Major security breach: CM gifted a battery-operated garland

May 20, 2015

Bengaluru, May 20: In a major security breach at the Vidhana Soudha, an enthusiastic supporter of a former Congress MLA, garlanded Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with a battery-operated, LED light-equipped electronic floral garland at his office on the third floor on Tuesday afternoon.

The garland was brought into the building in a cardboard box and was opened in the presence of the Chief Minister in his office. It passed through three levels of security, unopened and unchecked.

An eyewitness said the garland created quite a stir in the Chief Minister’s office and the security personnel hit the panic button, sending out people in the Chief Minister’s office and heightening the security check at the Vidhana Soudha later. Sources said the Chief Minister took objection to the security breach and pulled up officials concerned.

Police Commissioner M.N. Reddi admitted it was a serious breach and Additional Commissioner (East) P. Harisekharan would conduct an inquiry, based on which disciplinary action would be initiated. Sources said the man who garlanded the Chief Minister has been identified and has been summoned for inquiry on Wednesday.

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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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