Last weekend a party was being held at a farm house in a rural area of Bangalore. Over 100 youths attended. By all accounts no drugs were present, just alcohol and loud music. Neighbors complained after some time and the police showed up. This is where it got bad. The police alleged that it was a "rave" party and instead of just breaking up the party and telling everyone to go home, and perhaps fining the organizers, the police arrested everybody! This is the same police that will often refuse to file a report when other crimes are committed, the same police that will witness a family getting beaten up over a traffic accident and do nothing (as was reported this morning in the paper).
Today is Wednesday and some of the kids are still in jail. Bail was set at Rs20,000 ($400) but some had a hard time raising that money. And even when they did, the police came up with excuses (papers were filed too late, names were written down wrong or whatever). Yesterday was a holiday, so nothing was done either. So you have up to 100 kids in jail (and jail is NOT a nice place here), they are not allowed to see their relatives, get (perhaps) one meal per day (which you may not want to eat anyway), being treated like criminals. One girls suffers from asthma and needs medication, but her brother is not allowed to give it to her. Apparently she is unconscious.
Why? Well there is an increase in "Hindu Nationalism", which is similar to the Islam Taliban - although not nearly as radical (yet?). A couple of months a go a half dozen girls got beaten up by boys for visiting a pub - it is supposedly against "Hindu" culture. Then there are many reports about girls being bothered (yelled at, and even beaten) for wearing indecent clothes (spaghetti strap tops or jeans are 'indecent' in the eye of these people), or whatever. Many times the police does not do anything. And all this is supported by some political parties - although not overtly.
It makes me realize the dangers lurking all around us here - while we live our nicely isolated and protected lives here in Ferns Residency.
Or are we safe and protected .....?
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