Sangh Parivar gears up to reconvert Christian families to Hinduism in Udupi

[email protected] (CD Network)
December 25, 2014

Udupi, Dec 26: Finally, the controversial œghar wapsi  campaign of Sangh Parivar, is sent to reach coastal Karnataka, with right wing groups planning to convert Christians to Hinduism.

If sources are to be believed Pejawar Mutt seer Vishweshateertha Swamiji, who was a key architect of Ayodhya's Ram Janmabhoomi movement, has already given green signal to hold a massive œhomecoming  event target families in Udupi district that have converted from Hinduism in the past.

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Vishweshateertha Swamiji, a key architect of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, has reportedly shown green signal to hold reconversion event in Udupi

Preparations are in full swing in the district to convert as many as 110 families who have adopted Christianity. However, the entire programme is being covertly organised owing to the controversy surrounding it.

According to G Vasudeva Bhatta, convener of the Udupi city unit of the Dharma Jagran Vedike, which will undertake the conversion drive, the State unit had decided to build its organization from the village-level. The vedike has three objectives. They are prevention of conversion of Hindus to other faiths, reconversion, and prevention of cow slaughter.

A Sangh Parivar activist in Udupi said on condition of anonymity that their leaders have already identified several Brahmin, Billava, Koraga and Idiga families, who had converted to Christianity over the past few decades. Some of their relatives are still retaining their Hindu identity. œWe are using their clout to prevail upon the families to return to the Hindu fold," he said.

The conversion campaign is likely to be launched in the second half of January in Udupi district. Later it may be extended to Dakshina Kannada district also, sources said.

Prior to that, a crucial meeting of the Sangh Parivar leaders is expected to be held in Bengaluru, wherein Hindu leaders and pontiffs of influential mutts would take part.

The developments are ringing alarm bells in the district administration. This is so as the police have categorized Udupi as a "hypersensitive" district under "communal unrest".

Incidents of moral policing were rampant in Udupi district when the BJP was in power in Karnataka with churches being targeted for opposing conversion between 2008 and 2009.

Udupi was the first district where the BJP had grabbed power in the panchayats. A police officer said: "There is no specific information as of now on this reconversion. Nevertheless, we are monitoring the developments in Udupi district to prevent any untoward incident."

Also Read:

VHP converts more Christians in Kerala into Hinduism on Xmas day

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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 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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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Air India Express has announced that it will resume direct flight services between Mangaluru and Muscat from March 2026, restoring an important international air link for passengers from the coastal region.

Airport authorities said the service will operate twice a week—on Sundays and Tuesdays—from March 1. The initial flights are scheduled on March 3, 8 and 10, followed by March 15 and 17, with the same operating pattern to continue thereafter. The flight duration is approximately three hours and 25 minutes.

The Mangaluru–Muscat route was earlier operated under the 2025 summer schedule, with services beginning on July 14. At that time, Air India Express had operated four flights a week before suspending the service.

Officials said the summer schedule will come into effect from March 29, after which changes in flight timings and departure schedules from Mangaluru are expected. Passengers have been advised to check the latest schedules while planning their travel.

The resumption of direct flights to Muscat is expected to significantly benefit expatriates, business travellers and others, further strengthening Mangaluru’s air connectivity with the Gulf region.

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