Karimba, Palakkad: Yet another incident of moral policing has popped its ugly head in Kerala. This time near Karimba in Kerala's Palakkad district.
According to students of the Higher Secondary School here, some onlookers ganged up and beat them at the bus stop.
Alleging that some miscreants here are against boys and girls sitting together, the students have lodged a complaint with Kalladikode Police.
Following this, one person has been taken into custody. He has been identified as Siddique, a native of Karimba.
The attack happened when the students were waiting for their bus home. According to the students, the mob questioned why boys and girls were sitting together.
When the students retorted that they had all right to, the mob thrashed the girls first, showering abuses with each blow.
The boys, who quickly intervened, were also beaten. The mob dispersed only when the commotion attracted the locals.
The injured students were taken to a local hospital for treatment. Their parents have also raised concerns regarding moral policing in the area.
All of them are insistent that it cannot continue. They are proceeding with legal action. The Students Federation of India (SFI) too have expressed their concerns.
The incident comes just days after a flare-up near College of Engineering in Thiruvananthapuram on a similar issue.
Here, miscreants damaged the steel bench in the bus waiting shed in an apparent attempt to stop boys and girls from sitting together.
In response, the enraged students put up a photo wherein students - boys and girls - are seen sitting on the laps of another.
The photo, which went viral, caught the attention of several political leaders including Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Arya Rajendran.
Paying a visit to the area, Arya promised that a new gender-neutral waiting shed would be built there.
She also cautioned the locals against creating needless hurdles for students or taking law into their own hands.
"It is not a modern approach to say that students should not sit together," Arya said.
