JD(S) trying to bribe my ex-staff to malign my image: Sumalatha

TNN

April 10, 2019

Mandya, Apr 10: Independentcandidate Sumalatha on Tuesday accused the JD(S) leaders of making efforts to tarnish the image of her family and thereby turn the tide in their favour.

“I just received credible information that JD(S) are making efforts to tarnish the image of my family. For that, two former domestic employees of my family have been tutored to tell bad things with regard to my family. It is the JD(S) leaders’ idea to denigrate my family in the eyes of the public and thereby defeat me in poll fray,” Sumalatha told media persons at Srirangapatna on Tuesday.

Sumalatha also made a damning accusation against JD(S) leaders, claiming that those two former employees of her family were being offered lucrative bribes like a foreign tour to Singapore or Dubai, Rs 10 to 15 lakh in cash and plots in Bengaluru.

“I got this information from reliable sources within JD(S) and from my former domestic workers. I had never imagined that the JD (S) leaders would stoop so low to stymie my chances to win the poll. JD(S) leaders have, so far, seen only one side of my face. If l lose my patience, JD(S) leaders have to run to save their faces,” Sumalatha said.

Meanwhile, minister C S Puttaraju countered Sumalatha’s allegations saying that she shouldn’t employ such bad ideas to win the poll.

“There is no reason to do such bad things to win the poll. Sumalatha is making a lot of false accusations. We are really wondering about Sumalatha’s political acumen and her mature behaviour in making political statements. It is better for Sumalatha to stop making concocted allegations against us for political gain,” minister Puttaraju said.

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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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