Congress alleges BJP hand in party activist's arrest

May 29, 2012

Mangalore, May 29: Members of the Congress party staged a protest against the detention of party activist Lokayya Poojary by police on charges of possession of illegal liquor on Tuesday.

Addressing the protestors B Ramanath Rai, MLA, and District Congress President, said that the police, Excise department officials are hand in glove with BJP which has instructed them to arrest the Congress activist.

“False information has been provided in the complaint by the police constables who arrested him. The police blackmailed him but when he refused to pay them money, he was arrested”, Mr. Rai alleged.

Constables Rajesh and Pradeep brought a bottle of liquor themselves and framed false charges against Mr. Poojary who is innocent. The cops who are behind the arrest must be dismissed and an independent investigation must be carried out, Mr. Rai demanded.

The Excise officials hardly have any work so they indulge in such blackmail activities to make money, Mr. Rai said.

Abhaya Chandra Jain, MLA, also alleged that police have been acting as agents of BJP. “The arrest of Mr. Poojary is a foul tactic played by the district BJP”, he said.

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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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