Mangalore: Attack on Home Stay - Corporator Mohan Padil Clarifies
Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, Aug 5: The brutal attack on revelers at a birthday party at a home stay in Mangalore a week ago by the so called moral police under the pretext of protecting the culture of the land, has come in for severe condemnation from all the right thinking people of this country. Mangalore, which was once known for its achievements in the field of health, education and culture, has attained notoriety in the recent past for the abrasive acts of these hooligans calling themselves as moral police for their brazen acts of attacks on youngsters. There is a question mark as to why Mangalore is being singled out for this kind of attacks, giving a feeling of Mangalore being ‘unsafe’.
With the incident taking new twists and turns with each passing day, Daijiworld spoke to Corporator Mohan Padil, who many accuse being as the master mind behind the recent attack and molestation of young boys and girls at Morning Mist home stay in Padil, to elicit his views on the incident and the causes that led to the ghastly attack on youngsters.
Excerpts from the interview
Q. Just the other day a T V channel reported that you were drunk at the time when you had arrived at the home stay?
A. Whoever has said that has done it with some ulterior motives. Earlier I used to drink occasionally but for the last 14 years I have given up even that. I don’t smoke or eat beeda and I have become a total vegetarian. So it is totally wrong and mischievous to say I was drunk.
Q. Now that the culprits are arrested do you think they deserved to be punished?
A. Whoever does wrong should be punished as per low. It was wrong for the attackers to assault and molest girls and boys the way did. It should have been their responsibility to inform the police or they should have brought to my notice as I am the area corporator of Padil.
Q. What punishment should be given to the culprits?
A. What can I say? Punishment will be according to the law.
Q. It is also said that you had prior information about the attack plan?
A. I am ready to answer all those who are making all silly and baseless allegations. I am ready to swear in any of the temples of this area that I had no prior knowledge about it. If I had the knowledge I would have definitely prevented it.
Q. There is a general feeling that you are the mastermind of this attack… ?
A. I strongly deny I have got anything to do with this incident. People can say anything without any evidence. I want to tell to all those who are making such baseless allegations against me that I am ready to come and swear in any of the well known temples of Dakshina Kannada to prove my innocence. If I am so bad do you think the Congress corporators would have supported me in the Council meeting protesting my arrest by the police following the attack on the home stay?
Q. But you were at the spot soon after the incident and Locals say the attackers had your behind- the- scene- support?
A. In fact by the time I reached the home stay the incident was almost over. I was getting ready to go for a programme when I got the news of the attack and immediately rushed to the spot. When I reached there was a huge crowd gathered outside the home stay and I tried my best to convince them to leave the spot. By then the police had arrived on the scene. On seeing the police someone from the crowd mouthed something bad to the commissioner which irritated the policemen. They got upset and began to lathi-charge to scatter the crowd. One of the policemen even came to hit my neighbor and I tried to prevent it. I got annoyed and questioned the police why they resorted to lathi-charge when the people had not indulged in arson or looting. A ACP caught hold of my collar and manhandled me which once again angered the crowd. They arrested me and took me to the police station and I was released only after the locals gathered at the police station protesting against my arrest.
About this home stay in question, about eight months back locals had complained to me that the inmates use loud music till early morning and disturb the neighbours. Along with another senior person of the locality I had gone there and cautioned the home stay people (caretaker) about the disturbance they cause to the neighbourhood. Just because I had cautioned them earlier against their activities it is wrong to say I am the mastermind of this attack.
Q. People are also saying that some of these attackers were your supporters and were seen with you all the time?
A. I disagree. This was not carried out by people who are or were with me. If it was my supporters I guarantee this incident would not have happened. I knew Subhash Padil by sight. I might have known some of the youngsters just by sight but did not know them personally.
Q. You say some illegal or immoral activities were going on in this home stay. As a local representative have you lodged a formal complaint with the police?
A. I came to know about the immoral activities only after this particular incident. Some locals say they had lodged an oral complain with the police. I did not complain because I did not know such activities were going on. I had gone there earlier for a Mehandi programme and eight months ago when the neighbours had complained about the loud music I had gone there to caution them. Only now people are saying boys and girls were frequenting that home stay regularly. If I had the slightest indication of what was going on I would have definitely put a break to it long back. Locals say they have complained to the police many times about the wrongful activities in that home stay. But as you know there has been no action from the police. Now this incident has opened the eyes of everyone.
Q. The immediate neighbor of Morning Mist says she did not have any problem with loud music or saw anything unethical going on in the homestay?
A. One of the neighbours had complained to me about eight months ago and I had cautioned the caretaker. In fact yesterday when some forest officials were having a look at the house it has come to know that there was an underground entrance to the house through the kitchen. It shows that there was a provision to enter the house other than from the main entrance.
Q. What according to you is the main reason for carrying out this attack?
A. My area Padil is located about 11 kms away from the city and this home stay is located in a very interior area. I had been to the home stay after the incident along with the District-in-charge minister C T Ravi. Every room of the home stay is furnished with beds. The refrigerator at the home stay was filled with hot drinks, beer bottle, and soft drinks like Coco Cola. The revelers say they were having a birthday party. But cake was not be seen anywhere in the home stay how can they say they justify saying they were celebrating birthday? Usually birthdays are celebrated with family and friends. Do respectable people celebrate birthdays in a home stay located in a remote area by wearing skimpy clothes?
Q. Are you saying that it is wrong to find hot drinks, beer or cold drinks in the refrigerator even though they were not drinking?
A. It is wrong to find hot drinks especially because once a person gets drunk anything can happen. The girls involved were saying boys were having hot drinks but they (girls) did not drink.
Q. What authority do you have to tell youngsters how they should party or enjoy birthdays and other celebrations?
A. I do concur that is fully a private and personal matter. As an elected local representative it is my responsibility to ensure that the private activities of people do not cause any harmful impact on the society. If you are already aware, it is now revealed that only the girls who attended the party were students but boys were not. Have you seen how skimpily these girls were dressed? Is it right for the students to indulge in smoking, drinking and mauj masti? I don’t think respectable parents will allow their children to do this. It is said that the home stay was booked for two days. Why should you book a home stay for two days to celebrate a birthday party of 10 to 15 people?
Q. If these youngsters were doing something wrong their parents were there to look into the matter. What was the need for others to assault and molest girls?
A. I don’t approve the attack that was carried out and especially the assault on women. If the public had a clue that something immoral was going on the best thing they could have done was to lock the door from outside and call the police. If at all they find their sisters being a part of such immoral activities they should take them home and assault them. It was wrong to assault them publicly.
Q. The news that undivided Dakshina Kannada District is Talibanised … is spreading at national and international levels.. …
A. It is unfortunate that the incident has created unnecessary hype and publicity. The situation is not as bad as it is projected. True. Mangalore should not be talibanised. We are the people who believe that our district should be like another home. There should not be any room for unethical and immoral activities and it is our responsibility to prevent such acts. What can be done if every action is given a political overtone?
Q. It is the responsibility of the parents to bring up their children and take care of them. What right do you have to interfere?
A. You tell me is it possible for parents these days to keep a tab on what their children are doing once they go out of their homes? Certain organizations have come up with the single objective of keeping an eye on such activities. To tell you frankly because of the fear of these organizations many decadent and immoral activities are controlled to a great extent.
Q. Does it mean to say you support these organizations carrying out moral policing?
A. It is right for these organizations to keep a watch on the dishonorable acts indulged in by our students and youngsters. But it is not right to resort to violence and or assault girls. When they notice any such incidents it should be brought to the notice of the police.
Q. But the young generation of Mangalore is up in arms against your outdated views?
A. No. Only a few colleges staged a protest. All colleges of Mangalore did not participate in the protest. Majority of youngsters of Mangalore don’t support the immoral activities going on. You are not aware of the real qualities of this land of Mangalore.
Q. Do you think there is a spurt of illegal home stays in coastal Districts of Karnataka?
A. Yes. There are many illegal home stays mushrooming in these costal districts. Having a licensed home stay comes under commercial activity and tax has to be paid. To avoid paying tax people construct homes and lent out as home stays to carry out illegal activities. Police should identify such home stays and put a curb on them. This incident should serve as an eye opener to all.
Q. After almost one week of the incident and with many twists and turns what would you like to say about the incident?
A. If the youngsters had come to me after learning about the immoral activities I would have guided them properly and we could have avoided this fracas. These incidents should not recur in future. If I come to know about it I will definitely go to the spot even in future. If I had gone the other day people would have accused me saying being a local corporator I was not present at the time of the incident.
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