Mangalore, August 1: Victims of Saturday's homestay attack seem to be feeling the after-effects of the incident. A management college in Mangalore merely gave a verbal communication to a victim of the homestay attack that she will be barred from the internal third semester examinations slated to begin on Wednesday. Attempts by Express to get a response from the college on why she was barred from the exams, were unsuccessful.
Another student beaten up by vigilantes at the homestay was sent by her parents to a distant relative's house in Gujarat to escape intense media scrutiny. The family is said to have been upset with the media presence outside their house in Mangalore.
However, Bhandary Foundation chairman Manjunath Bhandary believes that retribution by the management college was unwarranted as the students had already suffered enough at the hands of vigilantes. Bhandary, when contacted, told Express that two students were allowed to pursue their education in Sahyadri Engineering College.
Meanwhile, Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) on Tuesday slapped a notice on Morning Mist homestay owner Loretto Rebello seeking an explanation on whether the property was being used for residential or commercial purposes. “According to our records, the property is being used for residential purposes. However, based on media reports, the homestay is being rented out for `10,000 per day,” corporation commissioner Harish Kumar told Express.
If the owner admits that it is a commercial property, then the 50 pc property tax subsidy that it now enjoys would be cancelled and the owner will be asked to shell out the property tax fixed for commercial establishments. Sources in the district Tourism Department told Express that guidelines for running a homestay are stringent and only two owners had secured permission to run homestays in Mangalore.
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