July 29, 2012

Mangalore: In what appears to be a repeat of the infamous Mangalore pub attack episode, a Kannada channel aired footage on Saturday that showed young women being beaten up by a group of men inside a resort in the city. Eight people have been arrested so far in the incident.

The incident occurred on last evening, reportedly at the Morning Mist resort which located on the outskirts of Mangalore. The video showed the men barging into the rooms of the resort, pushing around and slapping the women.

The attackers, reportedly owing allegiance to a Hindu right-wing group, claimed that certain immoral activities were happening inside the resort which prompted them to act against the women.

The police, who were alerted about the incident by the resort authorities, have arrested 10 of the assailants.

Meanwhile, Home Minister R Ashok has condemned the attack on the women.

The incident is a grim reminder of the violent moral policing that unfolded at a pub in Mangalore in 2009 when defenceless young women were mercilessly beaten up by activists of the Sri Ram Sene. The group had then justified the assault by accusing the victims of denouncing traditional Indian values.

The attack has also brought under scanner the role of the channel whose crew filmed the assault on the women. It brings back similar questions that were asked during the recent case of molestation of a young girl in Guwahati by a mob – the entire incident was shot by the reporter of a local channel in the city. On being asked as to why he did not try to help the victim, the reporter of the channel, NewsLive, defended himself saying that when t became evident to him that he could not fight the mob, he called another colleague and cameraperson to record the incident so the cops would have some evidence against the attackers.

 

Mangalore: Hindu Janajagrana Vedike Protests, Section 144 Clamped in City

Mangalore: Hindu Janajagrana Vedike Protests, Section 144 Clamped in City

Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje / Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (BG/PS)

Mangalore, Jul 29: Following the arrest of activists of Hindu Janajagrana Vedike after their attack on girls and boys in Morning Mist Home Stay resort on Saturday July 28 evening, the other members of the Vedike along with their supporters protested outside the DC’s office here on Sunday July 29.

The protestors claimed that the police had done them injustice by arresting their members who they said had only tried to protect the culture of the land. Claiming that the police had beaten up one of their members, the protestors said that police atrocity on their group was condemnable.

They said that the party going on at the resort on Saturday evening was against Indian culture and condemned the police for not taking action against the boys and girls who were involved in it.

As soon as protest began, the police arrested each one of them and took them away in vans.

As a precautionary measure, section 144 has been clamped in the city, prohibiting groups of people from gathering in public places and roads.

As many as 40 people were arrested, among whom were Satyajit Suratkal, Sudheer Kannur, Diwakar Pandeshwar, and BJP district minority cell president Franklin Monteiro.

Speaking to reporters, police commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said that the resort, Morning Mist Home Stay, was running without licence. Investigations are on in this regard, he added.

More details awaited.