Several incidents of moral policing have been reported over the week in Kerala. A group of students reportedly underwent moral policing on Friday, July 22, at a bus stop in the Palakkad district. The students, who were a mix of boys and girls attending the Karimba Government Higher Secondary School, were attacked by a group of about 10 to 12 people for sitting close to one another.
The Kalladikode Police Station has received a formal complaint from the students. One person has been detained as a consequence of this. He has been identified as Siddique, a native of Karimba.
The incident happened while the students waited for their homebound bus. The group questioned why boys and girls were sitting together. After the students responded that they had every right to, the mob started attacking the women first and hurling insults at them as they were attacked. Boys who promptly intervened were also thrashed.
The incident comes only days after a similar incident at the College of Engineering in Thiruvananthapuram. In order to supposedly stop boys and girls from sitting together, hoodlums vandalised a steel seat in the bus stop shed and cut the bench into three different chairs.
In response, the enraged students shared a picture of students, both male and female, sitting on each other’s laps. The kids said that they had been exposed to sexual comments and stares from residents for sitting together for numerous years.
Referring to the recent moral policing incident in the district, the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in the Palakkad district of Kerala said on Monday that the public must be made aware that every child is an individual with the right to mental and physical growth. M V Mohanan, chairman of CWC Palakkad, also stated that the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) will assist the students with any legal help needed to pursue the issue further.
According to police reports, the suspects have been detained, and they are looking into the possible participation of another individual, said Mohanan. He assured that the CWC will continue to follow up with the police on the matter.
