12 including kid die after eating ‘prasadam’ at temple; many in critical condition

coastaldigest.com web desk

December 14, 2018

Chamarajanagar, Dec 14: At least 12 people, including a kid, died due to suspected food poisoning at Sulvadi village in Hanur taluk in Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka today. Police said that the deceased were devotees of Maramma temple and had eaten food after attending a special Pooja.

The devotees started complaining sickness immediately after eating the 'Prasadam' and immediately provided medical relief. Some of the victims have been identified as as Gopiamma (30), Shantha (20) and Papanna (16).

Sources in Chamarajanagar said that the death toll would rise as many devotees are battling for life at various hospitals of Chamarajanagar and Mysuru districts and currently being put on ventilators.

According to the sources in Hanur, a religious gathering was held at Sulwadi village on account of building a Gopuram for the local deity—Kichhukatti Maramma. As part of the foundation stone laying ceremony, special prayers and rituals were organized. “Hundreds of devotees from adjoining villages and taluks had descended on the village. After the function, all the devotees were made to sit in line and served Ricebath prepared at the temple,” Madesha, a resident of the neighbouring village said.

A few minutes later several devotees not only vomited and complained diarrhoea. When the complaints rose alarmingly, a few of the devotees fell unconscious and villagers alerted the 108 ambulance service. Attendants of 108 said that many devotees were rushed to the nearby Holy Cross hospital at Kamagere in Kollegal taluk while a few others were taken to various nursing homes in Kollegal town.

Chamarajanagar Deputy Commissioner, Superintendent of police and other district officials have rushed to Kollegal and monitoring the situation. Clarifying on the incident Hanur MLA Narendra told reporters in Belagavi that he has directed the officials to send the Prasadam for the lab test.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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