Just thugs not moral police

By Abhishek Pandey

On the republic day morning, there was a stark contrast in daily newspapers. On one side, we were going to celebrate the 60th Republic day of India and on the other side the freedom of individuals were hurt by some lumpen goons of Shri Ram Sene in Mangalore district of Karnataka. The incident took place on the eve of Republic day in Amnesia pub, where some party lovers were enjoying their evening in the pub’s lounge. Guests were attacked by self-claimed moral police and activists of Shri Ram Sene. Activists of the sene claimed that girls were drinking alcohol, wearing indecent dresses and indulging in vulgar activities. They said that it was against their culture (Indian culture) and they would not allow girls to visit pubs and bars. It was awful, shameful and blot on a republic and democratic nation.

They are not custodians but just thugs. Even if they were doing so who gave them power to correct the situation and take the laws in their hands. They say that they are representative of Indian and Hindu religion. Who gave them the post of custodians on behalf of India or Hindu religion? If they are talking that pub culture is neither belongs to India or Hinduism. They must have forgotten the visuals of our religious serial on our mythological epics in which Inder and other Devtas drink som rasa (wine) and enjoy the dances of apsaras. I think that Indians are pioneers of the pub culture. But molesting, pulling up helpless girls’ hair and beating them up are absolutely no where in the Hindu religion or in the Indian culture. This is the high time for the extremist to stop invading the privacy of individuals otherwise they will face the music.

Our system has collapsed everywhere in tackling against extremists be it against Raj Thakrey and his goons in Mumbai or against Bajrang Dal in Orissa, Karnataka and MP. This time Shri Ram sene has challenged the system again and let see, what would be the response of the government this time. Comments from the senior political leaders like Union health minister, Ambumani Ramdoss, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gahlot, Karnataka CM BS Yedurappa and others on the sensitive issues like this should not directly or indirectly hail or justify the deeds of law-breakers. The response from the political parties and their leaders is also not praise-worthy.

If going to pub is allowed to men then for what reasons the girls and women are not allowed. It is the hypocrisy of these lunatic fringes. They don’t care about the Indian culture; even they don’t know what it is. Molesting women in public places is not Indian culture and never, it was. Violence and intolerance is not Indian culture. They must turn back few pages of history to learn something about our culture from Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi. It is the absolute violation of human rights of the girls and women. State government must take stern steps to stop these incidents in future. Not only the perpetrators of the incident but also their political bosses, should be punished for Talibanising the country and breaking the law. Otherwise, what would be difference between us and Taliban, which is ruling in Afghanistan and in the North- West frontier areas of Pakistan, where girls are not allowed to even go to schools and their human rights are in danger because of fatwa issued by some mullah. We are living in a democratic nation and Government should make sure this time that it will not let this happen again in our ‘cultured’ society called India.

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