Police stood mute spectators as Shiv Sena unleashed its attack on couples at Marine Drive in Kochi. Photo: Tony Dominic/OnmanoramaKochi: In yet another incident of moral policing in Kerala, a group of Shiv Sena supporters attacked young couples on Marine Drive in Kochi on the evening of Women's Day.
The events unfurled as a handful of Shiv Sena men, some of them wielding canes, took out a march through Marine Drive. The police were in toe but they hardly bothered to strip the men of the canes or stop an apparently menacing and intimidating march.
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Their banner proclaimed that the Shiv Sena would put an end to 'romance under umbrella' on Marine Drive. The activists then abused and chased away visually upset boys and girls as people watched in horror. The leader of the team was liberally swinging the cane to chase away whoever he thought could be a potential threaten to morality.
Shiv Sena activists chased the couples away from Marine Drive. Photo: Tony Dominic/OnmanoramaPolice remain mute spectators
They were given a 'free hand' by a police team led by Central sub-inspector S. Vijayashankar. It seemed the cops were tenderly watching over the attackers as they went about discharging their self-appointed duties in barbaric ways.
A Shiv Sena activist, wielding a cane, threatens a girl at Marine Drive in Kochi. Photo: Tony Dominic/OnmanoramaVijayashankar was suspended later for not acting against the moral goons. The government also transferred 8 police officers who were with Vijayashankar to Armed Reserve Camp, Kochi.
Shiv Sena had announced the march in advance and the state intelligence had notified the police. Shiv Sena had informed the media too.
Damage control act
When the incident made headlines, the police arrested six Shiv Sena workers - T.R. Devan, K.Y. Kunjumon, K.U. Ratheesh, A.V. Vineesh, T.R. Lenin and K.K. Biju - on the charges of assault and preventing the police from discharging their duties.
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Shiv Sena's Kochi unit had taken permission from the police to carry out the march. Photo: Tony Dominic/OnmanoramaAssistant commissioner of police, Central, K. Lalji said they had received no complaints. The officer has been asked to conduct an investigation into alleged laxity on part of the police.
Shiv Sena defends attack
Talking to Manorama News later, Shiv Sena leader Harikumar defended the moral policing attack. He said that their outfit got complaints that young girls were lured by men and were later abused sexually.
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“It is a one-off incident. Men, who befriend girls, on the pretext of love, take pictures of girls and abuse them sexually. We got several complaints from parents and the march was taken out by Sena to stop this,” Harikumar said.
CM's message on moral policing
Incidents of moral policing have been on the rise in Kerala of late. On Valentine's Day, moral goons had assaulted and harassed a young couple at Azheekal beach in Kollam and shared the visuals of the incident on social media. Days later, Aneesh, the victim of the incident, committed suicide at his house. In the wake of the Azheekal incident, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had posted on his Facebook page that such criminal activities would not be tolerated.
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However, a day after the CM's Facebook post, the police confronted a young couple at a park in Thiruvananthapuram and asked them to go to the police station with them. The couple, Vishnu and Arathy, went live on Facebook, stumping the police personnel with their questions. A couple of days later, they got married.
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But the moral policing on Marine Drive seems to prove the point that the chief minister's own police is paying little heed to his directions. The home ministry is handled by Pinarayi Vijayan himself in the LDF cabinet.
Sena faces outrage
Kochi mayor Soumini Jain condemned the incident and asked the police to take strong action against the accused.
"It is sad that young men and women were targeted on International Women's Day. I strongly condemn it. I have asked the police to register a case against the culprits under the sections dealing with violence against women," she told PTI.
Condemning the incident, Congress MLA P.T. Thomas said the issue will be raised in the state Assembly Thursday.
"We cannot agree with this kind of moral policing. Unfortunately, police personnel were seen standing as mute spectators when the women and men were being chased away by the hooligans on International Women's Day. The culprits should be arrested immediately," he said.
CPM MLA M. Swaraj said such incidents of moral policing will not be tolerated in Kerala.
Swaraj, who is also a DYFI leader, said the activists of his outfit held a protest march at Marine Drive following the incident.
(With PTI inputs)
