RSS says Kiran Bedi was a mistake, roasts BJP brass for Delhi loss

February 17, 2015

New Delhi, Feb 17: What BJP has been shying away from saying publicly, RSS has said in its mouthpiece 'Panchjanya'. In its latest issue, the fortnightly has raised questions on the choice of Kiran Bedi as the chief ministerial candidate for Delhi even as it pointed out how ignoring party workers may have cost BJP in the polls.

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In its two-part cover story titled 'Akankshaon ki Udaan' (flight of aspirations) and 'Vaade, Sawaal, Kejriwal' (promises, questions, Kejriwal), the RSS mouthpiece says, "The question is why did BJP lose? Was the decision to make Kiran Bedi CM candidate correct? Would the results have been different had Harsh Vardhan or any other BJP member from the state been chosen as CM candidate?"

The piece written by Manoj Varma also asks if BJP failed to take to the masses the achievements of the Narendra Modi government and if the party was too dependent on the Modi wave. Hinting again at how Bedi's candidature worked against the party, the piece says, "Or did BJP lose because of lack of unity in the organization, planning and most importantly respect for the sentiments of the workers?"

Another piece written by Hitesh Shankar raises questions on the BJP leadership itself. It says, "BJP office-bearers will have to answer if they have any capital other than Sangh's ideological strength and commitment of party workers. If some people in the organization and the government thought that the party is some kind of machine than can gallop at their whim, these results have broken that illusion. It is with the party workers' dedication and commitment to the nationalist ideology that BJP has been able to retain its vote share."

It has also questioned the approach taken by BJP office-bearers towards projection of certain members. "Were BJP functionaries overconfident of their extreme acceptability among public? Or did some push for individual acceptability among people a little too much," said the piece.

While BJP members in private have admitted to many of the "mistakes" hinted at in 'Panchjanya', the party has officially maintained that the responsibility of losing the elections is collective and that it is still analyzing the loss.

However, several BJP leaders express similar concerns. "The very fact that we lost our safest seat in Krishna Nagar (Kiran Bedi's constituency) shows that not only BJP office-bearers but even workers have not supported the party in the polls. Selection of Bedi sent a message that we had a leadership crisis. Workers didn't like this," said a BJP leader.

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News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru CEN police have arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly posting provocative and misleading content on an Instagram page named “mr_a_titude”, targeting the Bajpe police.

Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H identified the arrested as Abhishek M, a resident of Katipalla in Mangaluru.

A case has been registered at the Bajpe Police Station under Sections 353(1)(c), 353(2), 56, and 57 read with Section 189 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the post.

According to police, the accused uploaded a photograph of a hotel on the Instagram page and alleged that accused persons in a murder case under the Bajpe police jurisdiction were being given “royal treatment” by the police, including being served beef meals daily from the hotel.

The post further accused the police of supporting criminals, misusing their authority, and betraying public trust. Police said the content was provocative in nature and aimed at inciting public outrage against the police.

Following the post, a case was registered at the Bajpe police station, and further investigation was transferred to the CEN police station.

Police records indicate that the accused has a criminal history, with multiple cases registered against him, including murder, attempt to murder, assault, and robbery at the Surathkal Police Station, and one case at the Kaup Police Station.

The Commissioner said the accused was traced and arrested using technical evidence.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru police have arrested a 27-year-old NRI on his return from Saudi Arabia in connection with an Instagram post allegedly containing derogatory and provocative remarks about the Hindu religion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Khader Nehad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Mangaluru, was working in Saudi Arabia when the post was uploaded, police said.

A suo motu case was registered at the Bajpe police station on October 11 after an allegedly offensive post circulated from the Instagram account ‘team_sdpi_2025’. Police said the content was flagged for being provocative and derogatory in nature.

During the investigation, technical analysis traced the Instagram post to Nehad, who was residing abroad at the time, a senior police officer said. Based on these findings, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.

On December 14, Nehad arrived from Saudi Arabia at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, where he was taken into custody on arrival. Police said further investigation is underway.

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News Network
December 7,2025

SHRIMP.jpg

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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