RSS still running arms training camps in temples, says CM

April 26, 2017

Kasaragod, Apr 26: Stating that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is still organising arms training camps on temple premises in some parts of the State and attacking rivals, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that his government will take steps to formulate rules under the amended Kerala Police Act 2011 soon.

Replying to questions in the Assembly on Tuesday, the Chief Minister said no punishment could be given to those violating the provisions of the amended Act even after six years as rules had not been formulated.

Mr. Vijayan said the RSS leadership was promoting arms training and attacks on their opponents in the name of cultural activities.

Earlier, CPI(M) activists were attacked by the RSS. But now RSS workers were targeting activists of the Congress and other political parties. The government was aware of RSS camps being organised on temple premises in some parts of the State and attacking rivals. The attacks were aimed at creating communal tension, the Chief Minister said, adding that even the mode of attack and weapons being used by RSS workers had changed drastically over the years.

The police had intervened effectively at many places, including Kasaragod, to ensure that communal harmony was not breached, he said. Stern action would be taken against those misusing places of worship, the Chief Minister added.

Restrictions had been enforced under Section 73 of the Kerala Police Act, 2011, and the police could ban mass drills under Section 75 if they felt it would affect peace.

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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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