I was in Mangalore two days ago, and spoke to some students of a prominent college. What happened yesterday, when Hindutva zealots pulled out a girl and her Muslim friend out of a bus and threatened them, seems just a continuation of what has been happening in and around that city in recent days.

I came across a group of Muslim boys who said they were too scared to go to the bus stand alone. One boy was beaten up because he travelled in an auto with a Hindu girl to donate blood at a National Social Service camp. Another was called 'Ugrappa' (Mr Terror) because he sports a beard. Boys harassing them owe allegiance to the ABVP. The Muslim boys are now forced to stick around in a group, which is shameful, and the only silver lining is that their group comprises some Hindu friends.

Sri Rama Sene is a loosely knit mob. No one could tell me if they had an office in Mangalore, and a couple of people I know said the group had no more than 100 or 200 men in its ranks. But the group's influence over the city seems disproportionately huge.