FIR registered against Renuka Chowdhury by Mangalore Mayor Ganesh Hosabettu

Now youth Congress plans defamation case against Mangalore Mayor

The Mangalore Pub attack case is now a few weeks old, but the political battles over it have not died down yet. Personally, I think it is a good idea. These are battles of ideologies, and they have to be fought in court – not in the streets between goons.

Once the Valentine’s Day was over – Pramod Muthalik and cohorts were in preventive police custody – the Mangalore mayor Ganesh Hosabettu filed a case against the Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury in the judicial magistrate first class.

The FIR was formally registered against Renuka Chowdhury on 21st February, 2009.

According to the mayor the comments made by Ms. Chowdhury would incite violence and hatred among the people and are aimed at defaming Mangalore.

Renuka Chowdhury had condemned the attack on young women on 24 January in a pub in Mangalore by around 40 members of the right-wing Hindu group Sri Rama Sene (army of god Rama) as “Talibanisation”. Renuka Chowdhury reacted to the news about the FIR by saying, that the mayor must be more concerned about the freedom of women in the town rather wasting time in fighting with her. She also said that this is an attempt to politicize the issue.

The press and online community had immediately picked up the word ‘talibanisaton’ to describe the activities of Sri Rama Sene in Mangalore.

“I haven’t received any notice and they are saying all this to divert from the main issue. They drove a 16-year-old girl to suicide and now they are talking about someone else,” Renuka Chowdhury said.

Maintaining that she was not yet aware of the case, Ms. Chowdhury said that instead of rectifying themselves, these “goondas and lumpen” elements came out of jail and made statements and that was accepted by the government.

Meanwhile, the Mangalore District Youth Congress has charged the Mangalore mayor with attempting to deflect public attention and have also said that they are considering a defamation case against Mangalore Mayor for questioning the mental state of the minister.