Mangaluru prepares to host third edition of ‘Den Den’ intl sea swimming championship
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Mangaluru: While swimming in pools is a familiar sport, swimming in the open sea is an adventure. Embracing this adventure, the Mangalore Surf Club is set to organise the third edition of its international sea swimming championship, ‘Den Den,’ on January 26 at Tannirbhavi Beach.
The championship, which has been conducted for the past two years, has witnessed growing participation with each edition. Preparations for the event are already underway, as the organisers expect a significant rise in the number of swimmers this year.
National-level swimmers from various parts of the country will take part in the competition, which will be held in the sea waters off Tannirbhavi Beach at Surf Club Beach (Tannirbhavi Beach-1).
Karthik Narayan, Secretary of the Mangalore Surf Club, said around 200 swimmers participated in the second edition last year, while nearly 400 competitors are expected to take part this year.
The club has already started preparations for the sporting event, with the championship pulling in a larger number of swimmers every year.
Olympian Gagan Ullal of the Mangalore Surf Club, who represented India at the London Olympics, is heading the technical committee for this year’s Den Den Swimming Competition.
Given that the event is being held in open sea waters, the Indian Coast Guard will extend its cooperation for security and safety measures, as in previous years. Along with trained lifeguards, the Coast Guard will be responsible for ensuring the safety of swimmers and preventing interference from fishing boats or other vessels during the competition.
Organisers said the Den Den Swim Campaign is conducted with a strong emphasis on sea safety and awareness.
The competition will be conducted with the main objective of ensuring the safety of sea water. It commences at 6.30 am and conclude at 9.30 am.
Highlighting the new additions this year, Karthik Narayan said that while last year’s event featured races of 500 metres, 2 km, 4 km and 6 km, an 8 km sea swim has been introduced in this edition.
He also noted that while three international swimmers participated last year, the organisers are expecting around 10 international swimmers to compete this time.
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HC dismisses Abu Salem’s plea seeking immediate release after completing '25 years' in jail
Mumbai (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Wednesday dismissed gangster Abu Salem’s plea for immediate release, claiming he had served 25 years in jail in India mandated under the terms of his extradition from Portugal.
In his plea, Salem had contended that if remission for good behaviour is included, then his 25-year jail term is complete and hence he ought to be freed.
A bench of Justices A S Gadkari and Kamal Khata said it cannot hold that the 25-year jail term is complete, as it would be premature to say anything at this stage on the point of remission.
The court relied on a Supreme Court judgment wherein it was held that remission of a prisoner would need to be calculated a month before the applicant’s release.
“Therefore, the present petition (filed by Salem) is dismissed,” the court said.
A copy of the detailed order is yet to be made available.
Salem’s plea, filed through advocate Farhana Shah, had said that when he was extradited from Portugal in 2005, India had assured that he would not be handed over the death penalty in any case and that he would not be imprisoned for more than 25 years.
The government had opposed his plea, noting that Salem has spent only 19 years in jail and that a decision on his premature release was pending.
Salem was convicted in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case and sentenced to life imprisonment.
