Peace protest against CAA-NRC in Mangaluru on Jan 4

News Network

December 27, 2019

Mangaluru, Dec 27: A ‘peace protest’ against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) will take place in Mangaluru on January 4.

This is two weeks after violence marred protests held in the city on December 19.

The protest is conducted by a delegation of various Muslim organisations led by the Muslim Central Committee, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. The delegation met with Mangaluru Police Commissioner PS Harsha and Additional Director General of Police Dayananda on Thursday. The Muslim Central Committee is an umbrella body of several Muslim organisations in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.

In a statement, the organization appealed to the public to refrain from spreading any inflammatory messages on social media or taking part in activities that disturb the peaceful protest. A week ago, police firing led to the deaths of two people during violent anti-CAA protests in the city. Despite the loss of two members from their community, Muslim groups are planning to come out in numbers and peacefully protest on January 4.

Last week, a curfew was imposed and mobile internet services were suspended in Dakshina Kannada district for 48 hours. The curfew was fully lifted only on Monday, three days after the violent protests.

The call for protests on December 19 was issued by the Samastha Kerala Sunni Students Federation (SKSSF) . The organization obtained permission from the Mangaluru City Police to hold a protest from 2 pm to 3 pm outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office. A license for the use of loudspeakers at the protest was also sanctioned by the police. However, a day prior to the protest, prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC were imposed in Mangaluru.

Section 144 bars the gathering of more than five people at a public place. Defying the prohibitory orders on December 19, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the DC office in Mangaluru, prompting police to disperse them using lathi charge and tear gas. Police later opened fire on protesters gathered in Bunder amid incidents of stone pelting and arson. The police firing killed two people – Abdul Jaleel and Nausheen – who were daily wage labourers in Mangaluru.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

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.

Comments