Mangaluru: Mangaluru has always been a synonymous with moral policing. The city has witnessed a series of incidents, where the ‘moral police’ assault the boy or girl (sometimes both), if they happened to be of different religions. Whether you are a student or not, socializing with a person belonging to another community in the public domain, is seen as an invitation to threat.

Lately, physical moral policing  might have become passé. Instead, these ‘moral police’ have entered social networking sites and text messengers. The Hindutva aficionados and the Muslim extremists have begun their mission, which they deem is their call in life – safeguarding ‘their’ women.

On the Facebook page titled, ‘Muslim Defense Force’, which has been created with a pseudonym, the miscreants have been warning Muslim girls against ‘Love Kesari’, a campaign by Hindu fundamentalists to offset the ‘Love Jihad’ campaign. The Facebook page calls for Muslim girls to ‘unfriend’ boys of a different religion.

Simultaneously, the Hindutva forces have reacted strongly to the social media campaign and are circulating messages on Whatsapp, which warns ‘their’ women not to engage with men of other religions, which in essence is a warning to Hindu women not to engage in conversations or any other activity with men of other religions.

“A warning bell to a few Hindu women. Henceforth, in case you are trapped with a guy, be it from any religion including ours in parks, hotels or lodges, you along with the guy will be given ‘Prasada’.  It goes on to describe ‘Prasada’….

“…We will see to it that you reach your house in a procession and a garland of chappals.  We are not bothered if women rights are violated. We do not mind running around courts…,” the message reads.

The message clearly lays the onus of the consequences of the moral policing action on the women telling them through the message that when they move around in mixed company, there will be an attack by the organization, and this will be followed by communal tension and a bandh, the normal sequence of events in such cases and this sequence of events, it blames on the women!

It goes on to tell the women “You will be responsible when people who earn in your house are also affected,” it reads. “Girls of repute” are exempted according to the message.

Meantime, the Barke Police have taken suo moto cognizance and registered a case under section 66(a) of the IT act and 506 of the IPC.