National Commission For Women Controversy
The National Commission for Women (NCW) constituted a three-member team to investigate the attack on women in the pub.
In what was termed a shocking statement, the NCW put the blame on the girls who were beaten. They also implicated the pub.
Nirmala Venkatesh, a member of the three-member NCW team, blamed the pub for the attacks, saying they did not have adequate security to protect against a mob of 40 men. She also stated that a live band was playing, and the girls partaking in this could have been another cause. She said her concern was that the media coverage had tarnished the image of Karnataka. She stated that as per information available to her, several of the girls were from north India.
"Everybody was dancing wearing so many nude clothes (sic) and all. That is why they did what they did, they (the attackers) said. We women should always try to safeguard ourselves," Nirmala Venkatesh said.
Asked for an assessment of the incident, she strangely stated that she has found illegal activities going on in some hotels and pubs in Mangalore, including prostitution. She claimed to have conducted a surprise raid on one of the hotels and found "that not everything was going on legally."
Numerous reports have talked about the victims receiving threatening phone calls. The victims are said to be in a state of fear, and have not come forward to register complaints. In relation to this, Nirmala Venkatesh had a different view: "If the girls feel they were not doing anything wrong why are they afraid to come forward and give a statement?"
She stated that she was not concentrating on the Sri Ram Sena group, but that she will interrogate the owner of the pub, and the media persons present. She stated that she held the pub's staff culpable.
The NCW investigation has focused solely on the license and documentation of the attacked pub. The NCW advised the police to look into alleged misuse of the licence. According to Ms. Venkatesh, the NCW will recommend the cancellation of the pub's license. The NCW team is also investigating the register of guests, claiming it is suspicious.
Nirmala Venkatesh met with the culprits who perpetrated the attack and provided counseling for them. She has, however, not talked to any of the victims of the attack.
The Sri Ram Sena has thanked the NCW for helping spread its message to other states.
In her report to the commission, Nirmala blamed the owner of the pub for not providing security to women guests, and recommended suspension of its licence. While claiming that she was unable to trace the victims, she met the accused in jail. At one point in time, she even suggested that women refrain from wearing “skimpy” and provocative dresses. When her report was not accepted by the Commission, Nirmala even challenged the authority of Minister for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury. Nirmala Venkatesh was removed from her office of National Commission for Women member by the Ministry of Women and Child Development for failing to conduct an unbiased enquiry.
Nirmala Venkatesh joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) shortly after this, and declared that she was ready to contest the coming Lok Sabha elections if she was given a ticket.
Read more about this topic: 2009 Mangalore Pub Attack
Famous quotes containing the words national, commission, women and/or controversy:
“I, with other Americans, have perhaps unduly resented the stream of criticism of American life ... more particularly have I resented the sneers at Main Street. For I have known that in the cottages that lay behind the street rested the strength of our national character.”
—Herbert Hoover (1874–1964)
“A sense of humour keen enough to show a man his own absurdities as well as those of other people will keep a man from the commission of all sins, or nearly all, save those that are worth committing.”
—Samuel Butler (1835–1902)
“The research on gender and morality shows that women and men looked at the world through very different moral frameworks. Men tend to think in terms of “justice” or absolute “right and wrong,” while women define morality through the filter of how relationships will be affected. Given these basic differences, why would men and women suddenly agree about disciplining children?”
—Ron Taffel (20th century)
“Ours was a highly activist administration, with a lot of controversy involved ... but I’m not sure that it would be inconsistent with my own political nature to do it differently if I had it to do all over again.”
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)