Mangaluru: Leftists take out rally against communal' Modi govt

Bengaluru, Jan 15: Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Bengaluru has decided to remain shut for two days after a group of BJP workers wiped out graffiti on its outer walls claiming it as anti-Modi and allegedly warned them against any anti CAA agitation there.

According to sources, the group led by Yelahanka MLA S R Vishwanath allegedly even towed away some vehicles of students and faculty parked in front of the institute alleging that they were blocking the road and causing inconvenience to the local people.

Some students have alleged that they were threatened by BJP workers and also the institute's authorities regarding the graffiti and the blocking of the road using traffic police.

They even claimed that BJP workers warned them against organising any anti-NRC or CAA protests.

A few local residents are also said to have joined the BJP workers and raised complaints about the conduct of the institute's students.

According to local BJP workers, the MLA and a few party men had gone near the institute on receiving complaints from locals about vehicles parked there blocking the road, and when they came across the graffiti they painted it with saffron paint to avoid any controversy, and there was no altercation as being alleged.

However, there is no clarity on who drew the graffiti regarding Modi, which according to BJP workers allegedly depicted the PM in poor light.

The institute has declared holiday on Thursday and Friday to avoid any further escalation, keeping the interest and safety of students in mind, sources said.

Interestingly, on Tuesday graffiti had appeared overnight on the shutters of some shops and walls on the Church Street against Modi, CAA and NRC, following which the city police have launched an investigation.

Udupi, Jan 30: Fishermen in Udupi’s Malpe have netted ‘spanner crab’, a rare variety of deep sea crab, mostly found in Australia and Hawaiian coast.

Hundreds of onlookers were surprised to the see the catch when it was brought to Malpe harbour by the fisherman Prashanth Kunder and others on Tuesday evening.

Dr Shivakumar Haragi, Assistant Professor at Karnatak University, PG Centre Department of Marine Biology, Karwar identified this crab variety as ‘spanner crab’ and the scientific name of this crab is Ranina Ranina.

Ranina Ranina is mainly nocturnal as it remains active during night and is found buried in sand during the day .It is easily distinguished from other crab species in its habitat due to its red carapace and elongated midsection.

Resembling a frog in its shape, this crab species is found mainly in Africa, Hawaiian coast and also in the Great Barrier Reef, located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Its lifetime is seven to nine years and each crab weighs around 400-900 grams.

Prashanth Kunder and his associates have also netted a rare fish variety called yellow-edged lyretail. Another unique variety fish netted by Prashanth is epinephelus flavocaeruleus.

Bengaluru, Apr 23: Nine new COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in Karnataka in the last 24 hours.

Out of these nine coronavirus positive cases, five have been reported from Kalaburagi and two each from Mysuru and Bengaluru.

According to the government of Karnataka, the total number of positive cases in the State now stands at 427 including 131 cured or discharged cases and 17 deaths.

The total number of positive coronavirus cases across the country are 19,984, including 15,474 active cases of the virus. So far, 3,869 patients have either been cured or discharged while 640 deaths have been recorded in the country, as per data provided by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.