Soldier stages ‘PFI attack’ drama to become famous, lands in police custody after friend reveals truth

News Network

September 26, 2023

Kollam, Sept 26: A soldier was taken into custody today by the Kerala Police along with his friend on charge of giving false statement in which he said that he was assaulted by six persons near his home in this southern Kerala district and 'PFI' was written on his back.

A senior police officer of the district said that no arrests have been recorded in the case so far and the statements of the soldier -- Shine Kumar -- and his friend were being recorded.

"Further action would be taken after verifying the contents of their statements," the officer said. The soldier friend has confessed that Shine Kumar wanted to become famous and that is why this entire act was carried out.

Police also recovered the green paint, brush and tape allegedly used in the incident from the friend's home. Giving details of what allegedly transpired, the friend claimed that Kumar asked him to write 'PFI' on his back and to beat him up.

"I was drunk, so I initially wrote DFI, but he (Kumar) said to write PFI. So I made it PFI. Then he asked me to beat him up, but I said I couldn't because I was drunk. "Then he asked me to drag him on the ground and lay down, but I could not in my intoxicated state. So he asked me to tape his mouth and hands and then to leave. So I did that," the friend claimed.

The soldier in his complaint had claimed that he was allegedly beaten up near his home on Sunday night by six persons and 'PFI' was written on his back with green paint. The alleged incident occurred near his home at Kadakkal in Kerala.

Earlier the soldier, who is posted in the Indian Army's Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) Corps, had claimed that he saw some persons standing near his home while he was returning on his bike. On asking them why they were there, they said somebody was lying drunk in the nearby rubber plantation and asked the soldier whether he knew that person, he had said. He had claimed in his complaint that he accompanied the men to the rubber plantation and on reaching there, someone kicked him from behind and then the assailants tied his hands and beat him up. They then wrote PFI on his back with green pain, he had alleged.

The alleged incident occurred on the last day of the vacation of the soldier hailing from Kerala, police had said and had added that he was set to return to his unit at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan on Monday. Based on his complaint, police on Monday had lodged an FIR under sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 341 (wrongful restraint) of the IPC was lodged during the day against six identifiable persons. At the same time police had also said that there were no injuries on the soldier. PFI generally refers to the Popular Front of India, an organisation that was banned by the central government last year.

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Why Mangaluru Could Become India’s Next Offshore Wind Energy Hub

News Network

February 3,2026

Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta has urged the Centre to give high priority to offshore wind energy generation along the Mangaluru coast, citing its strategic importance to India’s green energy and port-led development goals.

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha under Rule 377, Chowta said studies by the National Institute of Oceanography have identified the Mangaluru coastline as part of India’s promising offshore wind ‘Zone-2’, covering nearly 6,490 sq km. He noted that the region’s relatively low exposure to cyclones and earthquakes makes it suitable for long-term offshore wind projects and called for its development as a dedicated offshore wind energy zone.

Highlighting the role of New Mangalore Port, Chowta said its modern infrastructure, multiple berths and heavy cargo-handling capacity position it well as a logistics hub for transporting and assembling large wind energy equipment.

He also pointed to the presence of major industrial units such as MRPL, OMPL, UPCL and the Mangaluru SEZ, which could serve as direct buyers of green power through power purchase agreements, improving project viability and speeding up execution.

With Karnataka’s peak power demand crossing 18,000 MW in early 2025, Chowta stressed the need to diversify renewable energy sources. He added that offshore wind projects in the Arabian Sea are strategically safer compared to the cyclone-prone Bay of Bengal.

Calling the project vital to India’s target of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030, Chowta urged the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to initiate resource assessments, pilot projects and stakeholder consultations at the earliest.

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‘Nothing for Karnataka’: DKS slams Union Budget, flags Bengaluru neglect

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February 1,2026

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday criticised the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, claiming it offered no tangible benefit to the state.

Though he said he was yet to study the budget in detail, Shivakumar asserted that Karnataka had gained little from it. “There is no benefit for our state from the central budget. I was observing it. They have now named a programme after Mahatma Gandhi, after repealing the MGNREGA Act that was named after him,” he said.

Speaking to reporters here, the Deputy Chief Minister demanded the restoration of MGNREGA, and made it clear that the newly enacted rural employment scheme — VB-G RAM G — which proposes a 60:40 fund-sharing formula between the Centre and the states, would not be implemented in Karnataka.

“I don’t see any major share for our state in this budget,” he added.

Shivakumar, who also holds charge of Bengaluru development, said there were high expectations for the city from the Union Budget. “The Prime Minister calls Bengaluru a ‘global city’, but what has the Centre done for it?” he asked.

He also drew attention to the problems faced by sugar factories, particularly those in the cooperative sector, alleging a lack of timely decisions and support from the central government.

Noting that the Centre has the authority to fix the minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce, Shivakumar said the Union government must take concrete steps to protect farmers’ interests.

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