The weekend saw an unfortunate incident in Mangalore in which a self-appointed vigilante group raided a private party held at a homestay.
One wouldn't have imagined that a small gathering of friends would hit headlines within minutes of their meeting. But the shocking turn of events where girls and boys were unnecessarily manhandled for no fault of theirs has raised many eyebrows, and criticism has been pouring in from all sections of the society.
The youngistan of Bangalore is definitely not taking the incident lightly and almost unanimously, they have condemned the incident. One of the major questions raised by all of them was: "Where was the moral in all the moral policing?" Not only did the incident show the youngsters in bad light, but it also showed how people can get away by taking law in their own hands.
Zubin Warrier, a final-year student of VSMAerospace, says that the authorities have to ensure more protection for youngsters in such cases. "Those who barged in and vandalised the place, harming the youngsters have really tarnished the image of the girls. It's a modern society and meeting up and partying is in no way 'bad' or 'evil'. After the Mangalore incident, I will think twice before attending even a licenced party because you never know if that will hit the headlines for the wrong reasons," he adds.
Actor Chetan reasons that such incidents only mar the image of the society. He adds that violence in any form is inhuman. "I don't know what the group was trying to prove by entering a private space like that, especially when there was no nuisance caused by those attending the party. It's about time that one questioned these groups. Such people have to be given severe punishment to stop such incidents from repeating," says Chetan.
People feel that they have to depend on the police to stop such kind of rowdyism. Sadly, the police's response is mostly poor. Glen, a professional, says, "What else can one do? The entire incident I feel is politically motivated. There was nothing moral about the 'moral policing'. In the last few years, we have seen such incidents come to light but no one has done anything to prevent these.
I feel the Karnataka Police should be more strict with these outfits and control them." Actress Deepa Sannidhi too feels that the authorities have to take strict action so that incidents like these do not repeat. "I feel it is time for the public to come together and support these youngsters. Not only did they have to go though the physical torture, but also a lot of mental stress. People who were behind this should not be excused at all," she says.