Mangalore pub attack was a mistake, says Sri Ram Sene chief Muthalik

Pune: Almost two years after the attack on the pub in Mangalore, Pramod Muthalik, chief of Sri Rama Sene (SRS), refers to it as a big mistake and a public relations disaster.

Gone is the defiance by which he justified the Mangalore pub attack. Referring to it as an image-spoiler, he said, "The pub attack was a big mistake. People are still wary about SRS and refuse to give space for its office or any other activities. Beating the girls in the pub was wrong and uncalled for. It shouldn't have happened."

He added that incidents like the pub attack and the sting operation conducted by a television news channel had 'spoiled' the image of the Ram Sene.

In January 2009, about 40 Sri Ram Sene activists barged into the pub "Amnesia - The Lounge" at the Hotel Woodside in the busy Balmatta area of Mangalore. The activists beat up a group of young women and men, claiming the women were violating traditional Indian values.

"I was in Pune when it happened. My mobile phone was dead. I was not taken into confidence by the activists. Later while returning to Belgaum, I came to know about the incident. I was then arrested on the state border and made to do 'jail yatra' for 15 days," said Muthalik.