1
FEAR IS THE KEY Over 300 cases of vigilante attacks have been reported from Mangalore and other coastal towns in the last three years. The usual suspects are you-know- who, and as M Raghuram writes, political designs lie at the root of these activities his happened in February 2009.Five students of a local flight attendant course were on a trip to Puttur to survey the potential of taluk level towns in the local, national and in- ternational routes of airlines flying from Mangalore airport. The day was hot, and once they arrived at Puttur close to noon, they decided to cool it off at an ice cream parlour in the heart of the town. As they settled down and placed the or- ders, two of the youngsters — a man, Jose and a woman, Mridula — broke into their usual banter. When the orders arrived, the at- tendant brusquely asked the group to rush it up and scoot. Initially, they thought the parlour probably want- ed to accommodate more cus- tomers. But when they looked around and found most tables still unoccupied, they sought more time. Before they could argue it out, a group of 10 men barged in. They dragged four of the youngsters out, and beat up the fifth black and blue. “They mistook me to be a Muslim since I had a goatee. Jose and Mridu- la tried to escape, but were caught and pushed on to the dusty road. They even told us why we were be- ing beaten up. They wanted to know how I had dared to escort a Hindu girl. But when I said that my name was Santhosh and that we were on an academic tour, they pushed us into the corner of a shop and disap- peared,” recollects the fifth. Three years later, Santhosh has a secure job with a ticketing compa- ny in Bangalore. But he hasn’t for- gotten the horror, and is yet to un- derstand why he and his friends were assaulted. The unwarranted, surprise attack on Santhosh and his friends was not an isolated incident. Over 300 cases of vigilantism have been reported in Mangalore and surrounding areas over the last three years. Boys and girls have been attacked in coffee shops, ice cream parlours, pubs, dis- cotheques, college campuses, and even on the streets. Vigilantes have even beaten up brothers and sisters mistaking them for lovers belonging to different faiths. Cases have been filed against attackers, and many of them dismissed as ‘small disputes’. Every time a vigilante attack is re- ported, the names of Bajrang Dal, Hindu Jagarana Vedike, Sri Rama Sene, and other Hindu fringe groups inevitably crop up. It is true that in most of the incidents, these organi- sations were involved. Yet, there have been unreported cases where rowdy elements took over and un- leashed terror in the name of vigi- lante groups. It is not just vigilantism of the faith kind, but of the ideology kind too. Vigilantes in their recent avatar have started objecting to women visiting shops and establishments run by other faiths. Just a few days back over 30 Bajrang Dal men ac- companied by the all-female vigi- lante group Durga Vahini surround- ed a Roxx premium ice cream par- lour and objected to the owners al- lowing women to smoke and freely move around with men inside the establishment. Though they did not attack or physically handle the men and women, the police were urged to evict the youngsters. The police could not find a case, and the lot were allowed to go free. For Prasanna Ravi, an activist of the vigilante Jagruta Mahila Vedike, it is all about moral corruption be- ing perpetrated on the youth by out- siders. “The law enforcing machin- ery should act either on their own or by stimulation from groups like ours. Our social values are being eroded due to the lax upbringing of youngsters by liberal parents. They give money to their children gener- ously after paying their fees, taking care of their food and transporta- tion; and their entertainment part is taken care of with this pocket mon- ey. Our city has many educational institutions that have students from all over the country and even abroad. These students have enough money to spend on entertainment as they wish. This freewheeling spending is emulated by our local youngsters.” Moral policing, in other words. Liberal thinkers do not accept such arguments. They believe vigi- lantism is nothing but a political de- sign that the Sangh Parivar has been weaving around society to make the Hindu political movement stronger. Argues Patrick D’Sa, state president of the People’s Union for Civil Lib- erties (PUCL) , “Their argument is weak, and their ideology misplaced. In Mangalore it had also fallen into wrong hands. Most vigilantes have prior police records, many are dis- gruntled elements. They work on short-term ends, and I am sure they are deriving their sustenance from their political masters. It is a sinister design — that is what it is.” Former judge MF Saldanha, who has been a keen watcher of devel- opments in the region and vehe- ment in his arguments on the growth of vigilantism in the coastal areas, argues, “We do not know how far this is going to damage our social fabric. It is the emergence of new ex- tra-constitutional forces that will subjugate constitutional forces and take over the system.” Saldanha goes on to make a point, “Let us not forget the Khap declara- tions up North. Something like that will one day happen in our own backyard too, and there will be no constitutional force to protect our rights. All these pseudo-nationalis- tic drives and campaigns are noth- ing but attempts to cartelise the youth in the garb of nationalism. This is what happened in Nazi Ger- many under the Third Reich, and in New York during the Great Depres- sion.” Ominous portents. The result is palpable fear, espe- cially among parents. Prakash Nayak, father of a victim of the infa- mous pub attack of 2009, says, “In this struggle (between liberals and hardliners), we fear a lot for the safe- ty of our youngsters. Vigilantism lures those who are less motivated or could not achieve anything. Many of them are school dropouts. How is it that they come and teach morals to our children who are in profes- sional or postgraduation courses?” Liberal thinkers also raise the question of vigilante groups using nationalism as a façade. Santhosh Menezes recollects an incident of bullying. “I was travelling from Nan- toor to Mahaveera circle the other day when I noticed a few saffron- clad youngsters collecting donations up ahead. When my turn came, they looked at my car and demanded 500. When asked why, one irate youngster said it was towards mem- bership of a vigilante group. He flashed me his membership card. The membership of course came with fringe benefits like a ‘hafta’ in the form of free lunch at eateries managed by owners of minority communities.” Once Menezes emerged from the blockade, after having refused to pay up, some of the youths followed him on motorcycles, abusing and threat- ening him all the way. Official records beg a different sto- ry. Only 120 vigilantes are said to be “active” in Mangalore. They are some more in Puttur, Buntwal, Udupi and Kundapur. If police fig- ures are to be believed, only 120-odd people are holding a five lakh pop- ulation hostage. Police sources says there are only 65 persons who are still left in vigilante activities in Mangalore. Many of them go out of field once they cross the age of 30, says a former vigilante Praveen. Something is amiss here, needless to say. But what is not, is the fear fac- tor. It is all-pervading. [email protected] T Vigilantism can be of two types: political and social, Usually, the former type comes into light only when there are elections approaching. The vigilante groups take up ‘stirring the sentiments’ of voters of a particular religion or faith, trying to give an impression that there are groups to take care of them from the ‘oppression of minorities’. This is false, since no minority can oppress majority communities. This is a convenient lie that political parties, which nourish vigilantism in society, hide behind in times of elections. The second vigilantism is of the sociological type. Here also many falsities are perpetrated, such as certain groups of people trying to corrupt young people of a majority community,. In case of the Roxx ice cream parlour incident, though the groups brought the police to the spot, the police themselves had no business to take the girls to the police station when they knew that there was no case against them. In fact, in this case the vigilante groups had done more damage to the girls and their image than anything else. The voice of dissent against vigilantism of any kind has died down to a whisper. A city and district that boasts of 100 per cent literacy should do more than just whisper about such atrocities. What is still worse is the role played by the police during such incidents. Their actions state that they are being tutored by ‘some forces’ to go soft on vigilantism in Mangalore. IN THE WORDS OF PROF MARILYN MARTIS, SOCIOLOGIST AND FEMINIST... Protesters battle with the police in Mangalore. They were protesting attacks on churches and prayer halls by Bajrang Dal activists on September 15, 2008. —DNA (From left to right) Sri Ram Sene members assaulting guests at a pub in Mangalore. The vigilantes claimed they were “protecting Indian values”; a church in Mangalore that was vandalised; college students protesting against the Mangalore pub attack —DNA Policemen cane activists protesting against vigilante attacks —DNA 4 BANGALORE WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2013 epaper.dnaindia.com l www.dnaindia.com l facebook.com/dnaindia l twitter.com/dna l dnaindia.com/mobile DEEP FOCUS All these pseudo- nationalistic campaigns are nothing but attempts to cartelise the youth in the garb of nationalism —MF Saldanha, former judge and observer of coastal politics NO LET-UP January 24, 2009: Sri Ram Sene vigilantes attack Amnesia pub in Balmatta, beating up girls. This attack was the first one among numerous which made international headlines. February 6, 2009: Students of a flight attendant course in Mangalore attacked in Puttur. April 28, 2012: Mangalore college bans burqa for Muslim girls, but later retracts order and imposes uniform. First attempt in Mangalore to ban all religious dresses in campus. July 29, 2012: 50 members of Hindu Jagarana Vedike attack a homestay in Mangalore called Morning Mist; molest young women, beat up men, and damage property. January 30, 2013: Bajrang Dal and its women’s wing Durga Vahini bring police to Roxx ice cream parlour and music lounge alleging young women there were being induced into drugs and sex.

Fear is the key

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

Over 300 cases of vigilante attacks have been reported from Mangalore and other coastal towns in the last three years. The usual suspects are you-know-who, and as M Raghuram writes, political designs lie at the root of these activities.

Citation preview

Page 1: Fear is the key

FEAR IS THE KEYOver 300 cases

of vigilanteattacks have

been reportedfrom

Mangalore andother coastaltowns in the

last three years.The usual

suspects areyou-know-

who, and as M Raghuram

writes, politicaldesigns lie at

the root ofthese activities

his happened in February 2009.Fivestudents of a local flight attendantcourse were on a trip to Puttur tosurvey the potential of taluk leveltowns in the local, national and in-ternational routes of airlines flyingfrom Mangalore airport.

The day was hot, and once theyarrived at Puttur close to noon, theydecided to cool it off at an ice creamparlour in the heart of the town. Asthey settled down and placed the or-ders, two of the youngsters — a man,Jose and a woman, Mridula — brokeinto their usual banter.

When the orders arrived, the at-tendant brusquely asked the groupto rush it up and scoot. Initially, theythought the parlour probably want-ed to accommodate more cus-tomers. But when they lookedaround and found most tables stillunoccupied, they sought more time.

Before they could argue it out, agroup of 10 men barged in. Theydragged four of the youngsters out,and beat up the fifth black and blue.“They mistook me to be a Muslimsince I had a goatee. Jose and Mridu-la tried to escape, but were caughtand pushed on to the dusty road.They even told us why we were be-ing beaten up. They wanted to knowhow I had dared to escort a Hindugirl. But when I said that my namewas Santhosh and that we were onan academic tour, they pushed usinto the corner of a shop and disap-peared,” recollects the fifth.

Three years later, Santhosh has asecure job with a ticketing compa-ny in Bangalore. But he hasn’t for-gotten the horror, and is yet to un-derstand why he and his friendswere assaulted.

The unwarranted, surprise attackon Santhosh and his friends was notan isolated incident. Over 300 casesof vigilantism have been reported inMangalore and surrounding areasover the last three years. Boys andgirls have been attacked in coffeeshops, ice cream parlours, pubs, dis-cotheques, college campuses, andeven on the streets. Vigilantes haveeven beaten up brothers and sistersmistaking them for lovers belongingto different faiths. Cases have beenfiled against attackers, and many ofthem dismissed as ‘small disputes’.

Every time a vigilante attack is re-ported, the names of Bajrang Dal,Hindu Jagarana Vedike, Sri RamaSene, and other Hindu fringe groupsinevitably crop up. It is true that inmost of the incidents, these organi-sations were involved. Yet, therehave been unreported cases whererowdy elements took over and un-leashed terror in the name of vigi-lante groups.

It is not just vigilantism of thefaith kind, but of the ideology kindtoo. Vigilantes in their recent avatarhave started objecting to womenvisiting shops and establishmentsrun by other faiths. Just a few daysback over 30 Bajrang Dal men ac-companied by the all-female vigi-lante group Durga Vahini surround-ed a Roxx premium ice cream par-

lour and objected to the owners al-lowing women to smoke and freelymove around with men inside theestablishment.

Though they did not attack orphysically handle the men andwomen, the police were urged toevict the youngsters. The policecould not find a case, and the lotwere allowed to go free.

For Prasanna Ravi, an activist ofthe vigilante Jagruta Mahila Vedike,it is all about moral corruption be-ing perpetrated on the youth by out-siders. “The law enforcing machin-ery should act either on their ownor by stimulation from groups likeours. Our social values are beingeroded due to the lax upbringing ofyoungsters by liberal parents. Theygive money to their children gener-ously after paying their fees, takingcare of their food and transporta-tion; and their entertainment part istaken care of with this pocket mon-ey. Our city has many educational

institutions that have students fromall over the country and even abroad.These students have enough moneyto spend on entertainment as theywish. This freewheeling spendingis emulated by our local youngsters.”Moral policing, in other words.

Liberal thinkers do not acceptsuch arguments. They believe vigi-lantism is nothing but a political de-sign that the Sangh Parivar has beenweaving around society to make theHindu political movement stronger.Argues Patrick D’Sa, state presidentof the People’s Union for Civil Lib-erties (PUCL) , “Their argument isweak, and their ideology misplaced.In Mangalore it had also fallen intowrong hands. Most vigilantes haveprior police records, many are dis-gruntled elements. They work onshort-term ends, and I am sure theyare deriving their sustenance fromtheir political masters. It is a sinisterdesign — that is what it is.”

Former judge MF Saldanha, who

has been a keen watcher of devel-opments in the region and vehe-ment in his arguments on thegrowth of vigilantism in the coastalareas, argues, “We do not know howfar this is going to damage our socialfabric. It is the emergence of new ex-tra-constitutional forces that willsubjugate constitutional forces andtake over the system.”

Saldanha goes on to make a point,“Let us not forget the Khap declara-tions up North. Something like thatwill one day happen in our ownbackyard too, and there will be noconstitutional force to protect ourrights. All these pseudo-nationalis-tic drives and campaigns are noth-ing but attempts to cartelise theyouth in the garb of nationalism.This is what happened in Nazi Ger-many under the Third Reich, and inNew York during the Great Depres-sion.” Ominous portents.

The result is palpable fear, espe-cially among parents. Prakash

Nayak, father of a victim of the infa-mous pub attack of 2009, says, “Inthis struggle (between liberals andhardliners), we fear a lot for the safe-ty of our youngsters. Vigilantismlures those who are less motivatedor could not achieve anything. Manyof them are school dropouts. How isit that they come and teach moralsto our children who are in profes-sional or postgraduation courses?”

Liberal thinkers also raise thequestion of vigilante groups usingnationalism as a façade. SanthoshMenezes recollects an incident ofbullying. “I was travelling from Nan-toor to Mahaveera circle the otherday when I noticed a few saffron-clad youngsters collecting donationsup ahead. When my turn came, theylooked at my car and demanded‘500. When asked why, one irateyoungster said it was towards mem-bership of a vigilante group. Heflashed me his membership card.The membership of course camewith fringe benefits like a ‘hafta’ inthe form of free lunch at eateriesmanaged by owners of minoritycommunities.”

Once Menezes emerged from theblockade, after having refused to payup, some of the youths followed himon motorcycles, abusing and threat-ening him all the way.

Official records beg a different sto-ry. Only 120 vigilantes are said to be“active” in Mangalore. They aresome more in Puttur, Buntwal,Udupi and Kundapur. If police fig-ures are to be believed, only 120-oddpeople are holding a five lakh pop-ulation hostage. Police sources saysthere are only 65 persons who arestill left in vigilante activities inMangalore. Many of them go out offield once they cross the age of 30,says a former vigilante Praveen.

Something is amiss here, needlessto say. But what is not, is the fear fac-tor. It is all-pervading.

[email protected]

T

Vigilantism can be of two types:political and social, Usually, theformer type comes into light onlywhen there are electionsapproaching. The vigilante groupstake up ‘stirring the sentiments’ ofvoters of a particular religion orfaith, trying to give an impressionthat there are groups to take care ofthem from the ‘oppression ofminorities’. This is false, since nominority can oppress majoritycommunities. This is a convenient liethat political parties, which nourishvigilantism in society, hide behind intimes of elections.

The second vigilantism is of thesociological type. Here also manyfalsities are perpetrated, such ascertain groups of people trying tocorrupt young people of a majority

community,. In case of the Roxx icecream parlour incident, though thegroups brought the police to thespot, the police themselves had nobusiness to take the girls to thepolice station when they knew thatthere was no case against them. Infact, in this case the vigilante groupshad done more damage to the girlsand their image than anything else.

The voice of dissent againstvigilantism of any kind has dieddown to a whisper. A city and districtthat boasts of 100 per cent literacyshould do more than just whisperabout such atrocities. What is stillworse is the role played by the policeduring such incidents. Their actionsstate that they are being tutored by‘some forces’ to go soft onvigilantism in Mangalore.

IN THE WORDS OF PROF MARILYN MARTIS,SOCIOLOGIST AND FEMINIST...

Protesters battle withthe police in Mangalore.They were protestingattacks on churches andprayer halls by BajrangDal activists onSeptember 15, 2008.

—DNA

(From left to right) SriRam Sene membersassaulting guests at apub in Mangalore. Thevigilantes claimed theywere “protecting Indianvalues”; a church inMangalore that wasvandalised; collegestudents protestingagainst the Mangalorepub attack —DNA

Policemen cane activists protesting against vigilante attacks —DNA

4 BANGALORE WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2013

epaper.dnaindia.coml www.dnaindia.com l facebook.com/dnaindia

l twitter.com/dna l dnaindia.com/mobileDEEP FOCUS

All these pseudo-nationalisticcampaigns are

nothing but attemptsto cartelise the youthin the garb ofnationalism—MF Saldanha, former judge and

observer of coastal politics

NO LET-UPJanuary 24, 2009: Sri RamSene vigilantes attack Amnesiapub in Balmatta, beating up girls.This attack was the first oneamong numerous which madeinternational headlines.

February 6, 2009: Students ofa flight attendant course inMangalore attacked in Puttur.

April 28, 2012: Mangalorecollege bans burqa for Muslimgirls, but later retracts order andimposes uniform. First attempt inMangalore to ban all religiousdresses in campus.

July 29, 2012: 50 members ofHindu Jagarana Vedike attack ahomestay in Mangalore calledMorning Mist; molest youngwomen, beat up men, anddamage property.

January 30, 2013: Bajrang Daland its women’s wing DurgaVahini bring police to Roxx icecream parlour and music loungealleging young women there werebeing induced into drugs and sex.