A week after holy cow debate, miscreant smears cow-dung on Pattabhi's face

[email protected] (CD Network, Photos by Ahmed Anwar)
April 21, 2012

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Mangalore, April 21: English teacher and thinker Pattabhirama Somayaji was in for a rude shock when an unidentified miscreant smeared cow-dung on his face in the city on Saturday afternoon.

The incident occurred, around 2:00 pm, when the lecturer of University College was standing outside Dhanyashree Hotel at Pumpwell, after having lunch along with the other lecturers.

It is learnt that the miscreant, who came on a motorbike advanced towards Mr Somayaji and smeared cow dung on his face. He had brought the cow dung in a plastic cover.

Mr Somayaji, later speaking to media persons, held 'Sangh Parivar' responsible for the act. “This might be the act of Sangh Parivar miscreants”, he said. A case has been registered at Kankanadi Police Station.

The Debate

The attack comes a week after Mr Somayaji was engaged in a heated debate over the issue of cow slaughter with Sri Rajashekarananda Swami of Vajradehi mutt Swami on a live TV channel.

Swamiji had taken serious objection to Mr Somayaji using the word 'goondagiri' for those who chase the cattle-laden truck and take law into their hands.

The Vajradehi seer was repeatedly asking the lecturer to take back the word 'goondagiri', but the lecturer was adamant that he cannot find any better word for those people who take law into their hands.

Mr Somayaji had also mentioned that during such acts of moral policing the activists of the Hindutva organisations rob mobile phones and money from the drivers and the cattle traders.

In the debate he had clarified: “I don't eat beef or any other meat. But there are croers of people for whom it is a cheap and nutritional food. So nobody has the right to curb the right to food of the people”. It is also a source of nutrition for the people in the Indian military, he added.

'Hindu blood boils'

In reply Swamiji said: “Cow is sacred to crores of Hindus who worship it. The animal has multiple uses for human beings. Its panchagavya is sacred. It is but natural that Hindus get agitated when they see cow slaughtering going on before their own eyes”.

The seer went on to claim that the blood of the Hindus boils when they see their sacred animals being hoarded into the truck and driven to slaughterhouses. “The slaughtering of the animal is a punishable offence under the law. Unfortunately, there is lacuna in the law which allows people to take advantage. Since the law has failed to protect the cows, Hindu organisations have taken it upon themselves to stop violation of law. There is nothing wrong in what these Hindu groups are doing. Since police are not able to take action, we have to intervene and help in implementation of the law”, he said.

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coastaldigest.com news network
November 29,2025

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Mangaluru, Nov 29: Around 12,500 healthcare students from Medical, Dental, AYUSH, Pharmacy, Nursing, Physiotherapy and Allied Health Sciences colleges of Dakshina Kannada, affiliated to Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), took part in a massive walkathon to promote awareness on Organ Donation and Nasha Mukth Bharat.

The inaugural ceremony was held at Mangala Stadium. Dr Bhagavan B C, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of RGUHS, delivered the welcome address. The walkathon was flagged off by Shri U T Khader, Hon’ble Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, and presided over by Shri Dinesh Gundu Rao, Hon’ble Minister for Health, Family Welfare and Dakshina Kannada District In-charge. Dakshina Kannada MP Shri Brijesh Chowta also addressed the students.

Music director Guru Kiran, MLA Dr Bharat Shetty (Mangalore North), Police Commissioner Shri Sudheer Kumar Reddy, Shri Manjunath Bhandary and Shri Harish Kumar were among those present.

Institution heads including Dr Haji U K Monu (Kanachur Colleges), Dr Shantharam Shetty (Tejaswini College), Dr Bhaskar Shetty (City Group of Colleges), Mr Abdul Rahiman (Kanachur Institute of Medical Sciences), and the District Health Officer, Mangalore, also participated.

The vote of thanks was delivered by Prof U T Ifthikar Fareed, Syndicate Member, RGUHS.

The event was organised by Dr U T Ifthikar Ali and Dr Shiva Sharan (Syndicate Members), Prof Vaishali (Senate Member), Prof Mohammad Suhail (Chairman, BOS Physiotherapy), Dr Sharan Shetty (Former Senate Member), along with principals and faculty of various colleges.

Students marched from Mangala Stadium to Karavali Grounds via MCC and Lalbagh signal. The event set a record as one of the largest gatherings of healthcare students for a social cause in the RGUHS Dakshina Kannada Zone.

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News Network
December 1,2025

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Udupi, Dec 1: A horrific case of alleged rape has unfolded in Udupi, where a worker from a Hindutva organisation, previously arrested and released on bail for harassing a young woman, is now accused of waylaying and sexually assaulting her.

The arrested individual has been identified as Pradeep Poojary (26), a member of the Hindu Jagarana Vedike's Nairkode unit in Perdur.

Poojary had allegedly been relentlessly harassing the young woman, pressuring her to marry him. When she bravely stood up to him and refused his demands, she filed a formal complaint at the Hiriyadka police station. He was subsequently arrested in that initial harassment case but was later granted bail.

According to police reports, driven by the same malicious grudge, Poojary allegedly intercepted the woman again on November 29. While she was walking through a deserted area, the accused is claimed to have threatened her by grabbing her neck. When she again refused to marry him, he allegedly proceeded to rape her.

The survivor immediately informed her family about the traumatic assault. Following this, her parents lodged a complaint at the Udupi women’s police station.

Police arrested Poojary again and produced him before the court. He has since been remanded to judicial custody.

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News Network
December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A 34-year-old fruit and vegetable trader in Mangaluru has reportedly lost ₹33.1 lakh after falling victim to an online investment scam run through a fake mobile app.

Police said the scam began in September, when the victim received a link on Facebook. Clicking it connected him to a WhatsApp number, where an unidentified person introduced a high-return investment scheme and instructed him to download an app.

To build trust, the fraudster asked him to invest ₹30,000 on September 24. The trader soon received ₹34,000 as “profit,” convincing him the scheme was genuine. Over the next two months, he transferred money in multiple instalments via Google Pay and IMPS to different scanner codes and bank accounts shared by the scammers. Between September 24 and December 3, he ended up sending a total of ₹33.1 lakh.

When he later requested a refund of his investment and promised returns, the scammers demanded additional payments, claiming he needed to pay a “service tax” first. Even after he paid a small amount, no money was returned, and the scammers continued pressuring him for more.

A case has been registered at the CEN Crime Police Station.

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