BANGALORE: If the girls brutalized by moral vigilantes in Mangalore last week were looking for any womanly understanding from the Karnataka State Women ’s Commission, they were in for a big disappointment.

Commission chairperson C Manjula , who on Wednesday arrived in Mangalore to inquire into the attack on college girls and boys at Morning Mist home stay, had little to offer except: “Home stay parties mislead young girls.”

She told reporters that the commission had already condemned the attack. “I have come here to conduct an inquiry and to seek answers as to why such incidents are repeatedly taking place in Mangalore. The issue will be discussed with officials and we will try to find solutions to put an end to the menace,” she added.

Instead of taking on the vigilantes interfering in the lives of young people, she said that holding parties in remote places leads to suspicion. “I will discuss the issue with Mangalore University vice-chancellor TC Shivashankara Murthy and principals of colleges in the city to find solutions for the protection of young women students,” she said.

TIMES VIEW

The Karnataka State Women's Commission enjoys no powers, has no office, and doesn't have a unit in Dakshina Kannada - that hotbed of moral policing attacks. What's worse is that the commission chairperson just doesn't understand the gravity of serious attacks on women.

That's no surprise because the commission, like boards and corporations, has become a parking lot for political appointees. The government should either appoint people with sensitivity and understanding, or wind up bodies that serve no meaningful purpose.

