Hijab row: Karnataka govt extends holiday for colleges till Feb 16

News Network

February 11, 2022

Bengaluru, Feb 11: In the wake of the hijab controversy, Karnataka government extended holiday for colleges till Feb 16. The Higher Education Department, All Colleges and Technical Education Departments have given leave continue till February 16, Minister of Higher Education Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan said.

In a press release on Friday, he said the department applies to all universities, government, aided and unaided first-class colleges, engineering and diploma colleges.Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Thursday All high schools will reopen in Karnataka from Monday Feb 14. In the first phase, up to 10th standard schools will be started. Today Higher Education Minister Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan announced holiday for colleges till Feb 16.

High court postponed hearing on Monday, religious marks cannot be used until the next order. Karnataka High Court interim order challenged in Supreme Court. An appeal has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the direction of the Karnataka High Court’s 10 February 10 interim order to restrain students from wearing hijab or any religious attire till the matter is pending with the high court.

The plea filed by a student has sought a stay on the direction of the high court, which is hearing the hijab issue, as well as the proceedings going on before the three-judge bench. Filing the appeal, Dr J Halli Federation of Masjid Madaaris and Wakf Institutions, contended that the Karnataka High Court on Thursday has sought to curtail the fundamental right of Muslim student-women by not allowing them to wear the Hijab and pursue their education.

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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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