Thiruvananthapuram: Before the lips get to lock, the cops have sealed them with a “No”. Kerala police denied permission to hold “Kiss Day”, a protest event planned by a group of defiant youths in Kochi against “rising instances of moral policing”. An officer said sanction has been denied as the event could lead to law-and-order problems.
The organisers of the event, planned at Marine Drive in Kochi under the banner “Kiss of Love”, however, seemed unfazed. Rahul Pasupalan, a short-film maker, said the protest would go ahead as scheduled on November 2.
Invitation is open to all, provided they have a partner to kiss.
The immediate provocation for the protest was the vandalism at a joint by alleged BJP youth wing activists in Kozhikode district on October 23. The attack followed an “exclusive report” in Jaihind TV, a Malayalam news channel promoted by the state unit of the ruling Congress, that claimed the joint had become a den of immoral activities.
A Facebook page on the planned event said the “symbolic protest” was against all forms of “moral policing”. Over 4,500 have already clicked on the “going” button on the page.
The state’s women’s commission has objected to the event but said the rising instances of moral policing needed to be checked too.
