The Shiv Sena, who notoriously witchunt couples on Valentine’s Day, took to Kochi’s Marine Drive on Women’s Day and beat up couples.
When asked on CNN News18 why they they took the law into their hands, Hari Kumar from Kerala’s Shiv Sena claimed that there is an ongoing sex racket in the state, from which they were trying to protect the couples.
We tipped off the police but they took no action, so we did what we did. We only treated them the way teachers treat children in schools.
The party workers also allegedly took photos of the couples, hurled abuses at them after beating them up with saffron sticks.
Police did not intervene and just stood by as the assaults happened.
Kerala CM Reacts
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan in a statement he wrote on Facebook said that action has been taken against the officers who were complacent and did not do their duty properly.
The lathis should have been used by the police on such people (Shiv Sena).
Vijayan said that moral policing is unacceptable and it stems out of a patriarchal mindset. He added that communal forces want to lock up women inside the houses and take the society back to the 18th century.
Kiss of Love Returns
The ‘Kiss of Love’ protest which happened in 2014 will take to Marina Drive in Kerala, after this incident came to light.
Police have said that six Shiv Sena activists have been taken into custody, according to Manorama.
On Thursday morning, the Opposition hit out in the Assembly lambasting the police for not taking action despite having prior information about the Sena’s activities. Kerala’s CM Pinarayi Vijayan admitted that it was a lapse on the police’s part as Financial Express reported.
The police commissioner of Kochi suspended Vijayashankar, sub-inspector of Central Station, who was on duty when the assaults happened. The other police personnel who were present have been transferred to AR Camp, as The News Minute reported.
Video Editor: Ashutosh Bharadwaj
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