Sri Ram Sene leader held

Mangalore/Bangalore: Facing outrage over the Mangalore pub assault, the BJP government in Karnataka on Tuesday claimed that the right-wing outfit behind it, Sri Ram Sene, had no links with the Sangh Parivar but hedged on the question of banning it.

As the BJP government came under stepped-up attack, 10 more activists of the Sri Ram Sene, including its vice-president Prasad Attavar, were arrested for thrashing weekend revelers, including girls. With this, the number of people arrested rose to 27.

Moral police attack women in pub

The Opposition Janata Dal (Secure) demanded that Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa or Home Minister V S Acharya should resign owning moral responsibility for their "failure" to check such activities of the saffron brigade.

The Chief Minister said, "Sri Ram Sene has nothing to with the Sangh Parivar. I am telling you honestly". Asked by reporters whether government would ban the outfit, he was non-committal.

"We will see whether we should ban or not. It will take its own time. We will discuss the issue with police officers," he said.

Attavar and nine other activists of the Sene were arrested in a late night operation, police said.

Protesting the arrest of Attavar, suspected activists of the outfit on Tuesday stoned some buses and set afire a lorry at Alpe on the city outskirts.

Mangalore incident an act of hooliganism: BJP

The activists pelted stones at two Karnataka State Road Transport Corproation buses, damaged window panes and set afire a lorry at Alape on city outskirts, police said.

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