Pub culture will be curbed: Yeddy

Close on the heels of the violence unleashed by activists of the Sri Ram Sene on women in a Mangalore pub last Saturday, chief minister BS Yeddyurappa said “pub culture will not be allowed to grow” in Karnataka.

Yeddyurappa spoke after attending a conference of BJP chief ministers in New  Delhi on Thursday. He indicated that the state would keep a strict watch on pubs and bars.

On Thursday the chief minister said the Mangalore incident was “unfortunate”; he said the state government was considering invoking the stringent Karnataka Anti-Goonda Act, 1985, to book those accused of barging into the pub and molesting women. Those booked under this law are liable to be arrested immediately and detained.

Speaking to DNA, home minister VS Acharya corroborated the chief minister’s views on “pub culture”, saying youth and women should not be influenced by it.

Asked if the government intended to withdraw licences issued to pubs in the state, he said the issue would be discussed and appropriate action taken.

Yeddyurappa said a “stray” incident had been blown out of proportion by the opposition and a section of the media to tarnish his government’s and the BJP’s image ahead of the Lok Sabha election due in April.

Yeddyurappa insisted the Sene had no link with the BJP or the RSS. He claimed that within eight hours of the incident, 13 persons were arrested while 33 were held in the next two days, including Sene founder Pramod Muthalik and leader Prasad Attavar. He said the situation is “completely normal”.