Lathicharge at ‘kiss’ event in Kochi as rival groups clash

The organisers tried to take out a march from Ernakulam Law College to the venue, but were prevented from doing so.

November 02, 2014 06:22 pm | Updated December 04, 2021 11:29 pm IST - Kochi

Members of a right-wing Hindu outfit attack a group protesting against the 'Kiss of Love' event, mistaking them for campaigners of the event, in Kochi on Sunday. Photo: Thulasi Kakkat

Members of a right-wing Hindu outfit attack a group protesting against the 'Kiss of Love' event, mistaking them for campaigners of the event, in Kochi on Sunday. Photo: Thulasi Kakkat

A few couples and dozens of youth activists kissed and hugged each other amid jeers from rival groups and repeated caning by police at the Marine Drive here on Sunday.

The occasion was the ‘Kiss of Love’ protest against moral policing.

The police had to wield the cane repeatedly when thousands who had descended on the Marine Drive to prevent the campaigners from public display of affection turned restive.

The crowd, comprising activists of religious outfits and the Kerala Students Union (KSU), the student wing of the Congress, far outnumbered the ‘Kiss of Love’ campaigners.

Initially, the police tried to defuse the situation by arresting about 30-odd organisers and supporters of the event, even as they were getting ready to hold a march from the Ernakulam Law College to Marine Drive with placards.

However, there was no sign of the rival groups relenting, and as evening progressed traffic in the Marine Drive area came to a halt, forcing police to resort to caning and use of pepper spray to disperse the crowd.

Police put the number of ‘Kiss of Love’ campaigners taken into custody at 80. They were let off late in the evening.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.