The Shriram Sena which made news all over the country for its 'moral policing' at a Mangalore pub is upto mischief again. This time Shriram Sena activists allegedly dragged the daughter of a Communist Party of India-Marxist MLA from Kerala, and her friend and kept them captive for over an hour. Their crime--they were speaking with a boy named Shabeeb, who was their acquaintance.
The incident occurred on Friday evening in Mangalore when the girl, who is the daughter of an Manjeshwar MLA CM Kunhambu, was travelling by bus along with her friend. The girl along with her friend was on her way back to Mangalore from Manjeshwar, a town in Kerala, around 20 kilometres away from Mangalore.
A boy named Shabeeb got onto the bus in which the MLA's daughter and her friend were travelling. The trio got chatting while on the bus. The conductor of the bus who saw this allegedly telephoned the activists of the Shri Ram Sena. At the next bus-stop near Pumpwell circle in Mangalore, the Sena activists entered the bus and dragged the two girls out.
During the hour-long captivity the girls were repeatedly questioned by the Sena activists regarding their relationship with the boy.
After the girls were let off, they immediately called the MLA. The MLA rushed to the spot and lodged a complaint with the police.
Later addressing a press conference, Kunhambu, who was in tears said that the activists had tortured his daughter just because she was speaking to a Muslim boy. They also snatched her mobile phone and abused her in public, he also alleged. He said that he has spoken to the Home Minister of Karnataka, Dr V S Acharya and informed him about the incident.
It was also alleged that the boy Shabeeb who was talking to the girls was also taken captive by the activists and released much later.
The Shri Ram Sena has however denied any involvement in the incident and termed it as a ploy to tarnish its image.
Following the incident there was notable tension in Mangalore. CPI-M workers staged a protest at Mangalore late on Friday and demanded action against the culprits. The police has registered a case and is investigating the matter.
