Mangalore Girls Descendents of Rani Abbakka, Not Queen Victoria - Hindu Mahila Vedike

Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (PS)

Mangalore, Aug 8: The members of Jagrutha Hindu Mahila Vedike on Wednesday August 8 staged a protest against drug and sex mafia which they claimed has been prevalent in the city. However, their main focus was on the recent attack on boys and girls at Morning Mist Home Stay in Padil.

The members took out a rally from the taluk office to the DC office where they staged their protest.

Addressing the gathering Vedike convener Srimati Prasanna Ravi said that in the name of freedom youngsters are doing what they want according to their own wishes, which will not be tolerated. She condemned the birthday party at the home stay and said, "Celebrating without family and relatives cannot be called a birthday celebration."

Lamenting that Mangalore has become a place for rich capitalists, she said that this was once a land famous for its culture and religion.

She claimed that following the Mangalore home stay incident, around 2,500 illegal home stays were found in Madikeri (Kodagu district) alone.

She also condemned the student protest that followed the incident and said that it was sad to note that girl students also had joined the agitation.

She pointed out that nobody questions girls who work in BPOs and call centres until midnight and go home, and that such girls have not faced any problems. "But these girls (those at the home stay birthday party) were engaged in illegal activities," she said.

She also questioned the attitude of the so-called intellectuals and said that while they have spoken outrightly on this issue, they kept quiet when a former mayor's son was allegedly involved drug mafia and kidnapping of a girl.

"People enjoying and doing things according to their own wishes will not be tolerated. This is a land of religion and culture. Mangalore women are descendents of Rani Abbakka and not of Queen Victoria," she stressed.

SDM College student Akshata Shetty addressed the protestors and said that celebrating special days like Valentine's Day and Friendship Day is not Indian culture. "Birthday should be celebrated as a festival, as it is 'huttu habba'. What was need for the girls in the home stay to wear such questionable dresses?" she said.

The protestors submitted a memorandum to the DC in which they stated that Dakshina Kannada is district of various communities following their own cultures and lifestyles, and thereby contributing to the overall development of the district. "Large industries, educational institutions and business organizations in this part were known everywhere, but over the past few years there has been an effort to damage the social and cultural fabric of the district by way of setting up spas, massage centres, pubs and home stays which are involved in illegal activities. Girls are being tactfully and stealthily pushed into prostitution," stated the memorandum.

They also alleged that there was hand of the drug mafia behind the death of a Punjabi girl in Balmatta seven years ago, and also raised doubts over the recent suicide of two girls in a college in the city.

"Even in the Morning Mist incident, the boys and girls were not familiar with each other, and hence the involvement of drug mafia cannot be ruled out," the memorandum stated, alleging that even the police department has been ineffective and inactive in dealing with drugs.