This should not happen to any community: Bishop

November 4, 2011

Mangalore, November 4: Expressing grief over the act of vandalism at St Alphonsa Catholic Church in Mangalore, Rev Lawrence Mukkuzhy, the Bishop of Belthangady Diocese, on Friday said that such things should not happen to any religious center and any community in this country.

He was speaking to media persons at a press meet called in the Church premises to clarify the doubts regarding Thursday's attack.

Stating that this Church never had such a bitter experience in its 23 years of history, the Bishop said that the vandalism in the holy place thoroughly upset the minority community. “Our faith is questioned and we are put to shame”, he added.

However, expressing his complete trust on India constitution, which upholds the secular values, Rev Mukkunzhy said that the unexpected attack on the Church by a strange man is a blot on the history of Mangalore.

He also urged the government authorities to take necessary legal action against the culprit and also provide protection to the Church to prevent the recurrence of such shameful things.

Officially apprising of the sequence of events occurred between 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm on Thursday, to media persons Fr Sebastian Chelakkapally said: “Yesterday, i.e. on November 3, at around 8:30 pm, while the Assistant Parish Priest Fr Shibi Puthiyara, along with some of the hostel students were in the dining hall, a stranger entered the dining room. Fr Shibi asked the stranger why he had come. However, the intruder ran towards the church hall, without answering the question and started damaging the crucifix and the statue of Mother Mary. Thereafter, he entered in to sanctuary”

“After witnessing this unusual thing, the Assistant Parish Priest tried to call other members and when they reached, the intruder came out through sacristy, wearing a piece of white cloth which was put on the side table of the alter and was trying to run away”, he said.

Meanwhile all the residents came out and few of them went towards the gate and stopped him from running away. Thereafter the Assistant Parish Priest and other members saw the cup-board which was placed in the sacristy was open and holy vestments were scattered around and a statue of Jesus Christ was put down and was damaged, monstrance was thrown on the floor, he informed.

The people gathered there also saw the clothes and chapels which were worn by the stranger was thrown in the sacristy, he said.

“We are not sure whether the stranger had entered the Church hall before barging into dining hall since one of the doors of the Church was open”, he clarified.

He said that since he was not in station, the Assistant Parish Priest informed few of the committee members of the Parish, who rushed to the spot and informed the control room.

“Immediately the police personnel attached to Mangalore East Police Station came to the Church and took custody of the culprit. The police also seized the clothes and footwear of the accused and also found a wallet where in his voter ID was found. Through this ID card his identity was established as Shibu son of Manjraj from Jalligudde,” he informed.

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News Network
November 26,2025

Mangaluru, Nov 26: Assembly Speaker and local MLA U.T. Khader has initiated a high-level push to resolve one of Mangaluru’s longest-standing traffic headaches: the narrow, high-density stretch of National Highway-66 between Nanthoor and Talapady.

He announced on Tuesday that a formal proposal has been submitted to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) seeking approval to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the widening of this crucial corridor.

The plan specifically aims to expand the existing 45-meter road width to a full 60 meters, coupled with the construction of dedicated service roads. Khader highlighted that land for a 60-meter highway was originally acquired during the initial four-laning project, but only 45 meters were developed, leading to a perpetual bottleneck.

"With vehicle density rising sharply, the expansion has become unavoidable," Khader stated, stressing that the upgrade is essential for ensuring smoother traffic flow and improving safety at the city's main entry and exit points.

The stretch between Nanthoor and Talapady is a vital link on the busy Kochi-Panvel coastal highway and connects to major city junctions. The move to utilize the previously acquired land for the full 60-meter width is seen as a necessary measure to catch up with the region's rapid vehicular growth and prevent further traffic gridlocks.

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News Network
December 2,2025

DKSsiddu.jpg

Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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