BJP minority morcha to hold dharna in support of Prabhakar Bhat

January 31, 2012

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Mangalore, February 1: The minority morcha of the district unit of the BJP will hold a protest in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office in Mangalore on February 7 demanding withdrawal of cases filed against RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat in connection with a speech he made in Uppinangady last month.

Addressing presspersons here on Tuesday, Anwar Manippady, chairman of Karnataka Minorities Commission and N.B. Aboobaker, president, Minorities Development Corporation, said the minorities cell of the party will submit a fact-finding report on the episode to the Governor of Karnataka through the deputy commissioner at the conclusion of the protest meeting.

The BJP leaders also hit out at the Muslim Central Committee president K.S. Mohammed Masood for accusing Bhat of fanning communal tension. "Masood is acting as an agent of Congress and JD(S)," Mr. Manippady and Mr. Aboobaker said.

Mr. Manippady also released the CD of the allegedly provocative speech delivered by Bhat on 22nd January 2012. Ironically the tape of the speech available on the internet contains derogatory references to both Muslim and Christian community. In fact, the RSS leader had started off his speech by refering to the strenght of the Hindus vis a vis Muslims. "We are a nation of 110 crore people. If you assume there are 20 crore Muslims in the country the remaining 90 crore population is Hindu. If we (Hindus) just blow wind from our mouth, they (Muslims) will be nowhere," - the footage shows Mr. Bhat using similar language throughout his speech.

Mr. Bhat has also used offensive language against the Christian priests and urged Hindu parents not to send their children to Christian schools, which in fact is a clear sign of dividing the society on the basis of religion. He has also ridiculed the use of term father for Christian priests. "Why do you allow your children to call someone father?" he had mockingly asked.

Ridiculing Shariath, Mr. Bhat had said that if the Shariah law were to be implemented in India, 90 per cent of Muslims would not have arms. We would not find land to bury them (Muslims) to be stoned for indulging in indultry," Mr. Bhat had said.

He had also made a remark on Burkha, asking the Muslim youths, who are allegedly "behind Hindu girls" to lift the veil of your own girls before trying to lure our (Hindu) girls. "If you don't find them beautiful then you think about our (Hindu) girls," Mr. Bhat had said.


However, Mr. Manippady and Mr. Aboobaker, in their defence of Mr. Bhat, insisted that there were no derogatory referencest to Burkha in the speech. "It is organisations like Congress, JD(S) and KFD which are supporting anti-social elements. Why was Masood silent when slogans supporting Pakistan were raised during a procession," he asked.


Karnataka Beary Sahitya Academy president-designate Rahim Uchil, General Secretary of the Minority Morcha Fazal Asaigoli, Anwar Reeko, among others, were present.

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December 3,2025

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Mangaluru, Dec 3: A group of Congress workers gathered at the Mangaluru International Airport on Wednesday to welcome AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, but the reception quickly turned into a display of support for Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.

Venugopal arrived in the city to participate in the centenary commemoration of the historic dialogue between Mahatma Gandhi and Narayana Guru. The event, organised by the Sivagiri Mutt, Varkala, in association with the Mangalore University Sri Narayana Guru Study Chair, is being held on the university’s Konaje campus.

KPCC general secretary Mithun Rai and several party workers had assembled at the airport to receive Venugopal. However, the moment he stepped out, workers began raising slogans backing Shivakumar.

The university programme will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

This show of support comes just a day after Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar would lead the government “when the high command decides.” The chief minister made the comment after a breakfast meeting at Shivakumar’s residence—another public display of camaraderie between the two leaders amid ongoing attempts by the party high command to downplay their leadership rivalry.

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News Network
December 7,2025

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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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News Network
December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A 34-year-old fruit and vegetable trader in Mangaluru has reportedly lost ₹33.1 lakh after falling victim to an online investment scam run through a fake mobile app.

Police said the scam began in September, when the victim received a link on Facebook. Clicking it connected him to a WhatsApp number, where an unidentified person introduced a high-return investment scheme and instructed him to download an app.

To build trust, the fraudster asked him to invest ₹30,000 on September 24. The trader soon received ₹34,000 as “profit,” convincing him the scheme was genuine. Over the next two months, he transferred money in multiple instalments via Google Pay and IMPS to different scanner codes and bank accounts shared by the scammers. Between September 24 and December 3, he ended up sending a total of ₹33.1 lakh.

When he later requested a refund of his investment and promised returns, the scammers demanded additional payments, claiming he needed to pay a “service tax” first. Even after he paid a small amount, no money was returned, and the scammers continued pressuring him for more.

A case has been registered at the CEN Crime Police Station.

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