About 500 Sene activists and its leader Pramod Muthalik as well other fringe Hindu group members were taken into preventive custody all over the state since Friday to ensure a trouble-free Valentine's Day celebrations which the outfit activists threatened to disrupt.

In Bangalore alone, 356 Sene and other suspects have been rounded up and sent to judicial custody till February 16, City Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari told the press in Bangalore.

Police in khaki and plain clothes have been maintaining a vigil at parks, pubs and restaurants.

Muthalik and Sene state convernor Prasad Attavar were taken into custody yesterday. While Muthalik was arrested in Gulbarga, Attavar and others were held in Mangalore.

Several people have also been arrested in Hubli and Dharwad, from where Muthalik operated.

As the police prepared to tighten security cover, Sene sensing trouble, yesterday announced that it has dropped its agitation plans, including threat to forcibly marrying off the couples, which had drawn national condemnation.

The Sene was also forced to tone down its aggressive posture in the face of public outcry against its acts of self-proclaimed moral policing.

Those opposed to the Sene's stand on Valentine's Day celebrations, sent "pink panties" to Muthalik and other outfit members.

The stir by Sene also evoked sharp response from various organisations which came forward to "facilitate, support and assist" the 'love birds' by offering them security. In the city, police have deployed 18,000 personnel to maintain law and order.

Security has also been tightened in Mangalore, twin cities of Hubli-Dharwad where Sene and Sangh parivar outfits wield influence.

Malls see scaled-down Valentine's Day Celebrations

Cupid went about his work unfettered on Saturday, but on a relatively low key with even shopping malls maintaining a low profile to usher in the season of love.

The huge red heart cuts, the heart-shaped-red balloons bobbing in the wind and all those events organised to allow the young to announce that they are in love, this year, saw a vast reduction in scale and expenditure at the malls.

Sigma Mall, located in the commercial hub of the city, maintained a very low profile with just a car promotion on sale. Except for some of the stalls within sporting an odd red balloon saw and the Food Court organising some event, it was almost an occasion that had been skipped out at the mall.

Defending the low-key celebrations, Durgesh Kumar, Senior Manager, Corporate Communication, said that the low key affair was not in response to the threats earlier issued by anti-Valentine's day outfits, but rather had more to do with the downturn being witnessed.

"We earlier had a lot of corporates offering to sponsor events or calling to hold promotional activities connected with the day, but this time we did not receive such offers, hence the low key observance of the day," he said.

At Forum, one of the leading malls that witness a high footfall, Valentine Day celebrations were not a very high pitch affair by the mall organisers.

The Forum Mall representatives brushed it off citing the mall is planning to celebrate its anniversary shortly this month.

"Our budgets have been pumped to the birthday anniversary celebrations," said a representative. The stalls rented at the mall, though the official said, had organised some discounts and special offers for the day.

The essence of Valentine's Day was apparent at Total Mall but the celebrations were a very low-key one. "We do not have any special events lined up today," said a representative. Bangalore Central, located in the commercial shopping area, today conveniently clubbed their ongoing Happiness Discount sale with V Day celebration. The discount sale, which has been on for some time had some of the stall owners positioning it as a Valentine's Day offer.

In view of the threats issued by some of the anti-Valentine Day outfits, all the malls had taken pains to ensure extra security to thwart any untoward incident.