Yes, it has happened again. In a shocking instance of moral policing, activists of Hindu Jagarana Vedike (HJV) took law into their hands and brutally attacked some young people, including innocent females, who were just celebrating a birthday bash of one of their friends at ' Morning Mist ', a private resort located in the outskirts of Mangalore. This incident is just an reminiscent of a similar attack by 'Sri Rama Sene' activists on "Amnesia', a Mangalore pub on January 24, 2009, which had received widespread condemnation across the country, and the government had promised stern action and measures to prevent a recurrence. This 2009 pub incident was termed by the former Union Minister Renuka Choudhary as "Talibanization of India". Even government leaders promised to take stringent action against the assailants, but all the government has done is to say the " law will take its course". Obviously, not enough had been done, and the attackers of the same trend have struck again.

Mangalore have been noticing these malicious acts of the so called 'Moral Police' for the last few years, and it seems like there is no end to it. And the funny part of all these attacks is that, the ' Moral Police' inform a bunch of media/TV folks well in advance so that their acts are covered live on television channels. More over, these ' Moral Police' not only claim responsibility, but also justify their acts. Sometimes even leaders with political backgrounds are also involved in such incidents, and they feel proud of their involvement. These ' Moral Police' claim themselves as radical Hindu activists, with their leaders positioning themselves as zealous custodians of 'Hindu Religion' and 'Culture', and their cadres as valiant foot soldiers.

In their other own words, these 'moral police' activists, will not hesitate to assault people. molest and hurt women, vandalize property, destroy artistic expressions and religious sentiments, separate mixed religion couples (in general, interfere violently) to implement their hardline 'hindutva agenda'. Their professional calling card is violence justified by a puritanical , spitfire morality. Moreover these ' Moral Police' consider women drinking and making merry publicly as 'indecent behaviour' and more importantly' an insult to Hindu culture and tradition'. How a group of adult youngsters celebrate an occasion is best left to their conscience and their parents. Nobody has the right to take law into their hands. What kind of society are we living in to obey and respect the laws of these 'Moral Police'.?

Regarding the 2009 pub incident in Mangalore, there are nearly 133 videos that show up on YouTube when you search for 'Mangalore pub attacks'. Over 300,000 people have viewed the first video. Put in the same query on Google and 69,000 websites pop up in a fraction of a second. The footage had sparked outrage. Even French, Russian, German TV channel producers had dispatched their correspondents to ground zero. Even producer of the renowned TV talk-show, 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' had called in asking for the footage. And now, we have yet another resort attack incident which has already made into YouTube, and other media sources Nationally and Internationally. Its really a shame that a decent and quiet City like Mangalore is losing its good image through these petty incidents created by a petty 'Taliban' style group.

The impunity with which attackers entered a Home Stay in the recent incident speaks in volumes of their disdain for the law. It's imperative the government sends a strong message that won't be tolerated. Let's hope at least this time our government will initiate some stringent action against these lawbreakers and punish them severely. Last time when there was a attack on guys and girls at a Mangalore pub in 2009, I was in Chicago suburbs, USA and had watched the complete episode of the attacks on YouTube and other media sources. But this time, when the atrocities on young revelers who were having a birthday bash, took place at a 'Home stay ' resort near Padil, I watched the incident live on television, when me and my friends were also celebrating a birthday bash of one of our chums at ' G6- Music Cafe ', a cozy and trendy pub in Mangalore City which caters to music and food lovers.

Watching all that hoopla on the TV, we were all kind of nervous and wondering as to what if the attackers also decide to storm into 'G6-Music Cafe'. So while we were deciding  to shift our party to a different location, one member among us suggested saying, "Let's go either to Hotel Gold Finch Pub or Hotel Moti Mahal Pub. No attackers have the guts to enter these two establishments, since they are owned by powerful and influential persons ??". Oh well, that figures out the business gimmick in Mangalore -- you have money and power, you are safe to operate your business smoothly without any hassles in the City. Anyways, we all decided to take our party spree to yet another of our favorite pub at Moti Mahal. The party went on smoothly, and the night wound up without any untoward incident. But we all still felt pity for the fun loving innocent revelers who all got beaten up at ' Morning Mist Home Stay ', just because they were having some fun, which some goons were jealous of, that's it! To these innocent victims, I feel sorry, and only hope that justice will be served, and they will be all glad and relieved of their trauma and fear, soon.

After the recent incident, Mangalore which was once a peaceful and respectful coastal town is all now shaken and stirred, thanks to the chaotic behaviours of some unworthy goons. At the moment Mangaloreans , especially youngsters are reluctant to step into establishments to have some social time. Parents residing outside Mangalore are planning on not sending their kids to one of India's largest educational hub (Mangalore) for higher studies, because they are not willing to put their loved ones in any risky situations. Business developers have already started thinking twice or thrice before they decide to start a new venture in this growing City. If the young citizens of Mangalore are prevented from having a social time or a bash at a pub or other part destinations, by some goondas, where else they are suppose to have a get-together? Probably the safest place to have a peaceful and fun - full event is to take a rocket journey to the 'Moon', where there are no HJV aliens out there? - I guess!

The latest violent attack on a group of guys, and especially girls, at a private resort  by activists of the self-styled HJV who could not countenance such innocent revelry is to be condemned in the most unambiguous terms. Ostensibly carried out to protect the ''morals'' of society and the ''honour'' of the women involved, the invocation of Hindu religion to justify the mob violence that included beating up the women and sexually molesting them is an act that ironically sullied the 'very idea' of India celebrating its 66 Independence in just few days. After every major terrorist attack in India, including the Mumbai attack of November 26, 2008, it is reiterated that what is being threatened is the 'idea' of India and the values it embodies.

While India, includes the idea of commitment to liberal, secular principles and respect for the spirit and letter of the law of the land, its sad to note that - the idea of India was attacked from within - by one fringe of its own citizens. However what is encouraging is the fact that all the major political parties and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - led government in Bangalore have distanced themselves from this dastardly act and the perpetrators have been arrested .Although the CM and other leaders of the BJP run government have promised severe action against the miscreants, we will have to wait and see if those promises will be put into action- which will eventually be  another story to be seen to be believed.

What remains to be monitored by civil society is the speed and determination with which this act of pre-meditated violence is prosecuted and the degree to which the punishment awarded will serve as a deterrent to those of similar persuasion. HJV  in one of its recent press meet has even gone to the extent of threatening similar action in the future if such acts - that is women going to pubs - is repeated. Thus the gauntlet has been thrown to the Indian state and civil society - in Karnataka in the first instance. Will there be an approach of appeasement and obfuscation, as has happened in the past in Karnataka and elsewhere when faced with similar militant majoritarianism seeking shelter under distorted Hindu ideology? Karnataka and Orissa have been under a cloud after the attacks on Christians in 2008 and it is a matter of shame that the law has been applied diffidently and selectively in defending the values associated with a secular India.

The discourse in Indian politics and its correlation with the polity has been one of soft appeasement of one cross-section of the majority sentiment that is deliberately stoked. The objective is to obtain short-term political advantage and this malaise goes back to the Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi years when Sikh and Muslim sentiment was deliberately manipulated.. Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of non-violence and communal harmony, had once famously noted that those who blindly insist that politics and religion be kept totally apart understood neither religion nor politics. The essence of the Gandhian prescription that the founding fathers, was that one could be a staunch and steadfast Hindu/Muslim/Christian or of any other religious denomination without distorting the practice of normative politics predicated on true and inclusive nationalism.

So why is that young people are attacked at pubs or any other party destinations by the hardcore activists. I guess, part of the reason is that the state and civil society does not take heed of the impending danger at the appropriate time. Mangalore with its glaring gender-cum- religious overtones is a similar warning and the need to firmly quarantine this misplaced fervour cannot be brushed aside as a minor transgression. May God bless us and protect us all from jealous 'Moral Police' and their atrocities, that is all we can ask for now.