The image of Kerala, called God's Own Country for long, has suffered a dent, thanks to the work of a growing bunch of hooligans in the guise of the moral police brigade. A day after images of a young couple at Azheekal beach went viral on social media, comes the news that the male companion decided to end his life after getting traumatised by the events of that day.
It is surprising that, as in previous cases, the powers that may be in the state once again decided to look the other way. Watching the video posted online, one is prompted to ponder – is it not time the government came out in the open and took a stand? Or is moral policing going to be a second nature to those who wield power in the state ?
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The video of a gang of hoodlums harassing a bewildered couple at Azheekal beach shook the conscience of Kerala on Valentine's Day. But the same state kept itself oblivious to the suicide narrative of the victim. Aneesh P, the 23-year-old victim of moral policing, was found dead hanging from a tree in the compound of his house a few days after the traumatic incident. The deceased, an employee of a private firm, was said to have been extremely distrubed after the self-appointed moral police brigade ruined his day at the beach.
In another incident, a couple visiting Napier Museum in Thiruvananthapuram was questioned by the police after it was alleged that the two were sitting in an objectionable manner. Although they were set free, the incident, coming only days after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had instructed the Director General of Police to take strict action against those involved in moral policing, indicates that even the role of the police needs to be questioned in such instances.
Such incidents have left many fuming at the inactivity of the administration. Writer P Jimshar is dismayed by the rising incidents of moral policing in the state. "Does violence stem from the collective with no access to love and sex? Or is it the 'perceived wisdom'?" he asks. He emphasises that moralists dread the luxury of choice put at the disposal of a woman today. "I guess at the heart of the matter lies the inferiority complex of men who feel left out."
Actress and activist Parvathi T insists that the public should come out in the open and reclaim its rights, or else an insensitive bunch of people will continue to define for the citizens what is right and what is wrong. "How long are we going to stand and wait for someone to tell us what time we should come out of the house or walk out in the beach?," she says. "Just as there is rulebook that defines every aspect of driving, should there be a similar one for living?"
Parvathi, along with a group of concerned citizens, has decided to take a petition to the legislators, asking them to define the rights of citizens. "What is right for me may not be right for another person," she says.
The role of political parties is pointed out by others too. But politicians, journalist and activist Shahina Nafeesa feels, lack the understanding of the situation as a whole. "The problem is the approach," she says. "It's time we look at a long-term solution rather than making noise every time such incidents happen."
The antagonistic stance taken by political and religious establishments to love and sex compounds matters. The censure that Aneesh and his girlfriend faced may remain just another statistic in the state's burgeoning list of shameful incidents. And to prevent that, it is perhaps time for people to join forces and put a halt on the moral policing bandwagon. Or else they remain at risk of feeling complicit in the 'murders' of the innocent whose only mistake was to share an intimate moment with a friend.
