Muthalik’s back FOR V-DAY - taking the Gandhian route to protest

After a lull in their vehement protest against Valentine’s Day, this year the Ram Sene has decided to stage a non-violent protest against V-Day celebrations handing out pamphlets citing the reasons for their ban. Stressing on the importance of his protest, Muthalik stated, “Forty per cent of the crime rate has come down in the state because of our protest. We are not against love, but essentially Valentine’s Day leads to sex, drugs and mafia; this is why we need to ban it.” 
   
 The idea and the motive may sound clichéd, but Muthalik seems more inspired than ever — he has printed out five lakh copies of the pamphlets with an army of 500 volunteers who would be more than pleased to educate Bangalore’s youth on the importance of Indian culture. The campaign, which started yesterday, will continue till Valentine’s Day — in a nonviolent way, of course. “We want to spread awareness and wake up the youth from following illegal ways. Our movement has never been about violence,” said Muthalik. 


WHERE THE RAM SENE WILL DISTRIBUTE PAMPHLETS:Banashankari Sanjaynagar Vijayanagar Chamarajpet Colleges MallsHotels 
    

This time, the campaign has found presence in various other cities of the state such as Mysore, Belgaum and Devangere. Reportedly, a Valentine’s Day poster has been pulled down in Mysore and Muthalik’s men plan to carry on their non-violent protest by assembling in front of Bangalore’s colleges, malls, hotels and popular hangouts. Pramod Muthalik’s back! 
    
Reacting to Muthalik’s ban, Uday Garudachar, MD of a popular mall in the city said, “He will not be allowed to use my premises to stage any protest. He can conduct it outside, but I would definitely call the police if they enter my premises without my consent.” On a day that celebrates love, Uday said that it would be business as usual and that he would not shut down the mall for fear of any disturbance. 
    Additionally, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Suneel Kumar, who seemed unaware of this protest, said, “We will take strict action against anyone who takes law and order into their own hands. Nevertheless, police will be placed in pockets where trouble is prone to take place.” Though protests do not require permission to be conducted at public spaces, Muthalik is especially keen on staging them on private properties, such as malls, hotels, clubs and even in front of apartment buildings where working people reside. 
   
 These protests may be a concern to the youth, but model Faith Pandey says, “I am not scared, but it is bothersome for people who want to go out and celebrate the day with their loved ones. There is no need for such a Taliban movement when there is nothing wrong in going out.” But there are some who are worried, like model Mithali Ranorey. “It scares me and I may choose to stay at home, but Muthalik’s protest is immature. He has taken his anti-western notion too far,” she says.