One man stood up while the rest watched

MANGALORE: "It is not that I am very brave or some sort of a hero," says 24-year-old Pawan Kumar Shetty who single-handedly took on the over 40-strong Sri Ram Sene brigade when it attacked women guests at the Amnesia Pub here last Saturday.

But one of the women he saved differs. "Pawan was the hero of the day. He was one of the few human beings in that place full of animals."

She said the mob had not expected any resistance. "So, when Pawan stood up to them they were actually scared for a moment. After all, every bully is a coward."

Recalling the events, Mr. Shetty explains: "I could not bear to stand and watch. I just ran into the attacking mob to get their attention away from the girls."

Video clippings show the entire mob turning its fury on Mr. Shetty, allowing the women to escape.

There were over a hundred bystanders, "but not one of them did anything to prevent the attack," he recounts. Had the people united against the attackers, they could have easily chased them away. "Everyone was falling over one another to get a glimpse of the action. It was like a cricket match."

Mr. Shetty was in the parking lot of the pub just before the attack took place. He was "stunned" by the preparations for the event. "Cameramen came around 15 minutes before the attack began. They positioned themselves at strategic points," he says. "Someone shouted 'action' the moment the mob entered the compound."

Mr. Shetty says he was a member of the Bajrang Dal till a few weeks ago. "But now I am reformed? I cannot hate anybody. That is why I quit the Bajrang Dal."

He says the pub attack opened his eyes and reinforced his conviction that violence has no place in society. "I see no difference between the Taliban and these people. They say they are doing all this in the name of God. Which God has asked them to molest women?"

atleast one stood up.....well done pawan

Originally posted by: Gauri_3

I was abit cofused by the thread title in the beginning😆 I was like - how can one "stoop" up. I think it's a typo...and who would know this better than me - The Queen of Mistypes😆

Well, it's true that most bully are actually cowards. They feed on fear and strength in numbers. You stop fearing them, they don't know what to do with you.

Even in Mumbai terror attackes, if people confronted them rather than getting all scared, there would have been lesser casualities. But this kind of inner strength comes from the upbringing. It's hard to develop it over-night. People need to change the way they think.

Kudos to Pawan Kumar👏 He is a true hero!