Karnataka governor disrespects national anthem

March 11, 2015

Bengaluru, Mar 11: Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala on Tuesday walked out of the durbar hall of Raj Bhavan even as the national anthem was being played during a function.

After administering oath of office to Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan as judge of the Karnataka High Court at a brief ceremony in the durbar hall, Vala was seen walking out while the national anthem was being played instrumentally.

When an aide rushed towards Vala and reminded him that the national anthem was being played to mark the end of the ceremony, the 77-year-old veteran Gujarat leader returned to the dais and stood along with Karnataka High Court Chief Justice D.H. Waghela, Justice Chauhan and state chief secretary Kaushik Mukherjee.

"It was not intentional but happened on the spur of the moment…," a state official, who was present at the ceremony, said.

President Pranab Mukherjee recently transferred Justice Chauhan to Karnataka from Rajasthan High Court.

There was no communique from Raj Bhavan or the state government on the governor's momentary lapse.

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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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