Protests against moral policing in the State continued on Friday with the city witnessing the launch of a group — Ananthapuri Facebook Koottayama — in front of the Secretariat.
Inaugurating the collective, K. Sabarinadhan, MLA, condemned the recent incidents of moral policing, terming it ‘moral goondaism.’
The government, instead of trying to save its skin by making allegations against the Opposition, should change its attitude and ensure justice for those hounded in the name of moral policing, he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
The MLA called for stepping up awareness of moral policing among the public and said discussions on the issue in the media and social media were only a part of it.
Kerala had made huge strides on social, political, and educational fronts and in health, but practices such as moral policing and atrocities against women continued unabated.
Atrocities in the name of moral policing were not confined to one or two incidents, he said. One-and-a-half months after the University College incident, the State government had been unable to submit a chargesheet in the case, though the issue was raised in the Assembly many times.
ADVERTISEMENT
‘No fear of law’
In the Azheekkal beach incident, despite pleas not to post a video of the two friends on social media, the ‘moral police’ did that as they had no fear of the law. At Marine Drive, despite prior information, the government and the police failed to protect the youth who were there. The police watched as Shiv Sena activists acted in a high-handed manner. No arrests were made then. Suspending a sub-inspector later in the day was not enough, the MLA said.
Referring to the Museum case, Mr. Sabarinadhan said the police lacked any kind of training in dealing with such cases. They were not familiar with laws and dealt with such instances in the way they were familiar with.
Times had changed, and with it, interactions and relationships in society. “It is important that friends, couples, and brothers and sisters have the freedom to go out together,” he said.
Such protests should spread across the State at all levels so that one could enjoy the freedom enshrined in the Constitution, he said.
After the government had come to power, reports of exploitation of children and youth were being reported every day. On the incidents at Wayanad, Walayar, and Kannur, he said the government should take moral responsibility for such incidents and bring the guilty to book.
Sarath of Rajaji Nagar, Sanal Kulathingal, and former councillor Thampanoor Satheesh spoke.