Kolkata Youngsters Protest Against The Recent Metro Moral Policing Case In The City

Moral policing is synonymous with India and its people. Somehow, the people of our country think it’s their birthright to police someone on things that they don’t have anything to even do with, in the first place. Moral policing can actually be identified as Indian public’s favourite time pass at public places which often pushes heavily on anything and everything that a girl does and any kind of PDA. Even hugging. Yes, even that too. Sad that fighting, foul mouthing and discriminating someone on cast, race, language, and colour doesn’t count in this moral policing ethics.

Recently a news came out when a young couple was beaten by the public in Kolkata all because they’re hugging each other while traveling in the metro. Yes, one of the most well-read and literature induced cities in the country was literally beating a young couple for hugging in public.

As soon as the news came out, outrage on social media was something that everyone expected and it did happen. People came forward with their reaction to the incident and said, “A young couple embraced in Kolkata metro. It made a bunch of frustrated old losers angry. They beat them up. Scenes of hatred are allowed. Scenes of love are considered obscene.” Here are some more reactions to the entire incident.

Soon after the news broke out and it got viral on social media, the youth of Kolkata decided to do something against the event. As reported by NDTV, young citizens from all over Kolkata gathered around Tollygunge Metro and offered free hugs to each other. Protesters came and said that their main agenda of holding a protest like this one was to show that hugging is an expression of showing love and it should not be considered an obscene act.

They offered free hugs and sang together to stand against the moral policers and their perception of what is wrong and what is right.

This single incident shows the difference the old and young India has among them. They might be brought up in the same household and in the same city, but their mentality is different and so is their ways of handling a situation. What those old men did while beating the young couple, is what should have been an obscene act, the one which required moral policing, instead it was the result of one.

Let’s just hope that this one incident turns out to be an example to live by.

Jyotsna Amla