New York, NY (February 6, 2009): On January 29, 2009, several women socializing in a pub in the Southern Indian city of Mangalore, were attacked by a group of vigilantes calling themselves the "Sri Ram Sena," eponymous with the Hindu deity, Lord Rama. No serious injuries were sustained during that incident and the leader was jailed, but the same self-styled moral brigade served notice to the state governor of Karnataka that they will work to disrupt Valentine's Day festivities as well. The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) reacted sharply to these actions today, condemning the group as violent criminals that should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
"That women were attacked just because their lifestyles did not meet the approval of a gang of miscreants is as absurd as it is repulsive," said Suhag Shukla, Managing Director of the Foundation. "Hinduism encourages intellectual inquiry and faith in deciding right from wrong and in that formula, there is no place for some self-described 'morality police,' especially one that employs thuggery and violence."
The attacks have been widely condemned in India and in the international media, though a conversation as to the rise of Western mores and the relevance of Valentine's Day and other non-Indian celebrations is ongoing. The commercially driven celebrations of Valentine's Day and Christmas in largely Hindu India are promoted by the growing retail sector and opposed even by many Christian groups in the country. But the vigilante aspect of recent opposition was widely condemned as un-Hindu and deplorable.
Some Hindu political groups have long opposed commerical celebrations of Valentine's Day. But as mobs vandalize flower shops and greeting card vendors in the name of Hindu "morality", foundation leaders felt that it was important to distance Hindu belief and practice from these acts.
"In their bungled attempt to 'protect' Indian culture from Westernization, Sri Ram Sena and their ilk stray from both Indian and Hindu customs and have rightfully drawn severe criticism from within and beyond India," said Sheetal Shah, HAF's Director of Development. "Whether Hindu culture is changing, or affected by creeping materialism, is a reasonable debate to have in India. But these arguments must be articulated through an organized, intelligent idea-driven campaign."