Security beefed up in Kodagu ahead of Tipu Jayanti

November 5, 2016

Madikeri, Nov 5: Security has been beefed up in Madikeri town ahead of Tipu Jayanti. The town witnessed large scale violence during last year's celebration in which two persons were killed.

Security forces on Friday held a march in the town to instil confidence among the people in the backdrop of rising opposition to the celebrations. Police are also mulling imposing Section 144 in the district for three days to prohibit pro and anti- Tipu organizations taking processions during the jayanti.

Rowdysheeters, persons with criminal background are being called to the office of the tahsildar who is also taluk magistrate and surety is being collected from them to ensure the peaceful celebration on November 10. More than 600 such persons have already given surety. In Madikeri alone, around 120 persons have given surety, police sources said.

Kodagu in-charge minister M R Seetharam said that special forces are being deployed to manage the situation during the jayanti.

A platoon of Rapid Action Force will be deputed at sensitive places like Siddapur which has floating population from Kerala. It is learnt that a section of people are planning to hold the jayanti at a resort at Siddapur and another section Kuttappa Jayanti in a marriage hall. Kuttappa , a VHP leader, died during the last year's celebration in Madikeri. In retaliation Shahul Hameed, a youth from Nellihudikeri near Siddapur was shot dead.

Petitioner requests govt to cancel jayanti

Meanwhile Kokkalemada Manju who had filed a PIL in the high court questioning the state government's decision to celebrate Tipu Jayanti, on Friday submitted a memorandum to chief secretary Subhash Chandra Khuntia to cancel the celebration. The HC on Thursday directed Manju to make a request to the chief secretary stating that it is a policy decision of the government. Manju and 4 others submitted a memorandum to seeking cancellation of the jayanti.

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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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