NGOs bat for Kiss of Love' in Bengaluru despite widespread opposition

November 28, 2014

Bengaluru, Nov 28: Despite widespread opposition from across the state and denial of permission from police for the Kiss of Love' event scheduled to be held in Bengaluru on Sunday, several prominent NGOs including Amnesty International, have upheld the “right to kiss” in public.

The police must respect the constitutional rights to free expression and peaceful assembly, said the NGO in a statement issued on their official Facebook page.

“Under international standards, peaceful assembly can be required to be notified to authorities, but official permission is not a must. Authorities must facilitate peaceful protests and protect protesters' rights to free expression and assembly from interference by others,” the statement said.

In another statement, the Alternative Law Forum said actions of the protesters do not constitute an obscene act.

It also stated that the Supreme Court and various High Courts have consistently upheld the right to express one's beliefs using a diversity of forms as long as they do not promote violence or threaten public order.

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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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