Fishermen urged to be eyes, ears of security units

July 6, 2011

Mangalore, July 6: A community interaction meeting organized by the Indian Coast Guard and Coastal Security Police at Ullal near here on Tuesday urged local fishermen to be aware of their surroundings on high seas and report any suspicious movement of external fishing vessels to notice of authorities concerned. The two security units have organized similar meetings at Karwar, Bhatkal, Honnavar, old port at Bunder here and next one would be held at Malpe.

Commandant R K Sharma, executive officer, Coast Guard district headquarters, Panambur described fishermen as eyes and ears of the two security units. Such interaction meetings are to sensitize the fishermen about the new dimension to internal security that can come from high seas as seen in the aftermath of 26/11 attacks, he said, adding that information from fishermen about suspicious movement on vessels high seas can be of value to authorities.

Mukund Naik, police inspector, Coastal Security Police, said local fishermen were the best persons to identify local and external fishing vessels and even foreign fishing vessels. He said information about such fishing vessels not belonging to the state, presence of which in the region gives rise to suspicion, if passed on in time to the authorities will enable them to check out the antecedents of such vessels and take necessary steps from the security viewpoint.

Commandant K L Arun, captain of ICGS Kasturba Gandhi advised fishermen to venture out in groups while undertaking fishing expedition. Specific and not general information about location of suspicious vessels is of great use to the authorities, he said, advising fishermen to keep original documents pertaining to their vessels on hand at all times. National security is a matter of concern for all and not merely the duty of security agencies, he explained.

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Campus politics: DKS pushes to restore student elections in Karnataka banned since 1989

News Network

November 26,2025

Bengaluru, Nov 26: Karnataka is taking its first concrete steps towards lifting a three-decade-old ban on student elections in colleges and universities. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced Wednesday that the state government will form a small committee to study the reintroduction of campus polls, a practice halted in 1989 following incidents of violence.

Speaking at a 'Constitution Day' event organised by the Karnataka Congress, Mr. Shivakumar underscored the move's aim: nurturing new political leadership from the grassroots.

"Recently, (Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi wrote a letter to me and Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) asking us to think about restarting student elections," Shivakumar stated. "I'm announcing today that we'll form a small committee and seek a report on this."

Student elections were banned in Karnataka in 1989, largely due to concerns over violence and the infiltration of political party affiliates into campus life. The ban effectively extinguished vibrant student bodies and the pipeline of young leaders they often produced.

Mr. Shivakumar, who also serves as the Karnataka Congress president, said that former student leaders will be consulted to "study the pros and cons" of the re-introduction.

Acknowledging the history of the ban, he added, "There were many criminal activities taking place back then. We’ll see how we can conduct (student) elections by regulating such criminal activities."

The Deputy CM reminisced about his own journey, which began on campus. He recalled his political activism at Sri Jagadguru Renukacharya College leading to his first Assembly ticket in 1985 at the age of 23. "That's how student leadership was at the time. Such leadership has gone today. College elections have stopped," he lamented, adding that for many, college elections were "like a big movement" where leaders were forged.

The move, driven by the Congress high command's push to cultivate young talent, will face scrutiny from academics and university authorities who have, in the past, expressed concern that the return of polls could disrupt the peaceful academic environment and turn campuses into political battlegrounds.

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