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Being saved from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad members, a young Meerut girl became the victim of police brutality. Does moral policing has no end?
Being saved from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad members, a young Meerut girl became the victim of police brutality. Does moral policing have no end?
In a shocking incident, a young woman was beaten up by the UP police for having a Muslim boyfriend. This objectionable event which took place in Meerut, started when the woman and her friend were seen together by locals and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) members who strongly condemned the couple and wanted to assault them. Police was called to intervene in a potential mob attack. They managed to get the couple out, but then became violent towards the hapless young woman. Instead of being protected, she was thrashed in the police van, and questioned about her choice of male companion.
This episode is just another example of ‘moral policing’, a dangerous trend which has victims across the country. Young men and women, if seen together in an ‘objectionable’ act in a public place are picked up and either threatened or worse beaten up by the cops. They could be pulled up for doing something as innocuous as holding hands.
However, this time, religion was also dragged in as an excuse to harass this young woman. Our country has a violent history in the name of religion, but the youth of this country, free spirited and not bogged down by dogmatic attitudes do not consider caste or religion when they fall in love or even if they want to form a friendship. An individual is attracted to another because of the other person’s personality, thoughts, outlook and not by their last name. We are already dealing with the horrors of honour killings, and this type of discrimination by law enforcement officers is downright shameful.
Another saddening aspect of this incident is the way the young woman was treated. Being tortured and questioned in a derogatory manner will cause her nightmares for a long time. It is reminiscent of the disgusting occurrence in Mangalore where young girls who had gone to a pub were attacked and harassed by a political party activist.
As we move towards a new future we need to leave behind the religion and gender-based discrimination that we have developed. Women (and men) have a right to choose who they want to be with and the connection they want to develop with that person. Caste, religion or last name should definitely not be a criteria for anyone to disapprove of a potential relationship.
Our law enforcers most importantly need to focus on their jobs. There is no dearth of crime or wrongdoing in our country. Hence, they do not need to brighten up their day by moral policing. There is definitely no excuse for roughening up a young woman because they do not approve of her choices.
Will this be the last time we have received such dismaying news? We have hopefully moved ahead of the dark ages, it’s time for us to prove the same.
Image Source – TOI Video
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