RSS image features on DK police website

[email protected] (Hemanth Kashyap & Deepthi Shridhar for Bangalore Mirror )

May 27, 2012

As faux pas go, this one is of gigantic proportions. The official website (www.dkpolice.org) of the Dakshina Kannada district police displayed a collage of pictures which appeared to extol the virtues of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on its home page. The collage showed RSS volunteers in their trademark khakhi shorts marching in order and engaging in social activities.

Administrative arms of the government are supposed to be secular, but the pictures suggest otherwise and are cause for alarm, especially since pubs and churches in Mangalore, the headquarters of the district, have repeatedly borne attacked, allegedly by Hindu activists.

The Dakshina Kannada police is probably the first unit in the state to use the Internet as a tool to build a connect between police and the public. B Dayananda, the former superintendent of police (SP) of the district, had launched a blog (spdk.blogspot.com), while the website was launched in 2009. It is being revamped by Abhishek Goyal, the current SP.

The collage has been on the website for more than a year and has seen more than 2 lakh visitors. But when contacted, Goyal said, “I am unaware of this. It's a bad mistake. The website is still in the process of being re-launched. The developers, Hyderabad-based Zest Wings, are doing the revamping of the website free of cost and they must have used random pictures for testing. We will take immediate action.”

Within minutes of the call, the entire site was pulled down and replaced by a single page which bore the message 'This site is under construction'.

Pratap Reddy, the inspector general of police (Western range) was unavailable for comment, but AR Infant, the in-charge DG&IGP of the state, said he was unaware of the images. “Police department websites are meant for the department and the public,” Infant said. “I was unaware of it. I will look into it and speak to officers concerned.”

A collage of pictures showing RSS volunteers performing social work had been on the district police website for quite some time. But within minutes of the SP being contacted, it was pulled down and another page uploaded

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Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

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