Homestay attack: Congress demands CBI probe

August 13, 2012

Mangalore, August 13: The enquiry of the attacks on students at a homestay in the city by Hindutva activists must be handed over to the CBI, Congress leaders demanded at a protest held in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office in Mangalore on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion B Ramanath Rai, President, DK Congress, said that although leaders in the BJP led state government promised of action against the culprits of the attacks, the process of bringing them under Goonda Act has still not begun. The enquiry must hence be handed over to CBI, Mr. Rai said.

Stating that the goons behind the attack are all people with criminal backgrounds with cases against their names, Mr. Rai said that activists of such organizations have no right to talk about culture. The real perpetrators of the attack must also be brought to book, he demanded.

Dinesh Gunda Rao, MLA, also demanded a CBI probe into the attacks. The culprits are enjoying their stay in jail and the state government is trying to protect them, he alleged.

Vinay Kumar Sorake, former MP, also lambasted the BJP for taking back cases against HJV leader Jagadish Karanth. The protectors of culture were nowhere to be seen when Renukacharya, Halappa, Malpe rave party and blue film episodes took place, he said.

Manjula Naidu, State Mahila Congress President, Mayor Gulzar Banu, Mithun Rai, President, DK Youth Congress, Ivan D'Souza, Shashidhar Bhat, and other Congress leaders were present.

Earlier, a 'padayatra' was held from Lalbagh to Deputy Commissioner's office by Congress activists as part of the protest.

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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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