We Want Our Freedom! Girls & Boys Complain to Police Commissioner on ‘Moral Policing’!
We Want Our Freedom! Girls & Boys belonging to various colleges in Mangaluru Complain to Police Commissioner T R Suresh on ‘Moral Policing’!
Mangaluru: It is very sad to note that Mangaluru is always in the headline news in the Media about Moral Policing, either a Hindu girl seen with a Muslim Boy at a mall or on street being attacked by saffron activists; or a Hindu girl seen in the company of a Christian youth. But why such Moral Policing happening ONLY in Mangaluru, when we don’t much of these stories in metro cities like Bengaluru, Mysuru- and for that matter, even in Goa. Why are our law enforcement authorities taking easy on all these saffron outfits. This serious issue is not a recent one, because Moral Policing has been taking place in Mangaluru for last so many years. We had Police Commissioners, Police Superintendents, DySp’s, ACP’s and other top ranking police authorities taking charge in Mangaluru, and every time they are in office they had promised that Moral Policing will end under their tenure- but ALL IN VAIN! These high ranking police officials come and get transfer- and sadly Moral Policing still continues in Kudla, a peace loving Coastal Town haunted by a few hate mongers!
“Whatever is being done by the Hindu fundamentalist groups is now being imitated by other groups,” says social activist Vidya Dinker. “You scratch the surface and they are all thinking along the same communal lines and this mistrust of the other. This mistrust has been growing for so long that it’s also there within every home and that is the danger.” Secular activists like Dinker and few others, who have been trying to fight Hindutva influence and violence in Mangaluru for years, are now noticing that the minority communities are now marching out their own moral brigades. Earlier, while there was the BJP government in the state, the Hindu moral police were out in full force. Now since Siddaramaiah has come as Chief Minister we are seeing the Muslim moral police too! So the question arise is that “Will there be a end to Moral Policing in Mangaluru?”
Yes we all know India is a democratic country. Despite all this Moral Policing, boys and girls are more open now than a decade ago. Girls have more male friends now. Young people are not afraid of going to restaurants, ice cream parlours or movies with their colleagues and classmates. But sadly, many who have a choice move out of the city. “I would not like to go back to Mangaluru,” had said a young entrepreneur who had his business in Mangaluru, who now runs his own event management company in Bengaluru. “Nowadays, none of my friends are back home either. Everyone wants to move out to Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai or abroad.” he had said. And that’s true- and thanks to Moral Policing and activities of all these saffron outfits.
Recently there was an incident where a young girl from a different community being in the company with a boy of different caste in a car late night were way laid by few guys on bikes, and assaulted. Few days ago, a boy and girl belonging to different communities seen walking in a mall were confronted by a few Muslim youth. So why are these Hindus and Muslim miscreants targeting young boys and girls, when they see them together in public. Does any law say that a boy and girl belonging to different faiths can’t walk together? Then why all this bossism by these losers aka activists-who have nothing else to do than create trouble. Either get a job or just leave these youth, both boys and girls alone. They have their parents to take care and keep an eye on them- they don’t need strangers to boss them and be like their “Step Parents??”
Everyone knows about the famous January 24, 2009 incident, where young women in a pub were attacked by members of a group called the Sri Ram Sena (SRS). They claimed that women drinking in a pub was not part of ‘Indian Tradition’. The attack was carried out after TV cameramen were called to cover it. The incident got wide publicity in the media for a variety of reasons. Unfortunately, the media attention tended to sensationalise the news and got diverted into the pros and cons of pub culture, whether women should drink or not and so on. The fact of the violence against women in this case and the connections to other forms of violence and policing were absent. The issue thus got diluted, the accused got acquitted and the media made TRP through sensationalising all of this.
The discussion about modernity and tradition, western culture and eastern values, liberty and limits has still continues and has been taken to new heights in the past few months. Self-proclaimed defenders of culture and tradition have sought to outline a woman’s ‘place’ in the society. There were a series of incidents reporting violence against women in Mangaluru before and after the attack on women in the pub. Women were attacked whether alone or with men, in pubs or on the streets using public transport or traveling in their own cars. The attacks seemed to be based on an assumption that these women were ‘outsiders’ corrupting the other big cities in India.
With a strong motto of “Enough is Enough”, a bunch of girls from various reputed Colleges in City, escorted by their boys college mates decided to meet the Police Commissioner T R Suresh, and handed over a memorandum to him, kindly requesting him to stop Moral Policing in Mangaluru. Around twenty youth, both boys and girls met the Commissioner personally in his office and expressed their grievances and fear of walking and living in the City. In response the Police Commissioner said, ” My request to you youngsters is that don’t stay out late at night. with your companions of opposite sex. You are automatically calling for trouble from these so called Moral Police activists. And if you happen to go or stay out late night, inform us and we will provide police security so that you reach home safely. That’s the best I can do for you. I also assure you that anyone takes law in their own hands will be prosecuted severely as per law. We are here to protect you”.
A young bank employee, Sathish who was one among the youngsters who met the commissioner speaking to Team Mangalorean said, ” Moral Policing is not right in this present generation. Times have changed, so the police authorities and the govt should put a stop to Moral Policing. No one should tell us what to do, and what not to do. The saffron activists are making a difference between human beings. Why are we youngsters different from others? India is a democratic country, and we too have our own freedom. These trouble makers should be educated first, no matter what. And those who are fighting to stop Moral Policing should be appreciated for their acts and courage, and not punished by police for doing so. We will raise our voice until Moral Policing is stopped”
Sushma, Janet, Naseema, Shalini, Susan- students from different colleges also speaking said, ” Why do we need a curfew? We know our limits, and our parents know where we are and with whom we are. Who are these people to act like Moral Police and boss over us and monitor our movements. These goons always say they want o protect us, but it always turns out to be the other way. We all get assaulted or abused. We don’t want to live in fear and go out in fear. This is a educational hub, many students come from other states-they too don’t want to live in fear. Let Mangaluru be like other Indian cities where Moral Policing don’t exist. Our humble request and plea to our law enforcement officials is that ‘Save and protect us from the so called Moral Police. We don’t need strangers to parent us, we have our birth given parents to take care of us. We also request the citizens to join in our fight for justice”
TOMORROW, 14 FEBRUARY (VALENTINE’S DAY) A LARGE GROUP OF YOUNGSTERS HAVE DECIDED TO HAVE A PEACEFUL PROTEST NEAR LIGHTHOUSE HILL MOSQUE AT 4 PM TO RAISE A VOICE TO STOP MORAL POLICING. . MEDIA IS KINDLY REQUESTED TO JOIN, ALONG WITH CITIZENS ON MANGALURU. JOIN THE PROTEST IN LARGE NUMBERS
