Belgaum, 13 Feb 2010: Right-wing outfit Sri Rama Sene, which was in the eye of a storm after its activists attacked women at a pub in Mangalore in early 2008 in an act of moral policing, today said it would not allow Valentine's Day celebrations in Karnataka.

Sene chief Pramod Muthalik asked educational institutions, hotels, and theatres not to encourage Valentine's Day celebrations.

"If a couple in love are really interested, the Sene will contact their parents and arrange to get them married," Muthalik, whose outfit has been opposing the festival for the last few years, told reporters here.

Muthalik also said the Sene would oppose the screening of Hindi film star Shah Rukh Khan's forthcoming film, My Name Is Khan, in protest against his recent statement inviting Pakistani players to participate in IPL T20 games.

Muthalik had joined the Shiv Sena a few years ago after he was sidelined in the Bajrang Dal. But he quit the Sena over its stand on Maharashtra's boundary dispute with Karnataka and floated his own outfit, Sri Rama Sene.

At the height of the national outrage against the Mangalore pub attack, he was banned from entering the district before the high court set aside the administration's order.

He is also facing several cases on a charge of making inflammatory speeches. (DNA)

Meanwhile, women who oppose the Ram Sena are poised to launch another edition of their Pink Underwear Campaign. The Pink Chaddi Campaign (Pink Underwear Campaign) is a non-violent protest movement launched in India in February 2009 in response to notable incidences of violent conservative and right-wing activism against perceived violations of Indian culture, when a group of women were attacked in a pub in Mangalore. The campaign was started by Nisha Susan and her friends. Women began sending pink under-wears through courier or parcel service to Muthalik's office on Valentine's Day.

With just a day to go for the V-Day, the Karnataka government on Friday put police on high alert to counter the threat by Sri Rama Sene to disrupt the celebrations. The Rama Sene has given a call for a Karnataka bandh on Saturday to protest the attack on its founder Pramod Muthalik allegedly by Youth Congress activists here on Thursday. Muthalik's face was blackened by activists who barged into a television recording session that discussed pros and cons of Valentine celebrations in India.