Do Not Cancel Protests

News has it that the Sri Ram Sene, the goon squad that attacked women in a Mangalore pub, and who threatened to disrupt Valentine's Day celebrations, is facing political isolation. Everyone and his uncle is distancing himself from the activities of these thugs.

Here is a news report that quotes the union home minister, P Chidambaram, saying that the Sri Ram Sene has "crossed limits." The same news report quotes the chief of the RSS saying that they have no objections to the Sri Ram Sene being banned.

There is also another news report that quotes the police commissioner of Bangalore assuring the citizenry of full police protection of pubs, card shops, and lovers.

My question is: Why did they take so long?

Was this just a "political experiment" to test the waters, so to speak? And when the waters turned choppy for our desi Taliban, thanks to a citizenry that dared to take to the streets and teach these rogues a lesson, the entire establishment beat a hasty retreat.

Take Chidambaram or the police commissioner, for instance.

The Mangalore pub attack occurred on the 24th of January. Almost three entire weeks have passed since. Could the union home minister as well as the local police top brass not have condemned these hooligans and reassured the citizenry earlier? Why were these people allowed to go on threatening the public? I do believe that the entire establishment was waiting to see the public reaction. If the people had remained mute, the thugs would have been welcomed into Hindoo politics. Recall that the BJP rules Karnataka.

Even now, all that Chidambaram has said is that these thugs have "crossed limits." Note that he did not say that these bozos are criminals who have broken The Law.

Ditto with the police commissioner: he sat on the sidelines while the Sri Ram Sene went on and on with their Hindoo rhetoric. And it is only when the public organized themselves to protest that he finally spoke out. The truth seems to be that the law and order machinery is hopelessly politicized. They do not want to enforce The Law; they just want to "play politics" with law and order.

So what should the good, freedom-loving citizens do?

My earnest advice is: Don't Back Down.

Continue with the planned protests. And carry hockey sticks for your own protection. Take to the streets in large numbers to teach a lesson to those who seek to impose their Paleolithic thinking on you, and that too, with violence. Do not cancel your protests.

And may the force be with you.