There’s a new sort of culture war brewing in India, where a Hindu mob attacked women drinking in a college-town bar in India last month — and promises more violence against free-living ladies.

Union Minister for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhry described the attack as "an attempt to Talibanize India" — referring to the strict conservative rules the oppressive Afghan group forces its women to adhere to. Chowdhry said she would seek an explanation from the Karnataka government on the issue, adding: "There is no place for these kind of acts in India, as it is a democracy."

As more Indian women leave the home to work and socialize with others, many old, traditional social boundaries of what is expected of them are being broken. And, as they try to progress, women often face harassment and outright violence, according to The New York Times. New Delhi, for example, is among the most notorious of India’s cities and comes in first with the highest number of reported cases of rape and molestation.

During last month’s attack, an obscure Hindu organization calling itself Sri Ram Sena, or the Army of Ram, (Ram is a Hindu god), beat women at a bar in the southern town of Mangalore and accused them of being un-Indian for being out drinking and dancing with men. They called them "whores" and "prostitutes." The group claims it was forcing morality on the people because the government has failed to do so. More than ten members of Sena were arrested, but later released. They have also promised to campaign against Valentine’s Day. If you ask some Indian women what they think of these attacks, many think more people approve of Sena’s actions than not — even though it may not be politically correct to say so out loud. Many outside of urban areas don’t think it’s right for women to drink or smoke in public.

But some women are fighting back against the Sena. A group calling itself the Consortium of Pubgoing, Loose and Forward Women has launched the Pink Chaddi Campaign to send thousands of pairs of pink underwear to Sena in time for February 14. "Most women in this country have enough curbs on their lives without a whole new franchise cashing in with their bully-boy tactics," the website says. "Join in. Be imaginative, have fun and fight back!" 

Here’s a video report of last month’s attack: