Bhatkal: Anand Ashram Convent School kick-starts golden jubilee celebrations
BHATKAL: The golden jubilee celebrations of Anand Ashram Convent School, Bhatkal got off to a colorful start with an inaugural ceremony on January 7, 2023, held n its festively decorated campus in the coastal town.
The ceremony was marked by the presence of seven students of the first batch of the convent which was founded in 1973.
Rev Sr Juilana Pais, Deputy Secretary, UFES, Mangaluru Province, was the chief guest while Rev Sr Clara Menezes, Provincial Superior, Mangalore Province, presided over the ceremony. Rev Fr Premkumar D’Souza, Parish Priest, Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Mundalli, Bhatkal, was present on the occasion.
Among the guests of honour were Rev Sr Barbara Franco and Rev Sr Bibiana Norona, headmistress and assistant headmistress, respectively, of the first-batch students.
First-batch students Aftab Husain Kola, Salman Ahmed Jubapu, Mrs Asma Farhana, Nadeem Shabandri, Sebastian Johni D’Souza, Mrs. Farzana Abdul Hadi Soudagar, and Mrs. Parveen Mohammed Yusuf Chitrigi were present.
Reminiscing about the golden school days, Aftab Kola said: "Through the galleries of my mind, I can still picture the scenes of those beautiful, memorable years. Being a member of the first outgoing batch of any school is always an honour. We were really fortunate.”
Rev Sr Lucy D'Souza, Correspondent; Rev Sr Anitha Pinto, Superior; Rev Sr Vinutha D'Souza, Principal of Anand Ashram Composite PU College; Rev Sr Irene Matthias, Principal of Joy land Play Home; and Nagaraj E H, Vice President of PTA, were also present on the occasion.
Rev Sr Saritha Thoras, the present Principal of Anand Ashram Convent English Medium Higher Primary school, welcomed the guests. Students enthralled the audience with their cultural programmes. The school has planned year-long events that will conclude with a grand valedictory function scheduled for November 25, 2023.
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Uncontrolled digging could erase Dharmasthala mass burial evidence: Soil scientist warns SIT
Bengaluru: A soil scientist, who has studied tropical lateritic soils, has released a note in anonymity, warning the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing alleged mass burials in Dharmasthala (1994–2014) that improper excavation could permanently destroy critical forensic evidence.
The scientist cautioned that in the coastal, high-rainfall environment of Dharmasthala, bones from older graves are often not visually present due to the region’s acidic laterite soil, which accelerates decomposition. “In these conditions, the visual absence of bones does not mean there was no burial,” the expert stressed. “Chemical and microscopic soil analysis may be the only way to detect older graves.”
According to the soil scientist, Dharmasthala’s lateritic soil has a pH of 4.5–6, is porous and rich in iron and aluminium oxides, and is subject to over 3,500 mm of annual rainfall. These factors together cause rapid bone mineral dissolution and collagen breakdown. “In as little as 15–20 years, complete skeletons can be reduced to just teeth, enamel shards, or micro-residues,” the scientist said.
Drawing on comparisons with Rwanda, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, and Srebrenica, the scientist estimated that:
- Graves less than 15 years old have a reasonable chance of yielding skeletons.
- Graves 15–20 years old may yield only partial skeletons and teeth.
- Burials older than 20 years often retain only chemical signatures and microscopic fragments.
“In Dharmasthala’s soil, the probability of finding a full skeleton after two decades is near zero,” the expert said.
‘JCBs will destroy what’s left’
The soil scientist was particularly critical of the use of heavy machinery in the investigation. “Uncontrolled digging with JCBs can obliterate brittle bone fragments, erase burial stratigraphy, and mix burial soil with surrounding soil, diluting chemical signals,” he warned. “It’s equivalent to destroying the crime scene.”
The scientist emphasised that disturbed lateritic soil can quickly resemble undisturbed ground, making it almost impossible to detect graves later.
GPR as a map, not a microscope
The expert also noted that Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) could play a limited role in the investigation. “GPR can help locate soil disturbances, but in wet, iron-rich lateritic soils, it cannot ‘see bones.’ For burials decades old, chemical analysis of soil is far more reliable,” he said.
Call for controlled forensic exhumation
The soil scientist urged the SIT to stop all mechanical digging and adopt a forensic protocol:
- Use GPR or other non-invasive methods to locate anomalies.
- Excavate in small, measured layers under forensic supervision.
- Collect soil samples for chemical and microscopic analysis.
- Sieve soil to recover micro bone fragments and teeth.
“Only a controlled, scientific approach will preserve what little evidence may remain in this environment,” the scientist said. “If these traces are destroyed, the truth about the alleged burials may never be proven.”
The SIT is investigating allegations of mass burials linked to the disappearance of individuals between 1994 and 2014 in Dharmasthala. No official response to the scientist’s concerns has been issued.
