Homestay Attack: Jagrata Hindu Mahila Vedike accuses NCW of conducting one-sided probe

Mangalore, August 18: Shamina Shafiq, Member of the National Commission for Women (NCW) has left Mangalore conducting a one-sided enquiry into the homestay attack, alleged Prasanna Ravi, Convenor, Jagratha Hindu Mahila Vedike.

Addressing mediapersons at a press meet in Mangalore on Saturday at Press Club, Ms. Ravi said that she along with a team of women had visited Circuit House on August 16 to submit an appeal to Ms. Shafiq, asking her to look into issues of atrocities on women in Mangalore. “We wanted to drag her attention towards issues such as 'Love Jihad', sex mafia, drugs mafia and missing of women cases in Mangalore. But she gave a rude reply asking us to discuss it with the state government”, Ms. Ravi alleged.

Accusing Ms. Shafiq of carrying out a one-sided probe into the homestay attacks, Ms. Ravi said that the NCW member declined to meet local women at Padil to look into the other side of the story. “When I along with other local women asked her to listen to our explanation on the drugs mafia and sex mafia net behind the homestay story, she enquired about our house door numbers. She has proved that she has come to Mangalore as an agent of the central government”, Ms. Ravi said.

Responding to a query, Ms. Ravi said that she condemns acts of molestation and manhandling of women carried out at the homestay. She however maintained that had it not been for the 'intervention' of the Hindutva activists, the girls could well have been exploited by the partying boys. “We are for the girls but there is a drug mafia working behind this. Alcohol was found there. What if the boys had got drunk and misbehaved with the girls and exploited them?” she asked.

Ms. Ravi on the occasion said that the girl victims must come out and speak about the party. “Why is none of them coming forward? Besides, why is that only two male victims are appearing in front of the media. Why are the rest of them not coming out?” she questioned.

However, she admitted that she has no evidence to prove that drugs were being consumed at the party. When asked if she or her organization had met and spoke to the girl victims personally, she responded in the negative.