But interestingly, the number of murders have come down drastically in 2007 when compared to previous years. The DK district registered 35 murders in 2005, 28 in 2006 and only 21 in 2007.

As the sun sets in the Arabian sea on December 31, 2007 evening, police are heading for another tough year ahead. As the criminals find new ways and means to commit the crime, the challenges in the future are more daunting. The year 2007 is marked with three major accidents, murder of a builder, untimely death of two well-known personalities, rain havoc and so on.

Accidents
The major accident of the year— killing of 17 persons when a private bus speeding towards Mangalore rammed into a marriage party maxi cab in Muloor in Kaup police station limits on May 28 will be remembered for many more years. This mishap forced the police and RTO to urge the bus owners to go for Global Positioning System in the undivided Dakshina Kannada district. In another major mishap, as many as seven persons were killed in an autorickshaw - tanker collision near Hejamadi in Udupi district.

Three persons were killed when the Mangalore-Subramanya Passenger train collided against a jeep at an unmanned level-crossing at Kodineeru in Narimogru village in November.

Rain
Heavy rains that lashed the district brought disaster to the district in the form of sea erosion in Mukkaccheri and Hilary Nagar, Ullal, Mogaveerapattana, Kotepura. As many as 6 persons were killed in the rains. Heavy rains that lashed the City also exposed the City Corporation’s shoddy preparations for the monsoon and the lack of underground drainage facilities. Artificial flooding led to the flooding of low laying areas in the City. The clogged drains forced rain water to flood the roads in many parts of the City.

Death
MLA U T Fareed expired on February 6 after prolonged illness. This forced the State Government to announce the by poll election, in which his son U T Khader won the polls.

Ms Veenadhari, one of the first HIV victims to admit openly that she is HIV positive and who dedicated her life to create awareness against HIV/Aids passed away on November 2.

Flight Lieutenant Ronald Kevin Serrao was killed, minutes after his Jaguar took off from the Naal airbase near Bikaner in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan on January 18. He was taking part in a live air-to-ground firing exercise when his aircraft blew up.

Ship wreck
Eritrian ship ‘Den Den’ sank in the Arabian sea near Thannirbhavi on June 23. Three sailors were killed in the mishap. The ship carrying about 8,000 metric tonnes of furnace slag to UAE, almost submerged in the sea, unable to bear the turbulent tides. The survived sailors perhaps will not forget Mangalore in their life as they were forced to stay in Mangalore for more than 3 months due to technical reasons.

Less than three months after Den Den sank near Thannirbavi, another ship ‘Cheng Le Men’ with 28 crew on board listed (tilted) barely half km from the ‘Den Den’ spot. It was drifted due to the faulty loading.

Violence
Though the coastal districts are relatively new to violence, incidents of violence are on the rise. A violence broke out when police prevented the local unit of Sri Rama Sene from taking out a Shobayatre after Shaneeshwara pooja, without prior permission, on February 4. This forced the police to impose Section 144 in Puttur.

Tension prevailed in Kasaba Bengre for several hours after police tried to prevent slaughtering of cows in the open at Kasaba Bengre on December 22. The cows were being slaughtered for “Kurubani,” as a part of Bakrid rituals. Police detained as many as 25 persons.

Section 144 was clamped in B C Road area, after a clash erupted between the people of two different communities on December 28. As many as 10 persons were injured, 7 vehicles were damaged and two shops in the town were put afire and some other suffered due to stone pelting.

A prayer hall was attcked at Kankanady juction on December 23.

Snake venom
Police arrested five persons and seized a stock of snake venom worth Rs 50 lakh in the international market near the railway station.

The police have also seized a rifle, 10 live bullets, a knife, four mobile phones and Rs 5,000 in cash besides the Qualis van used by the group.

Protest
Anti-Nagarjuna protesters staged a near 10-hour road blockades in several places on the highway in March. Several protests were oprgabised by various parties, organisations for the commencement of Mangalore-Bangalore train service in the month of October and November. Rashtriya Heddari Horata Samiti staged a 24-hour bundh on NH-17 on October 30 to protest against government’s lukewarm attitude towards the pathetic condition of NH 17.