Mangaluru: Sisters of slain RTI activist held during protest against NaMo Naresh

June 7, 2016

Mangaluru, Jun 6: Condemning the delay in the arrest of NaMo Brigade's Mangaluru unit convener Naresh Shenoy in connection with the murder of RTI Activist Vinayak Baliga, a group of activists on Monday took out a protest march to the house of Mangaluru South MLA J.R. Lobo.

Members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India, Dalit Sangarsha Samiti, and the Students Federation of India participated in the rally from Balmatta Collector's Gate around 11 a.m.

Rationalist Narendra Nayak, Baliga's sisters Usha Shenoy and Asha Baliga and his classmates too joined the march.

As they reached the Kadri-Shivabagh Junction, the police stopped them and took them to custody. They were taken to the Manguluru East police station and released around noon.

DYFI State president Muneer Katipalla said that the State government was using force to suppress the agitation demanding the arrest of Shenoy, who had been at large since March 21. He said they would not budge and continue to fight till all the accused involved in the case were arrested.

Ms. Shenoy said that Mr. Lobo had promised justice to the family members of Baliga when he met them a day after the murder. Though the police arrested five persons, there was inordinate delay in arrest of Mr. Shenoy.

“Without arrest of all persons involved in our brother's murder, we cannot get justice. Today we wanted to hear our MLA about this delay. But we have not been allowed by the police,” she said.

Meanwhile, a single judge of the Karnataka High Court adjourned till Tuesday the hearing on Mr. Shenoy's application seeking anticipatory bail. His application had come up for hearing before Justice K.N. Phaneendra.

Comments

I salute to the above shown people who are fighting for justice.And in the same way ashamed of calling myself a Mangalorean,reason- only a handful of people participated in the protest,out of 1 lakh Mangaloreans.

Only People like Narendra Naik,Muneer and other participants are brave enough to fight for justice.Pity on other community leaders and organizations to shy away from their responsibilities.

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Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

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