A year on, Homestay attack is still afresh in public minds

A year on, Homestay attack is still afresh in public minds

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, July 28, 2013: It has been one year since Mangalore hit the headlines across the nation for the notorious Morning Mist Homestay attack at Padil. The incident wherein  partying youngsters were brutally manhandled and assaulted by a vigilante group belonging to the Hindu Jagarana Vedike  on  the pretext that immoral activities were underway there,  had thrown spotlight once again on the so called moral brigade which was  taking law into its own hands.

The incident  had sparked outrageous protests demanding action against moral policemen resorting to such acts of brutality.  Intellectuals too had come together through ‘Arise Mangalore’ as a wake up call to Mangaloreans to be intolerant towards the vigilante groups.

The  police   had identified a total of 44 accused in the case of whom 38  were arrested while six are still at large. One of the accused was arrested just  a few days ago. Of the arrested, 35 have been released on bail, while three including the main accused Subhash Padil and Ganesh alias Munna are still behind bars. The more recently arrested Manoj too is in judicial custody.

 If the Hindu organizations had  argued that there was a drugs mafia in  homestays and students were falling prey to it, the police contended that no drugs were found. Meanwhile, residents   of the Padil area too had a grouse that they used to hear loud music from the homestay proving  a nuisance.

As protests  continued, the police managed to arrest some of the accused including the prime accused Subhash Padil who is said to be the mastermind of the attack. Yet another pertinent aspect of this case was the registering of cases against Kasturi channel reporter Naveen Soorinje and a TV Cameraman Sharan who were at the spot of the  attack and had even videographed the event. That the clippings of the assault on the partying youngsters were aired on TV, was another crime said to have been committed by Soorinje.

 Ironically, Soorinje and Sharan had to face the same charges as that of the other accused in the case and were arrested. It was  only after several months of ordeal behind bars that both were released on bail. The government in aw welcome move recently, even dropped charges against Soorinje.

Today, a year after the incident,  the police have still been unable to arrest the remaining six accused who are still at large. In the meantime, the district has been a witness to a number of moral policing incidents though they did not make much news as this one.

But, it is undeniable that the home stay attack continues to remain afresh in public minds as it has certainly brought in some fear in the minds of young people who love partying.