Hindu Militants Attack Women in Mangalore Pub

http://in.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idINDEL30355620090127?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

Jesse Morales
Blog 2


Recently, women visiting a pub in the Indian city of Mangalore were violently attacked by individuals belonging to a group of militant Hindu activists. This group, called the Sri Ram Sena, concerns itself in part with "trying to safeguard traditional Indian culture" from the Western influence it sees as "polluting".

The city of Mangalore is located in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. This state is currently under the governmental control of a "Hindu-nationalist opposition party", the Bharatiya Janata Party. India's majority Congress party has implicated the BJP in the Mangalore attacks, linking the Sri Ram Sena's Hindu militantism with the BJP's Hindu-nationalism. The BJP, however, denies this, saying that the Sri Ram Sena finds the BJP "too moderate" for its liking. One BJP leader has called the Sri Ram Sena a "damned nuisance".
Still, the implications of the attack on the BJP may harm the party in the upcoming (May 09) elections. Also, the events shed light on the attitudes of some toward increasing Westernization and globalization.


This act of violence was perpetrated by a group of individuals who have certain religious beliefs that they believe ought to be played out socially and politically. These people are trying to conserve their heritage, and are likely alarmed at the unbelievably rapid abandonment of traditional values occurring in their country. To groups like the Sri Ram Sena, women patronizing pubs have become one of many symbols of such change -- sometimes, a symbolic violence may seem warranted. What is a nation to do when its long-held, cherished traditions are being pushed aside by the blitz of progress? It seems to me only natural that some would wish to conserve rootedness in heritage, for fear of the unknown. I cannot say I would not feel/do the same. On the national/international scale, though, many such incidents of violence create an atmosphere of irrationality, fear, and hatred that prevent communication between persons, groups, and nations.