MANGALURU: Activists of a pro-Hindutva group in Mangaluru disrupted a farewell party organised by some college students at a pub on Monday night at about 10.30- 11 pm. The attackers numbering about 15 men, mostly in their twenties, claiming to be from the Bajrang Dal forcibly entered the Mangalore Pub `Amnesia- The Lounge,'. It's the same pub that was attacked in 2009 and in a shocking repeat of the 2009 incident, forced those partying inside to leave, claiming that women were partying at the venue and this was a violation of Indian traditional values. They also said alleged that the students indulged in the consumption of drugs and alcohol.
The police inspector Raghavendra and other officers rushed to the spot with a Hoysala mobile team and ensured things did not go out of hand and brought the situation under control.
Sources said a group of about 30 plus final year students, both boys and girls, from nearby colleges were celebrating a party and many of them were visibly drunk when these activists barged in and rudely asked them to leave. The staff who resisted were silenced. Curiously, this is the same pub, where 13 years ago, on 24 January 2009, a mob had similarly attacked the customers and chased them away. The mob in 2009 was from the Srirama Sena.
"Some videos have surfaced where some boys and girls are seen leaving the pub and some men claiming to be belonging to some organizations informed media persons that illegal activities were taking place at the pub and it has to stop," said police commissioner N Shashi Kumar.
When contacted the Mangalore police said they had made no arrests so far because no one had lodged a formal complaint. It may be recalled that in the 2009 pub attack, many of the customers especially women, were roughed up and beaten up, the police had then filed a case. The Mangalore city police had placed a team of police outside the area until very late on Monday night and increased the frequency of patrols through the night to ensure things did not go out of hand. Meanwhile, no case has been registered at the north police station.