Thammanam, a suburban residential area within the Kochi city limits, was shaken to its core as a man, described as “nice” by his neighbours, claimed responsibility for the devastating blasts that left three dead at a Christian group’s religious gathering a day ago.

Dominic Martin, who had been residing in a rented accommodation for over five years, surrendered himself to the police, leaving the residents in utter shock and disbelief.

Jaleel, the houseowner, attested to Martin’s amiable nature, recalling instances of his gentle gestures, such as voluntarily increasing the rent by Rs 1,000 without any request being made for that.

“He was such a person who hiked the rent by Rs 1,000 himself and gave it to me without asking for it,” Jaleel told PTI.

Despite his modest education 10th class pass -Martin displayed a talent for languages, teaching spoken English to local children in his neighbourhood.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to seek employment as an electrical foreman in Dubai.

Martin’s family, including his wife and daughter, maintained a close relationship with Jaleel’s household.

His son pursues higher education in the UK, while his daughter studies in Kochi.

Sakkeer, the ward councillor of the area, disclosed that Martin left the house in the early hours of Sunday, indicating to his wife about his plan to visit a friend.

“He had touched the feet of his wife and told her that he was going. Martin had told his wife the previous day that he would be leaving early on Sunday to meet a friend of his,” he said.

Sakkeer, although unfamiliar with Martin personally, praised the wife and children for their good-natured behaviour.

“I have gone to their house once as they needed help getting the Aadhaar card,” Sakkeer said.

Jaleel said the revelation of Martin’s involvement has left the residents in a state of shock.

“We were all in a state of shock and could not believe it. Police searched the house and talked to the family. But they did not get any evidence from here, I guess,” Jaleel said.

Police conducted a forensic examination at Jaleel’s residence following Martin’s surrender, but no incriminating evidence was found, he said.

Currently, four individuals remain in critical condition with severe burn injuries, while 14 others receive treatment for less severe burns.

Over 50 individuals were injured, some seriously, during the multiple blasts at the international convention centre in Kalamassery where the followers from the minority Christian group, Jehovah’s Witnesses, had gathered for the final day of a three-day-long prayer meeting.

A few hours after the incident, Martin, claiming to be an estranged member of Jehovah’s Witnesses, surrendered before police in Thrissur district of the state, saying that he carried out the multiple blasts.

An explosive letter mentioning the latest case surrounding Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra and the arrest of party leaders has become the latest bone of contention between the Visva Bharati administration and the Mamata Banerjee government.

Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty’s letter to the Chief Minister came loaded with political statements on issues completely unrelated to Visva-Bharati after Ms Banerjee objected to a plaque not mentioning Rabindranath Tagore’s name at Shantiniketan.

The letter is an attempt to earn brownie points from the central government as Mr Chakraborty is seeking an extension, Trinamool has hit back.

Watch | Santiniketan, Tagore’s Evergreen Legacy, Now A UNESCO World Heritage Site

Shantiniketan, where the Nobel laureate had built Visva-Bharati over a century ago, recently made it to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. A plaque unveiled to commemorate this honour triggered a controversy as it reportedly mentioned the names of the Vice Chancellor and the Prime Minister, but not of Tagore.

Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore created a world heritage site (now recognized by UNESCO) at Santiniketan – Visva Bharati, but the current institutional authorities there have arranged site memorial plaques on this occasion which display even the Vice Chancellor’s name but not the…

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) October 28, 2023

“This insults Tagore and belittles the anti-colonial heritage-creating efforts of our Nation’s founding fathers. The central government will be well advised to remove this narcissistic display of arrogant self-exhibitionism forthwith, and to give Gurudev the tribute that the country owes to him,” Ms Banerjee had said.

The Vice Chancellor, in his response, said, “We need to follow the ASI instructions while preparing the plaque and we are doing it, the result of which will soon be visible.”

But he did not stop there. “Madam, please be magnanimous because you are as much a Chief Minister of your loyalists as others who may not always be your sycophants…A megalomaniac Rajya Sabha member of your political party tried to gain this recognition and the then Prime Minister also tried without, of course, success,” added Mr Chakraborty.

He went further to defend his administration and said, “We have also here in the campus competent individuals who are completely different from the sycophants surrounding you…The Hon’ble Prime Minister is our Hon’ble Chancellor and his role in getting this World Heritage tag cannot be gauged in any of the available yardsticks.”

Visva-Bharati is the only central university which has the Prime Minister as its chancellor.

Mr Chakraborty also sought to remind her how former Trinamool ministers are languishing in jails and about Mahua Moitra, who is being probed by the Ethics Committee of the Parliament over allegations of allowing a businessman drafts questions on behalf of her in exchange of gifts.

“Two of your senior ministers are in jail; some of your trusted aides (even from Birbhum) in jail, including in Tihar jail in Delhi. Your most vocal member of parliament is being charged with activities which have already drawn the parliamentary ethics committee to examine the issue,” the letter read.

“We have purged Visva-Bharati of evil forces involved in activities which stand in contradiction with Visva-Bharati’s ethos,” the Vice Chancellor said. “Visva-Bharati was a nursery of corruption. By dint of hard work, it has now changed, and we are sure, in course of time, we will see the results,” he added.

In his letter, Mr Chakraborty also raised the issue of a road passing through the university but is under the possession of the government. “A face-to-face dialogue with us will give you an opportunity to see the other side of the narrative,” he said.

The Vice-Chancellor had earlier clashed with the Chief Minister over the property dispute between Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen and the university.

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The Supreme Court has told Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar to rule on cross-petitions filed by rival factions of the Shiv Sena – each seeking disqualification of the other’s lawmakers – by December 31. Petitions filed by Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party are to be settled by January 31, the court added, noting these had to be settled now with the 2024 Lok Sabha election months away.

The order came after the Assembly Secretary asked for time till February 29 to decide on the disqualification of 56 MLAs. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had asked the court for time till January 31.

These petitions have been pending since last year’s political crisis, when Sena lawmakers led by Eknath Shinde defected to the BJP and brought down the Uddhav Thackeray government.

On Monday a bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud called attention to the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution (which is meant to prevent defections) and said, “We are concerned… the sanctity of the Tenth Schedule must be maintained. Otherwise, we are throwing these provisions to the wind.”

“Procedural wrangling cannot delay petitions. We direct proceedings be concluded, and directions passed, by December 31,” the bench, also consisting Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, said.

Two weeks ago the court had given Mr Narwekar a final opportunity to give it a more realistic timeframe to decide on these petitions, warning the Speaker (yet again) that it had to be done expeditiously. This was after a September 18 order directing Mr Narwekar to submit a timeline.

The Speaker had done so, but the court declared itself dissatisfied with its terms.

READ | In Sena vs Sena, Supreme Court’s Final Chance To Maharashtra Speaker

Last month, days after the Supreme Court expressed dissatisfaction, Mr Narwekar told NDTV there will be “no delay”. The legal process will take place as per rules (but) it is not possible to say how much time it will take to disqualify the MLAs… but whatever will be done will as per rules,” he had said.

READ | “Will Be No Delay”: Speaker To NDTV After Court Rap On Sena vs Sena Case

The court had then given Mr Narwekar one week to begin hearing the petitions.

The court had also come down hard on the Speaker, warning him of action if delays continued. The court had further demanded to know what steps had been taken since its May 11 order, in which he had been told to rule on the petitions within a “reasonable time”.

READ | “Can’t Drag On Indefinitely”: Supreme Court In Sena vs Sena Case

A total of 34 disqualification petitions – filed by the Shinde-led faction of the Sena, the Thackeray-led faction and Mr Pawar’s NCP – seeking disqualification of 56 MLAs, including Mr Shinde, are pending.