Moral police still call the shots in M'lore

A day after a group of men, claiming to be members of Hindu Jagarana Vedike, molested women and attacked men celebrating a birthday, criticisms have been pouring in from all sections of society. 

Discussions about the incident in various media has forced the State government to act, thanks mainly to the national television channels continuously airing the incident and taking reactions from all the possible leaders and common men across the State and the nation.

While the Congress has grabbed the opportunity to criticise the ruling BJP government, the party leaders have assured to take action against the culprits and the women’s organisations have been demanding stringent action against the attackers. 

Not first time

This is not the first time that such attacks were being carried out in Dakshina Kannada district. The first time an attack was reported was way back on June 4, 2005 when a group of youth belonging to Bajrang Dal attacked a bus near pumpwell in Mangalore.Their fault: “A businessman belonging to Muslim community had organised a tour for his staff, majority of whom were Hindus.” 

About 40 persons, many with their spouses, were on their way to Mysore on tour. But the moral police not only stopped the bus at pumpwell, but stoned it and assaulted the people travelling in the bus — irrespective of young, old, boys or girls. 

The police took nearly 45 minutes to reach the spot. By then the group had vanished in the dark. In fact, a cameraman belonging to a private TV channel suffered stab injuries in the incident.

The second such incident was reported on December 27, 2008 when another group of students belonging to the Matha Educational Trust PU College were on their way to Mysore from Mangalore on a tour. Justifying the act, Bajrang Dal city unit convenor Sharan Pumpwell had told a section of the media: “It was a natural reaction from us (Dal) against those who dare to commit moral violations.”

The infamous pub attack of January 24, 2009 which made headlines throughout the country, was termed by the then Union Minister Renuka Choudhury as “Talibanisation of India.”

Yet another incident which did not make much news was reported on August 14, 2011, when Bajrang Dal activists assaulted 15 youth who were partying in a resort situated on Ucchila beach road in Ullal police station limits. 

About 16 youth including call centre employees and college students were partying when the activists raided the resort, assaulted youngsters who were dancing, and damaged the property. By the time police reached the spot, the Bajrang Dal activists had fled the spot.

Though incidents of assaulting young men found talking to girls belonging to another religion are being reported day in and day out, the number of such incidents had come down drastically. But the Saturday’s incident proves that everything is still not okay.

Modus operandi

In most of the cases, the “moral police” inform a few mediapersons in advance so that the assault is covered live on television channels. 

They not only claim responsibility, but also justify the act. In the Saturday’s incident too, soon after the attack, Hindu Jagarana Vedike President Subhash admitted to assaulting boys and girls, though he later claimed that he did not visit the spot with the intention of attacking them.

It may be recalled that Sri Ram Sene leaders gave an interview to a local channel justifying their act during the infamous pub attack (January 24, 2009) while former Bajrang Dal convenor Mahendra Kumar had admitted to conducting a series of attacks on churches (September 14/15, 2008).