Congress fumes over Ved Pratap Vaidik's meeting with Hafiz Saeed

[email protected] (CD Network, Photos by Suresh)

July 21, 2014

Mangalore, Jul 21: Condemning the controversial meeting between Baba Ramdev aide Ved Pratap Vaidik and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed in Pakistan earlier this month, several Congress members from Mangalore City, Mangalore South and Suratkal block committees staged a protest in front of the deputy commissioner's office here on Monday, demanding action from the BJP-led NDA government.

Criticising Pratap Vaidik for betraying the country by holding talks with Saeed in Pakistan, the protestors sought condemnation of the meeting and action against Vaidik by the union government.

Addressing the protestors, Congress leader K Taranath Shetty said that an FIR should be lodged and action should be taken against Vaidik for breaching the security and meeting Saeed. Earlier, the BJP condemned ISI activities, but has kept mum over the secret meeting, since Vaidik is a close aide of Baba Ramdev, he said.

Former MLA Vijaykumar Shetty said that an Indian citizen, who was not an accredited journalist, holding a meeting with Saeed was a tragedy for the nation and the Congress strongly condemned it.

The intention behind the meeting and the central government's role in it should be thoroughly probed. Congress leaders will definitely raise the issue in the Parliament, he said, criticising Prime Minister Modi for remaining silent on the issue. He also urged Vaidik's arrest over the secret' talks with Hafiz Saeed.

The protestors also submitted a memorandum addressed to the President of India to the deputy commissioner.

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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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