Home Minister slams Hegde for anti-Islam remarks; PFI threatens agitation

March 3, 2016

Bengaluru, Mar 3: Home Minister G Parameshwara has said that BJP leader and Uttara Kannada MP Anant Kumar Hegde's inflammatory remarks are against the fundamentals of the Constitution.

“It is unfortunate that Members of Parliament make such statements, which are against the fundamentals of the Constitution,” he told presspersons here. Mr. Hegde should be well versed in the Constitution and the democratic principles, Mr. Parameshwara added.

The Sirsi police have registered a criminal case against Mr. Hegde for allegedly saying, “As long as Islam is there in this world, terrorism will be there. Until and unless we root out Islam from this world, terrorism cannot be eradicated.”

When asked if the State government would initiate legal action against Mr. Hegde, Mr. Parameshwara said, “The law will take its own course.”

The Uttar Kannada police have intensified the investigation into the case against Mr. Hegde. Superintendent of Police of Uttara Kannada district C. Vamsi Krishna told The Hindu that the police had begun collecting evidences. He, however, declined to give details.

Meanwhile, Bhatkal town returned to normalcy on Wednesday. For the last couple of days, tension prevailed as the Muslim community condemned Mr. Hegde's alleged remarks and demanded action against him.

Mr. Krishna said no protests or processions were held in the town, even as some organisations have submitted memoranda expressing their concern over this issue.

However, additional security arrangements were still in place to avoid untoward incidents, Mr. Krishna said. Members of the Popular Front of India submitted a memorandum, addressed to Governor Vajubhai R. Vala, to the Assistant Commissioner's office in Bhatkal. The members sought immediate arrest of Mr. Hegde for trying to spread hatred against Islam. As a Member of Parliament, Mr. Hegde was duty bound to treat all communities equally. His remarks have, once again, exposed the BJP's stand on Muslims, they said.

The PFI has said that it would organise an intensified struggle in the district if the government failed to initiate strict action against Mr. Hegdewithin 15 days

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

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.

Comments