BJP connived to create trouble in Sabarimala: Kerala CM

Agencies

November 5, 2018

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 5: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday asserted that evidence has surfaced pointing that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in the state connived to create trouble in Sabarimala.

"The odious politics and perfidious ways of BJP stand exposed. Evidence has surfaced that BJP leaders in the state connived to create trouble in Sabarimala."

The chief minister further underlined that the BJP state president was also involved in the move. "It must be noted that their state president himself (Sreedharan Pillai) was involved in the ruse. It is highly condemnable," Vijayan said.

The Sabarimala Temple and its surrounding area witnessed a series of protests in October over the Supreme Court's decision to quash restrictions on the entry of females between 10 and 50 years age into the holy shrine. However, in spite of the top court's order no women in menstruating age were able to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the temple when it opened last time.

More than 3000 protesters were arrested for instigating the violence that broke out in the state and around 529 cases registered.

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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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