Ram Sena chief held, but not for pub attack

BANGALORE/NEW DELHI: Rashtriya Hindu Sena president Pramod Muthalik, which is the parent body of Sri Rama Sena, was arrested in Belgaum. He was
addressing a news conference, when the police arrived in plain clothes and whisked him away. The arrest, however, was for an old case of inciting communal disharmony. ( Watch )
"Yes, we have arrested him in connection with a case pending against him in Davangere (a district in central Karnataka)," Sonia Narang, Belgaum police superintendent, said.
Asked why he was not detained for the Mangalore attack, Narang said: "We do not have any request from Mangalore. Once we get it, we will detain him (on that count)."
Since the case against Mutalik is registered in Davangere, he will be handed over to the police there, she said.
Earlier in the day, the National Commission for Women (NCW) constituted a three-member team to investigate the alleged attack on women in a pub in Mangalore by the Sri Ram Sena. Taking strong note of the incident, the NCW has also asked the director general of police (DGP), Karnataka, to send an Action Taken Report to the commission in the matter.
The team is led by NCW member Nirmala Venkatesh and comprises of a lawyer as well as an NGO activist. "This is a horrific crime and strict punishment should be meted out to the culprits," NCW Chairperson Girija Vyas said.
Vyas said the commission would decide on the future course of action after going through the report sent by the Karnataka police. Ten more members of Sri Ram Sena, including its vice-president Prasad Attavar, have been arrested for allegedly attacking women in a pub over the weekend, taking the total number of those held to 27.
Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa on Tuesday hinted that the police may arrest top-most Sri Rama Sena functionaries in connection with the attack. "We will take strong action against the anti-social elements irrespective of their religious or political affiliations.
The government will not tolerate people taking law into their hands and indulging in criminal activities. We are gathering evidence on the top functionaries for the arrest," Yeddyurappa told reporters in Bangalore.
Yeddyurappa said the BJP has nothing to do with the Sena. I am telling this honestly, the party has nothing to do with the Sena, who have brought disgrace to the state, he added. On banning SRS, Yeddyurappa said all kinds of evidence is being gathered and government will think on banning the organization or not.
``Few more people have been arrested in connection with the attack. We will take every possible steps not allow such incidents happen again,'' chief minister said. The incident has sparked national outrage with the attack being termed as an act of hooliganism.