who has been vocal about the issue over the past few weeks, recently claimed that nearly 96 lakh fake names exist in Maharashtra’s electoral rolls. “This is not about politics or numbers, it’s about democracy itself. If the foundation of voting is flawed, what legitimacy do elections have?” he said earlier this week, while announcing the “Satyacha Morcha” (March for Truth).

The issue has found resonance across the Opposition spectrum. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Shiv Sena UBT MLA Aaditya Thackeray have both raised similar concerns, alleging widespread irregularities. Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey said that in several parts of Mumbai, “one household has over 50 registered voters,” which he described as a glaring sign of manipulation.

Mumbai: Mumbai Police have booked a tuition teacher from Ghatkopar for allegedly assaulting a 13-year-old student after she failed to complete her Diwali vacation homework. The incident took place on October 25 at a private coaching centre in Gurunanak Nagar in Ghatkopar West.

The accused teacher, identified as Lakshmi Deepak Khadka, allegedly struck the Std VIII student with a wooden stick during class, leaving her with visible injuries on her hand, quoting the police. The matter came to light when the girl’s father noticed red marks on her hand after she returned home.

On being questioned, the girl narrated that she was hit by her tutor for not finishing her holiday assignments. Angered by the incident, her father approached the Ghatkopar police station and lodged a complaint.

Based on his complaint, an FIR was registered against the teacher under Section 118(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means, and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which pertains to cruelty toward a child by a person responsible for their care or supervision.

Senior Police Inspector Satish Jadhav confirmed that the teacher has been issued a notice as per legal procedure and will soon be summoned for questioning. “We have already recorded the girl’s statement and are in the process of examining other students and staff members who were present during the class,” he said. Jadhav further added that the preliminary investigation suggests the girl was hit twice on her hand with a wooden stick, leaving a deep mark.