Kerala

Kottayam, Oct 28 (PTI) A 13-year-old girl was sexually assaulted for the past two years by five men, four of whom have been arrested, police said here on Monday.

Those nabbed in connection with the case have been identified as Devasia, Reji, Joby and Nagappan.

Another person, Benny, is absconding, they said.

The matter came to light when the traumatised girl was taken for counselling by her relatives.

Cases have been registered under theProtection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Palakkad, Oct 28 (PTI) Three suspected Maoists, including a woman, were killed on Monday near Attapady in Palakkad district during combing operations, police said.

A top police official told PTI that personnel of the Thunderbolt squad retaliated when shots were fired at them.

"The patrolling team was combing the deep forest area in Palakkad district. It was then the Maoists fired at them.

Kochi, Oct 13 (PTI) King of The Netherlands Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima will arrive here on October 17 on a two-day visit, official sources said.

The Dutch Royals, who will be in the country on a five-day visit from Sunday, would arrive at the international airport here from Mumbai by a special flight at 1 p.m on October 17, the sources said.

Upon their arrival, they will visit Mattancherry palace and Dutch company Ned Spice.

Thiruvananthapuram, Sept 30 (PTI) The Congress in Kerala on Monday demanded immediate resignation of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after the Kerala High court ordered a CBI probe into the killing of two youth congress workers allegedly by CPI (M) activists in Kasaragod in Febuary this year.

Alleging that the LDF government had taken all steps to help the accused, Leader of the opposition in the state assembly Ramesh Chennithala said the chief minister should resign following the high court ordering CBI probe in the case.

Kottayam (Ker), Sept 27; GANASHAKTI: The ruling CPI(M)-led LDF in Kerala on Friday won the by-election to Pala assembly constituency, wresting the seat from the opposition Congress led UDF.

LDF candidate Mani C Kappen defeated Jose Tom Pulikkunnel of the opposition Congress-led UDF in a closely contested  fight.

Kappen, leader of the Nationalist Congress Party, defeated Pulikkunnel, a faction leader of the Kerala Congress (M) by 2,943 votes.

Kochi, Sep 26 (PTI) Amid dramatic scenes, police made a forced entry into a church here, caught in a row between two factions, and removed protesting rival Jacobite priests and followers following a Kerala High Court directive on Thursday.

The Orthodox and Jacobite factions have been caught in a tussle over the possession of the church, known as Piravom Valiyapalli, and matters only worsened after the Supreme Court ordered that the control of the place of worship be given to the Orthodox group.

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 18 (PTI): After their success in dishing out delicious and cost-effective food items, prisoners in Kerala are now gearing up to manage fuel stations, thanks to an innovative government initiative.

Drawing inspiration from their counterparts in Tamil Nadu and Punjab, the Prison Department is all set to open petrol pumps in the outer campuses of three central jails in the state, envisaged to be run by selected inmates.

The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is setting up the pumps in the land, identified by the prison department.

Kochi, Sept 18 (PTI) In a suspected case of theft, some computer hardware has gone missing from the country's first indigenous aircraft carrier being built in the Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) here, police said.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has launched a probe into the matter following a complaint regarding the missing hardware even as the City Police Commissioner was monitoring the investigation.

"Although reported missing from the carrier, the hardware does not form part of the equipment of the vessel," they said.

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 6 (PTI) Former Union Minister Arif Mohammad Khan was on Friday sworn in as the Kerala Governor at the Raj Bhavan here.

Kerala High Court Chief Justice Hrishikesh Roy administered the oath of office to Khan, who was appointed as the 22nd Governor of the state on September 1.

Thiruvananthapuram, Sept 2 (PTI) Creating a safe and comfortable zone for lactating mothers during journeys, a startup mentored by the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) has launched a project for installing state-of-the-art breastfeeding pods at three railway stations in the state.

Christened Domatio, the new age breastfeeding pod has already been set up in Thrissur Railway Station and the facility will be opened in Thiruvananthapuram Central and Ernakulam South in the coming days.