December 20th, 2005 prime time television, showed a news story that angered me and I am sure quite a few others. The local police in Meerut (a small town in the Indian state of UP) conducted a drive named “Operation Majnu” (Romeo) across the city. The police went in to all city parks, caught hold of basically all couples present there and charged them with an “illicit behavior in public places” case. Any couple found in the parks by the Meerut police was caught, verbally abused and even beaten (including the
ladies). The images on television showed some additional footage though; just before the police caught the couples, they were seen to be engaged in conversations and off-course were present in the park with mutual consent. No cases of people “making-out” in the park was shown on television or either reported.This act of moral policing was criticized and sparked off a big debate but after a few articles and television slots disappeared from all media forms.
December 2006, an organization named Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), took the mantle this time and went on rampage in parks this time in Ahmedabad (capital of the Indian state, Gujrat). The result: couples were beaten, humiliated and brought to the police station. One member of the VHP was seen declaring on national television, “If the police won’t do their jobs we will do it. The parents need to know what their daughters are upto.”
I couldn’t help this time but pen down my anger. Who are the police or the VHP to decide what people of this country can or cannot do? If I am not mistaken “Right to Freedom” is still one of the fundamental rights that the citizens of this country have. If young couples decide to spend some peaceful time in the park or for that matter anywhere, it is there wish. Their parents should be bothered if at all and not the police or the VHP.
The fact of the matter is that organizations such as the VHP or its wing Bajrang Dal or for that matter Shiv Sena are losing ground and influence all across the nation. They have to come up with things such as beating of young couples caught from the park, boycotting Valentine Day, asking for a ban on any random movie etc to make news and tell people that they are still around.
In the case of the beating of couples, the problem lies in the fact that as a guy who is caught, he can’t retaliate. Organizations such as VHP, Shiv Sena etc are manned by goons and the alternative left is to either surrender or to run. And what a shame that people have to run or surrender for something which is not at all a crime.
And for heaven’s sake we have more serious matters in this country which require attention. There are child marriages still happening, widowed women are still treated as a social outcast and lot of children still go to work rather than school, so why doesn’t these organizations do something about these issues. On a quick glance of the VHP website (http://www.vhp.org/), one can clearly see the objectives of the organizations and no interpretation of those objectives suggests justification to the act carried out by the VHP activist in Ahmedabad.
Why as citizens of this country we being tortured? Who gave the right to these organizations to decide the life or behavior of other people? Is there a way out to stop this menace?
Well sure is, the Supreme Court is the only body in the country which can limit organizations such as VHP, Shiv Sena, etc and their mindless activities. These organizations are exploiting the youth and taking them on the path of doom. The underprivileged youth in this country having limited or no access to education, jobs and mainstream public life is being shown a glossy picture of a good life ahead by these organizations. These youth are brainwashed to the extent that they rarely hesitate in starting or becoming part of mob violence, looting or even killing people.
The political parties of the country should take responsibility and also hold back these organizations as majority of these organizations are backed by the national/regional political parties. The people of this nation should also raise their voice and not be pressured by the illegal activities of these organizations. We have a choice through our “precious vote” and we should make full use of it. We decide which party is there for our welfare and which one is curbing it.
This moral policing by these organizations have to stop and the police/administration should act fearlessly in favor of the welfare of the people and should protect them. Hopefully through the newly reformed Police Act, the police force in the country will have access to independent measures of handling things and will not be forced to act on the orders of the ridiculous political parties' ideas.
