Mumbai:

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) condemned moral policing by Shiv Sena activists who thrashed young couples — college students — on a skywalk in Mumbai’s satellite town of Ulhasnagar merely for holding hands and putting arms around each other’s shoulders.

“We were appalled to see the video aired by Times Now TV news channel two days ago where Sena goons led by local party functionary — Naresh Pakhre — beating up the couples and then defending their ‘thuggery’ by claiming they were forced to act because local police did not take action even after filing complaints with the police,” said Meena Karnik, Convener, Maharashtra Media Cell. The video shows college students on a skywalk being hauled up by both male and female activists who slap the boys and push around the girls.

It is ironic, said Karnik, that the Sena is part of the Maharashtra government and claims that its own police do not act on legitimate complaints. The fact is that public obscenity and indecency is clearly defined in Section 294 and 110 of Bombay Police Act and there are ample case laws which elucidate with clarity the interpretation and application of concerned sections of the law. “Invariably, holding hands in public and putting an arm over shoulders do not fall in the purview of both these acts, so the police have no reason to act against innocent couples to begin with.”

In contrast to this ‘moral policing,’ “it may be pointed out that Vijay Chowgule, the Shiv Sena MP candidate from Navi Mumbai and Pradeep Mhatre, the Sena Navi Mumbai chief who are accused of rape and molestation respectively are on the run and have been absconding from the police for two weeks,” she said.

The AAP feels that people like Pakhre deserve to be behind bars rather than defend his “criminal thuggery on national TV.” Though such incidents have been brought to light time and again, the culprits go unpunished only because of political patronage.

The police on its part, the party feels, have been giving lame excuses as they is unable to act as no complaint has come forward in the case. This illustrates the extent of terror that these ‘goons’ have induced in the local populace. Nothing stops the police from taking suo moto cognisance of the video and initiating action against these political goons under Sections of Rioting and provisions of the Public Nuisance Act.”

It is time the Maharashtra government walks the talk of its good governance agenda by taking action against these activists whose party is its alliance partner in the government, the AAP said.