Mangalore: Attack on Pub now a National Concern!

The total arrested in the pub attack has gone up to 25 on Monday evening. In addition to the 17 arrested on Sunday, and remanded to judicial custody till Tuesday, the police have arrested another 5 persons on Monday evening. According to the police arrest list, those arrested on Monday evening includes Nikhil, Puneet, Ramesh Ashwin, Sachin, Vaikunta Raju and Praveen. A group of "Sri Ram Sena" activists allegedly barged into a pub in the heart of Mangalore city on Saturday and started thrashing weekend revelers, including girls. Following the attacks on ladies in the pub the police system in the city has woken up to a rude awakening. In the events that followed aftermath the arrests has been received with shock by the people of Mangalore.

Many people have telephoned to the various web media offices to know the first hand report. The arrest of the king pins of the Sri Rama Sene, including Dinakar Shetty and Prasad Attavar has been kept on the back burner by the police while it has got busy with eliciting information from those who had taken part in the attack on women at the Amnesia pub in hotel Woodside at Balmatta. This new hotel complex has got to deal with another problem of protecting its name in the business. Speaking to the Mangalorean.com, Sudhir, District convener of the Sri Rama Sene stated that – "we are sure what we are doing such things are the only way out when the youngsters particularly girls and ladies start consuming alcohol in public places, they were not only wearing dresses that are provocative but also were dancing and drinking alcoholic drinks in that pub."

This cannot be tolerated by the right thinking persons as it is happening in the public glare and many youngsters could later get into habit of drinking without prompting and neglect their studies and social commitment. In the meanwhile the BJP has started the blame game. BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad also said that the hoodlums involved in the attack on some youngsters on Saturday at a pub were "neither from the BJP nor from the Sangh Parivar. "They are from an autonomous organisation active in the area. We condemn this hooliganism.""I have a little problem with those who seek to make political capital out of it.

There are so many cases of serious violence and riots in Delhi where women were raped. Has the National Commission for Women gone to the victims of police atrocities on women in Delhi?" Prasad asked.BJP President Rajnath Singh, however, has condemned the incident and said that he would discuss the issue with Karnataka's chief minister. It has played up the conspiracy theory purportedly launched by the Congress party to distract the attention of the people away from the BJP in the backdrop of the coming Lok Sabha elections.

He said many congress leaders who are in the helm of affairs in their party have set their eyes on the Lok Sabha seat in Mangalore. In a press release on Monday, Mr. Bhandari has disowned the Sri Rama Sene and said that Sri Rama Sene was no way connected with any of the Sangh Parivar organizations and their leaders had very different ideology and presently Sri Rama Sene could be working for any political party he added.

He said the Bajrang Dal had split when its leader Pramod Muthalik had distanced himself from Bajrang Dal and had joined Shiv Sena, he wanted to set up the Shiv Sena Karnataka unit but that could not be done as the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike had opposed to the existence of Shiv Sena within Karnatka. Pramod Muthalik had floated Sri Rama Sene in 2006, which operates more or less like the Bajrang Dal Of lately the Bajrang Dal and Sri Rama Sene have combined their forces and they lend their "services" to each other or "Share Human Resources" the attack on the Pub was carried out by members or both vigilante groups.

Defending his group's action, Pramod Muthalik, founder of Sri Ram Sena, said, "We have to protect Indian culture and protect women from immoral activities." District in-Charge Minister, Krishna Palemar, said in Mangalore that bars and pubs cannot remain open beyond 11 PM and the rule would be implemented strictly. "Obscene dances will not be allowed in our district," Palemar said.

Notices to Channels and Web media:
In the meanwhile the police have issued notices to a number of media organizations including web media, videographers, photographers and news channels. Superintendent of Police N. Sathish Kumar has sent notices to different photographers, videographers and web channels to explain as to what prevented them to report to the police when they knew about the attack on the pub well in advance. Mr. Kumar said in the press release that "we have taken this step following a section of the media reporting from the spot and the horrific incidents showing the attacks on girls minutes after the incidents, which goes to show that the photographers, videographers and reporters were there at the time of attack. Any responsible citizen would have forewarned the police of the attack which would have helped the police in averting such a barbaric incident".

Yeddyurappa answerable for Mangalore attack, says Renuka Chowdhary
New Delhi, Jan 26 (IANS) Union Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Chowdhary Monday said that Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa is answerable for the attack on women at a pub in Mangalore by members of a self-styled pro-Hindutva group.
Demanding an explanation from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state government, Chowdhary directed the National Commission for Women (NCW) to investigate the incident.
Activists of a group, calling itself Shri Ram Sena, barged into a pub Saturday afternoon and bashed up and molested a few young women for "violating traditional Indian norms".
"The Karnataka chief minister is answerable for the attack. I will go to Mangalore, if required," Chowdhary told a TV channel.

At least two girls were punched and pulled by their hair by the activists Saturday at the pub Amnesia - The Lounge in Mangalore city.
Critising the incident, Chowdhary said it was an attempt by the radical Hindu group to "Talibanise India" and it was unacceptable.
The attack on the girls has been widely condemned by activists, politicians and people from different walks of life.

Describing it as a shocking incident, NCW Chairman Girija Vyas said members of the self-styled moral brigade alleged obscenity by the girls, but were themselves found "misbehaving and molesting" the girls.
"All of them should be punished," she said.Chief Minister Yeddurappa, however, called the incident as "very unfortunate". He asserted that police were being given a free hand to probe incident.

"Nobody should take law into their hands... government will take strict action against the culprits," said the Chief Minister after the Republic Day functions.