WHAT would be the state of your mind, if you witnessed your father being stabbed to death in front of you amidst his desperate attempt to save you from a gang of murderers? This question always comes to my mind whenever I think about a close friend of mine, Siva Prasad. This is what happened to Siva Prasad around three years ago. Siva Prasad, a native of Trivandrum and a member of SFI Kerala state committee, had never been involved in any criminal activity or nowhere a complaint was filed against him for disturbing the peaceful life of any person.

THE 10th conference of the Kerala State Construction Workers Federation (KSCWF) was held on August 6-7 at EMS Memorial Hall in Cochin.KSCWF president K P Sahadevan hoisted the red flag of the CITU. Leaders and delegates paid floral tribute at the martyrs’ column.CITU’s Kerala state president Ananthalavattom Anandan inaugurated the conference. In his speech, he referred to the increasing unemployment in the country. Now robots are taking over the job of workers. Robots need no rest, they do not need food, they will not be unionised.

THE verdict of a military tribunal which has given bail to the five army men indicted in Machil fake encounter case is a big setback for saner voices. The prestige of institutions is lowered down by such decisions, said a statement issued by the Jammu and Kashmir state committee of CPI(M) on July 31.The system is trying to justify the wrong by saying the dead civilians were wearing pathan suits which they say are usually worn by terrorists. You can be killed for wearing a pathan suit. What message it sends. It is highly demoralising. Somebody has committed a wrong and a wrong is a wrong.

THE Delhi state committee of the CPI(M), in a statement issued on August 7, has expressed shock and outrage at the death of three workers due to suffocation while manually cleaning a sewer in Jal Vihar, Lajpat Nagar. It expressed its condolence to the families of the deceased.This is the second such instance in less than a month. Earlier four workers had died in similar circumstances in Ghitorni. Both these horrifying instances have taken place in areas that fall under the South Delhi Municipal Corporation.

THE death of Com R Muthu Sundaram, veteran leader of the state government employees’  movement on August 29 was condoled by lakhs of government employees, teachers and other working class sections not only in Tamil Nadu, but also across India.Com Muthu Sundaram worked steadfastly for the welfare of the government  employees  and working class of Tamil Nadu and later extended it to all over India.He was one of the state secretaries of the Tamil Nadu Government Employees Association at a young age of 32.