[Reader-list] Cracking down on ‘violations of moral code’ in Dakshina Kannada

[Rohan DSouza]

Dear Shuddha, Radhika,

Appreciate your responses.

Agree with you Shuddha on the point that actions of reactionaries of
different denominations, based on prudery/perceived hurt, outweighing other
animosities. Taking this thought further, these coalitions of selective
conveniences, are self appointed guardians/holders of mores, values and
norms. However such moral police, despite being self-appointed can only act
and even thrive in a society which allows them to. So, is what is being
acted out in Dakshina Kannada, have the tacit approval of civil society in
its various manifestations, over there? If so, what drives this approval?

I would like to re look at the article in the context of one of the points
you seem to be making, Radhika, which is the relationships being questioned
and disrupted so violently are mostly of the romantic variety. I would like
to point out some instances reported here, which include instances where
friends of the same sex *("In one case, a young woman was attacked because
she went to the house of a young woman from a different community")* being
attacked for just meeting up with each other. I'm certainly not ruling out
the possibility or commenting on the appropriateness of a same-sex romantic
relationship, but in this context, seems like a friend from one community
just visiting a friend from another community at her house.

A mixed group of youngsters, in terms of sex, not being allowed to meet and
even in one case not being allowed to talk loudly in public spaces! ("*Bajrang
Dal activists assaulted and abused classmates Julia, Robert, Waheed, Abdul
and Sunil because they were found laughing and talking loudly in a public
place*").

Given this, I don't see this as the moral policing of the kind you seem to
be alluding to,  seemingly replacing or filling in a vaccum created by
liberal education, indulgent parents, attractions of permissible cultures
being beamed into houses and economic independence. It clearly seems to be
polarisation of the worst kind.

And of course, as has been debated on this list before (even in the recent
MF Hussain related discussion), who is to decide what 'ideal' morals and
values are and what 'acceptable' behaviour is and who is to decide on
whether 'enforcement' is required?

Regards,
Rohan


On Mon, Sep 8, 2008 at 3:11 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta <shuddha at sarai.net>wrote:

> Dear Rohan,
>
>
> Many thanks for your post. It is no secret that the reactionaries of
> different denominations should see ground for natural alliances on limited
> issues. Self declared Christian fundamentalist outfits have actually often
> in the forefront of seeking bans on films and books in India, just as Muslim
> fundamentalists have been, and they tactfully decline to comment on Hindu
> fundamentalists when they do the same. There is a 'coalition of hurt
> sentiments' and 'prudery' that far outweighs the otherwise vitiated
> relationships between them. This is what causes the Islamist
>  'Dukhtaran-e-Millat' in Kashmir to occasionally mirror the rhetoric of
> their 'Durga Vahini' sisters in India.
>
>
> Incidentally, the disruption of the Graduation exhibition at the Faculty of
> Fine Arts at MS University Baroda, which was commented on this list,
> involved the active participation individuals aligned with the VHP and the
> Bajrang Dal in Gujarat as well as a Christian Pentecostalist Minister by the
> name of Immanuel Kant.
>
>
> regards
>
>
> Shuddha
>
>
>
>
>
> On 08-Sep-08, at 12:37 PM, Rohan DSouza wrote:
>
> Dear All,
>
>
> This particular article on the front page of yesterday's Bangalore edition
>
> of the Hindu, caught my attention. This was for various reasons, the main
>
> one being of complete disgust in the way in which people from different
>
> communities are being forced not to interact with each other in the
> Dakshina
>
> Kannada district of Karnataka.
>
>
> When reading the report carefully, one also notices with some intrigue, two
>
> of the bed fellows of this moral brigade, ie, the right wing militant
>
> Bajrang Dal and Social Action Committee, a Christian organisation. While
> the
>
> Bajrang Dal is known to specifically target members of the Christian
>
> community in other parts of India, (the recent attacks in Orissa come to
>
> mind), in the instances mentioned here there is an actual coming together
> of
>
> interests and corresponding action, of these organisations claiming to
>
> represent the two communities.
>
>
> While I subscribe to the fact that the Bajrang Dal and the Social Action
>
> Committee cannot be seen as sole representatives of Hindu and Christian
>
> interests, it will still be worth looking at the social situation in this
>
> region, which could tolerate something like this. The  Mangalorean
> Christian
>
> (Roman Catholic) community have been supporters of the Sangh organisations,
>
> especially the BJP. This seems to stem from the notion of their Brahmanical
>
> past (pre-conversion by the Portugese) as well as present, within the
>
> Christian community set up. Casteist (Hindu & Chrisitian in this case)
>
> feelings and bonds based on this seem to have superceded differences of
>
> religion here! Incidentally, similar notions of Brahmanical ancestry and
>
> superiority can also observed among the Syrian Christian community in
>
> neighbouring Kerala.
>
>
> The coming together of the Hindu and the Chrisitian community, as far as
>
> aggressively expressing their political, social and moral preferences in
>
> this region, have ensured members of both communities dont interact with
>
> Muslims. This seeems to be designed to polarise and communalise the region
>
> (the Gujarat model, that CM Yediyurappa fawns over, in action?).
>
>
> The members (ex?) of the Islamic organisation, Karnataka Forum for Dignity,
>
> also seem to be playing along with this polarisation. The result of which
>
> will probably be a splintered social situation, with the Hindus and
>
> Christians on one side of the divide and the Muslims on the other. This has
>
> earlier led to riots in this region and one can surely expect more.
>
>
> Taking advantaged of sentiments, emotions, based on actions, reactions and
>
> counter actions, seems to be the modus operandi of the three organisations
>
> mentioned in the article.
>
>
> Being distant as well as close, geographically and genetically, to Dakshina
>
> Kannada, has made me want to comment on this. However, this may be an
>
> incomplete reading of the situation. Therefore would welcome comments,
>
> thoughts on this.
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Rohan
>
>
> http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/07/stories/2008090750160100.htm
>
>
> *Cracking down on 'violations of moral code' in Dakshina Kannada * Sudipto
>
> Mondal * In most cases, young men and women have been targeted *  — file
>
> Photo: K.R. Deepak
>
>
> * Watched: Young people such as these have become victims of the vigorously
>
> enforced 'moral code' in Dakshina Kannada. *
>
>
> MANGALORE: Self-appointed vigilante groups are cracking down on those
>
> "violating the moral code" in Dakshina Kannada district. Records with the
>
> district police that *The Hindu *had access to show that since the third
>
> week of July there have been 10 instances of these groups punishing
>
> individuals whom they perceived as having violated the moral code.
>
>
> Hindutva organisations such as the Bajrang Dal, a Christian organisation
>
> Social Action Committee, as well as certain individuals who were formerly
>
> with the Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD), have been involved in these
>
> incidents.
>
>
> In most of the incidents the groups have targeted young men and women from
>
> different communities who were interacting with each other. In one case, a
>
> young woman was attacked because she went to the house of a young woman
> from
>
> a different community.
>
>
> The Bajrang Dal has claimed responsibility for seven of these incidents. *,
>
> *The district head of the organisation, Sudarshan Moodabidri, claimed that
>
> the outfit had "solved" over 200 cases in the last two months where Hindus
>
> were "caught" committing the "immoral" act of interacting with members of
>
> other communities.
>
>
> Mr. Moodabidri said, "Sometimes it becomes necessary to use force. Fear of
>
> such action should deter such misadventures. Girls reform themselves once
>
> they are thrashed and humiliated in public, but boys are tougher to
>
> control."
>
>
> The Social Action Committee carried out a "joint operation" with Bajrang
> Dal
>
> activists in the city in one instance. "We will carry out more such
>
> strikes," its president Deepak D'Mello told *The Hindu*.
>
>
> Former activists of the KFD have been linked to two such cases. The
>
> organisation's president Abdul Aziz said that the acts were committed by
>
> delinquent members and distanced KFD from the issue. He confirmed that the
>
> organisation was against inter-community relationships but was averse to
>
> using force.
>
>
> The latest incident occurred on September 2 at Vittla in Bantwal taluk
> where
>
> activists of the Bajrang Dal assaulted a couple, Roopashree and Vikhar
>
> Ahmed, and paraded them in public. The same afternoon, over 60 km away in
>
> Puttur taluk, Bajrang Dal activists stormed the house of Ayesha as her
>
> friend Divya was visiting her.
>
>
> On September 1, Sugandhi and her three friends, Raghav, Anil and Rasheed,
>
> were assaulted by Bajrang Dal activists when they were at a hotel in the
>
> heart of Mangalore city. On August 24, Deepa and her fiancé Abdul Waheed
>
> were dragged out of a bus at a junction in the city and assaulted by
> Bajrang
>
> Dal activists.
>
>
> On the afternoon of August 23, Bajrang Dal activists assaulted and abused
>
> classmates Julia, Robert, Waheed, Abdul and Sunil because they were found
>
> laughing and talking loudly in a public place.
>
>
> On August 22, activists of the Bajrang Dal and the Social Action Committee
>
> carried out the "joint operation" against Mohammed and his classmate
>
> Catherine. On August 18, activists claiming to be from the KFD assaulted
>
> Dinesh and his friend Afshan at a remote village 25 km from the city. They
>
> were assaulted because Dinesh had brought medicines for Afshan who was
>
> suffering from malaria.
>
>
> On August 8, activists of the Bajrang Dal assaulted Syed, Zulfikar and
> Ameen
>
> with soda bottles and hooks in a bus in the heart of the city because they
>
> had carried school bags belonging to a group of Hindu girls.
>
>
> On July 27, activists claiming to be from the KFD attacked Govind, an
>
> autorickshaw driver at a village over 25 km from Mangalore because he often
>
> ferried his neighbours Uzma and Shaheen in his auto. On July 16, Rehman was
>
> heard talking and laughing loudly at a public place with his two friends
> Uma
>
> and Bhavya. They were assaulted and abused by Bajrang Dal activists.
>
>
> Superintendent of Police N. Sateesh Kumar said, "This is a social issue.
>
> Resistance to such divisive forces should come from within the community.
> In
>
> cases where there have been assaults we have taken the necessary action."
>
>
> (Names of the victims have been changed to protect their identity)
>
> _________________________________________
>
> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
>
> Critiques & Collaborations
>
> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with
> subscribe in the subject header.
>
> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list
>
> List archive: &lt;https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>
>
>
> Shuddhabrata Sengupta
>
> The Sarai Programme at CSDS
>
> Raqs Media Collective
>
> shuddha at sarai.net
>
> www.sarai.net
>
> www.raqsmediacollective.net
>
>
>