Defending the “intentions” behind the assault on young men and women celebrating a birthday in Padil last month, senior journalist M.V. Kamath said the assaulters were playing the role the parents of the party-goers should have played.
In an hour-long lecture delivered to students of Government First Grade Women’s College on Tuesday, the 91-year-old Padma Bhushan award-winner criticised media coverage of the event and the media censure of the State Women’s Commission’s interim report over the episode. He disapproved of the “career-oriented outlook of modern women,” and women who frequented pubs and clubs. While condemning the physical assault on girls at the party, he defended the Hindu Jagarana Vedike whose members were arrested for the incident. “The vedike is doing what the parents should have done. But they should not have used violence. I felt like crying when I saw media attacking the vedike,” he said.
He even questioned the need for the students to celebrate their birthday at a home stay, and instead exhorted students to spend it with family. Calling for a ban on all the homestays, Mr. Kamath extended his support to the controversial report on the incident submitted by C. Manjula, Chairperson of the Karnataka State Women’s Commission. “I completely support Ms. Manjula. She is speaking the truth,” he said.
Such incidents happen because of a lack of “moral” guidance for the youth. “Are short skirts, jeans, pubs a part of Indian culture? These are insults to our culture,” he said.
He told the all-girl audience that it was common for girls now to have boyfriends and casual sex. He attacked the way the incident was covered by the media and the media’s “ignorance” in not finding out how many bottles of beer were drunk during the party.
