Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Mangalore Girls Attacked by Ram Sena in Amnesia Pub




















Read the terrible story:

The Bajrang Dal and Sri Rama Sene in the first ever joint operation today raided a pub in Balmatta and beat up a group of youngsters who were allegeldy involved in some serious partying. At the time of the attack there were 8 youths belonging to different colleges in the city and four of them were girls. The raiding group found them in a compromising situation and some of them were scarcely clad and were doing nothing short of "nanga Naach" accused Sri Rama Sene district convenor Sudhir. "We did not have any other option but to chase them out of the pub as they appear to have come from good families. When they did not budge they had to beat them out of the pub" he added. The Police squad headed by the Bunder police sub inspector Umesh Shet visited the place and has recorded the events. The inhuman attack on young girls allegedly by Srirama Sene and Bajaranga Dal activists, though not seriously taken by the local authorities yet, has now gained national attention.

Usually only major issues like communal disturbances and international events were seen on the national television channels. But Saturday's attack is now being highlighted on national television.

Times Now ,one of the leading News Channels says in its report that at least two women have been hospitalized and are undergoing treatment. Ten suspected activists of Sri Ram Sene have been taken into custody on charges of assaulting customers of a pub in the busy Balmatta Road in the heart of the city. IGP (Western Range) A M Prasad said the attackers alleged that the pub owner was allowing the boys and girls to dance in an "obscene manner". No damage has been caused to the pub in the incident, he added.

On the other hand, The Sri Rama Sene and the Bajarang Dal have also separately claimed responsibility for the attack. Prasad Attavar, State Deputy Convener of the Sri Ram Sena said that it was a spontaneous reaction against women, who flouted traditional Indian norms of decency.

According to Times Now News Channel, on Saturday evening at around 4 pm, two people approached the front desk of the pub and requested permission to enter the premises. They said that they wanted to see what was going on inside.

Soon, nearly 40 people barged into the pub and targeted a group of five women, who had placed a lunch order. Subsequently, another group attacked three other women in the pub.

Apart from media, women's rights advocacy groups have demanded immediate action against the attackers.

Reacting angrily to this horrifying incident, Women's Rights activist Madhu Kishwar said that the attackers have good political links and are a part of extortionist gang. She went on to add, "The attack is an attempt to spread terror amongst restaurant owners in the city. They cannot just keep expressing their anger over Americanized lifestyle in this manner."

Ranjana Kumar, another Women's Rights activist condemned the attack and strongly said that the men involved in this attack should be charged for assaulting women. She said, "This is an outrageous and a horrible incident. No one has the right to infringe on other's freedom. Such kind of acts is absolutely unacceptable. Those responsible should be immediately arrested and strict action should be taken against them."

"Because these kinds of attackers are let off scot free, such attacks continue all across the country. I don't think these people had any business to get involved in others lives," added the activist.

A Mangalore Girl in Amnesia Pub, "We were Molested in the name of God".

“The entire scene has been playing out in my mind over and over again,” said a woman who was in ‘Amnesia,’ the pub that was attacked by a mob of Sri Ram Sene members on Saturday. She was sitting at the reception counter when the mob entered the compound and was witness to the incident from beginning to end.

She said that before barging into the pub, the mob went into a huddle and prayed silently. They then began raising slogans ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai,’ ‘Jai Sri Ram,’ ‘Bajrang Dal ki Jai’ and ‘Sri Ram Sene ki Jai.’

“We have been molested and humiliated in the name of God and country by people who obviously have no regard for either of the two,” she told The Hindu on Monday.

Around 4 p.m. on January 24, a group of over 40 people, wearing saffron headbands and scarves, came in through the main gate and approached the bouncer of the pub. “They asked to be let in so that they could get everybody out of the joint,” she said. Even as the bouncers negotiated with them at the entrance, the pub’s staff quickly closed the doors, and locked the woman and the bouncers outside.

Hearing the noise, a curious kitchen staffer opened the rear door to see what was happening. The mob seized this opportunity and barged in through the kitchen. The victim too followed the mob indoors through the back door. “Once inside, they went straight for the women guests. They rounded them up at the centre of the dance floor and then started beating them mercilessly,” she said. After the initial beating, some of the assailants began to single out some of them and molested them.

“One of them stripped a girl and groped her. She was also badly beaten up. We are still trying to trace her,” she said. According to her, several girls were targeted similarly. “They were laughing when they were doing all this. It was just fun for them,” she said. The attackers then targeted the men who dared come to the rescue of the girls. The narrator herself was slapped a few times.

What tormented her was the reaction of certain sections of the media. “They arrived on the scene even before the attackers did,” she said, and added, “there was no nude dancing or prostitution going on there as reported.”

She and a few other victims are now trying to form a support group of those who were attacked in the incident. “Some of the women are in shock because of the humiliation they had to face on television,” she said. “We are trying to get professional counsellors for the victims and for their families.”

Asserting her right to frequent the pub, she said, “We will also soon launch a protest on the streets to voice our opposition. We want to tell the world that we will not tolerate the growth of a Taliban-style group in this city.”

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