Naxal's death was a cold blooded murder'

September 15, 2012

Mangalore, September 15: Personnel of the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) have intentionally killed Yellappa alias Dinakaran near Subramanya and it is a case of murder, Co-ordination of Democratic Rights organisations (CDRO), has alleged.

Addressing media persons at a press meet in Mangalore on Saturday, P A Pouran of PUCL, Kerala, said that the ANF personnel are going on a “killing spree in the name of combing operations” in the western ghats and not intending to nab or take into custody the naxalites alive. The killing of Yellappa in an encounter is a cold blooded murder, he alleged.

From the police FIR and accounts taken by the villagers of the nearby area where the encounter took place, the fact finding committee of CDRO has come to a conclusion that there was no exchange of fire between the naxals and the ANF, Mr. Pouran said. Yellappa's body had 15-20 bullet injuries and not a single bullet was found in the dead body which means that all bullets were fired from a very close range, he said, thereby concluding that it was not an exchange of fire but an intentional murder. The people of the area also did not hear any sign or sound of exchange of fire, he added.

The CDRO representatives demanded that a murder case be registered against the ANF team led by Dy. Commandant A H Shankaran and that a judicial enquiry by a sitting judge of the High Court be ordered. They also urged that ANF team be kept under suspension with immediate effect and put a break on combing operations.

When asked if they are in favour of the naxal activity, the CDRO representatives said that they represent human rights organisations that only take up atrocities of state against people and that irrespective of whether the action is against Maoists or not, the police are not supposed to use more power than necessary to apprehend persons as per law.

C Sriram, PDF, Karnataka, K Kranthi Chaitanya, APCLC, Andhra Pradesh and P B D'sa of PUCL were also present.

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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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