Mangalore, India - The young customers at Amnesia: The Lounge were enjoying a Saturday afternoon of drinking and dancing in one of the hippest spots in the city of Mangalore when a mob of 40 Hindu radicals barged in.
The activists from Sri Ram Sena (SRS) – or Lord Ram’s Army – screamed abuse and attacked several dozen men and women, mostly students, and smashed up the bar.
They chased the girls into the street, slapping them, pulling their hair and pushing at least two to the ground. The incident was recorded on CCTV.
Their reason? “We are the custodians of Indian culture,” said Pramod Mutalik, the founder of SRS, who claimed responsibility for the assault.
The incident, which was broadcast across India, was one of many recent cases of Hindu moral policing that has also focused on Valentine’s Day, kissing in Bollywood films and cheer-leaders at cricket matches.
The attack shocked middle-class India and prompted one Government minister to decry the “Talebanisation” of the country. It has also brought attention to the links between violent Hindu militants and the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
BJP leaders have denounced the attack and distanced themselves from the SRS. “It is an unacceptable act of hooliganism,” said Rajnath Singh, the leader of the BJP. “Strong action will be taken against the guilty.”
Critics, however, said that the attack was possible only because the BJP controlled the state government in Karnataka, where Mangalore is located, and accused the party of trying to mobilise the Hindu nationalist vote.
Renuka Chowdhury, the Minister for Women and Child Development, called for the SRS and its supporters to be banned from taking part in national elections, which are due by May. “This is Talebanisation of India – it will not be tolerated,” she said.
The attack comes two months after an Indian army officer was arrested for alleged involvement in a bomb attack by Hindu extremists in western India in September. Hindu radicals were also accused of killing 67 Christians last year in the eastern state of Orissa, which is controlled by the BJP.
The BJP government in Karnataka has been criticised for doing nothing to stop the attack on the bar.On Monday a national outcry prompted police to arrest 20 of the 40 alleged attackers but SRS leaders continued to claim credit for the attack.
Seven more suspects, including the group’s founder, Mr Mutalik, were arrested yesterday after public pressure.
B. S. Yeddyurappa, the chief minister in Karnataka, denied showing leniency towards the SRS. “We will take strong action against the antisocial elements irrespective of their religious or political affiliations,” he said.
Mr Mutalik remained defiant when he was arrested on suspicion of provocation with intent to cause riot. “Dancing in the nude and taking drugs is wrong. Our action was aimed at protecting women,” he said.“In our culture, we respect and salute women and give them the status of mother.”