Mangaluru, Sep 3: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has established a new sub-zonal office at Kankanady in Mangaluru district that began functioning from Friday.

The office is located at E-7, Central Excise Staff Quarters, Kankanady in Mangaluru and it will function under its existing zonal office in the state that is based in the capital city of Bengaluru, the agency said in a statement.

The new office will be headed by a deputy director rank officer and have jurisdiction over 15 districts of the state -- Dakshina Kannada, Bagalkot, Belgaum, Bellary, Bidar, Bijapur, Gadag, Haveri, Davangere, Dharwad, Gulbarga, Uttara Kannada, Koppal, Udupi and Raichur, it said.

Two similar sub-zonal offices were recently established by the ED in Shillong (Meghalaya) and Imphal (Manipur).

The ED functions under the Union finance ministry and apart from enforcing the criminal anti-money laundering law PMLA, it also implements the civil sections of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and Fugitive Economic Offenders Act that was brought in 2018.

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Bhatkal: Preparations are under way for the upcoming Coastal Karnataka History Summit, with the official logo of the academic event unveiled at Dawat Centre by Students Islamic Organisation of India Bhatkal Unit in Bhatkal on February 22, 2026. The summit is scheduled to be held on May 5, 2026.

The initiative is being organised by the Centre for Education and Research & Analysis (CERA) with the aim of documenting and examining the historical evolution of Coastal Karnataka, including Uttara Kannada, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and adjoining areas of Kasaragod.

At the launch event, the organisers released the official Call for Papers, inviting scholars, researchers, academicians and students to submit original and unpublished research. Abstracts of 200 words, either in English or Kannada, must clearly mention the research question, methodology and key findings. The deadline for abstract submission is February 28, 2026. Selected participants will be informed by March 15, and full papers must be submitted by April 20.

The summit will centre around five broad themes. One section will explore the trade and economic networks of the coastal belt, including maritime routes, port towns, fisheries and commodity-based exchanges such as pepper trade. Another domain will examine social structures, caste formations and inter-community relations, along with the role of Islamic, Arab, Persian and local traditions in shaping the region’s cultural fabric.

A separate section will focus on the origin and growth of linguistic communities such as Tulu, Konkani, Beary, Moya Malayalam and Navayati. Governance and administration under different rulers — including the Alupa dynasty, Rani Abbakka, Tipu Sultan, the Nawaith Sultans of Bhatkal and developments after Independence — will also be studied. The fifth theme will highlight social reformers such as Narayana Guru, Syed Madani, Malik Deenar, Vakkom Moulavi, Sayyid Fazl Pasha and Kudmul Ranga Rao, and their contributions to education and social reform.

The logo launch programme was attended by senior journalist Dr. Haneef Shabab, JIH Bhatkal President Moulana Syed Zubair SM, SIO Bhatkal President Mohammed Zayan Bangali, Unit Secretary Githreef Rida Manvi and Media Secretary Mashaikh Talish.

Organisers said the summit intends to create a structured academic space for discussing the region’s layered past and bringing local histories into wider public and scholarly discourse. For submissions and queries, researchers may contact

coastalkarnatakahistorysummit@gmail.com