Communal currents surface again as miscreants storm into shops; police vehicles damaged

January 23, 2012

Mangalore, January 23: Currents of communal tensions once again swept parts of Dakshina Kannada district on Monday, as a group of miscreants stormed into small shops run by minority community at Mugaradka village in Belthangady Tauluk.

The village is only a few kilo metre away from Uppinangady, where at least seven people including police personnel had injured in the aftermath of Hindu Samajotsava on Sunday.

The latest incident of mob frenzy was occurred following two suspected chain snatcher were caught red-handed at the Mugaradka Jaathre (religious fair), which was known for harmony and peaceful celebrations for several decades.

After catching the miscreants who were allegedly trying to snatch a woman's chain, local people had handed them over to the management committee of the Mugaradka Temple, which supervises the fair.

A police team headed by Puttur ASP M N Anucheth rushed to the spot and arrested the alleged chain-snatchers identified as Althaf and Nazeer, residents of Valalu.

When a group of people belonging to a communal outfit came to know that the miscreants had Muslim names, they demanded the police to handover the miscreants to them. They also took temple authorities to task for 'being soft towards Muslims', it is learnt. Meanwhile a clash was erupted between two groups.

As the situation turned volatile, the police resorted to baton charge and dispersed the mob.

At this time a group of miscreants attacked the local shops owned by Muslims. They also pelted stones at shops and police personnel, who rushed to the spot.

Sources from Puttur police station said that at least two people were injured and four police vehicles were damaged during the stone pelting. Many shops were also damaged in the incident.

Tension grips Uppinangady following provocative speech

Normalcy returns to Uppinangady; Kalladka Bhat booked

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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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