A too-active moral police

Kisses in the public eye, clothes that celebs wear, and operations like Majnu... can people take on the "responsibility" to tell others what to do?
With Shilpa Setty and Richard Gere cornered for a kiss on stage, and Mandira Bedi getting flak for draping herself in a sari that had the Indian flag printed beneath her knee – the question of moral policing has once again become a hot topic of discussion.These incidents came close on the heels of Operation Majnu - where cops in Meerut decided that couples should not take in the sun at parks – and the Mumbai police's crackdown on couples hanging out at areas like Marine Drive. "How can moral policing ever be right," wonders Law Professor Amita Dhanda. "Having said that, our rights to free speech and expression should be viewed in context. The Bill of Rights in our Constitution talks about making us responsible citizens. We need to pay attention to simple rules of deportment," she adds.
Changing lifestyles are now a target of scrutiny for the moral police. The generation-gap often kicks up a furore in thinking patterns. Tweens, particularly women, lament that their right to expression is often breached. "I remember the time when I was hanging out with my buddies – both guys and girls – and we were on our way to a pub. We were stopped by police for a routine check that was being carried out throughout the Hi Tech area at that time, and they harassed us because they thought we women were not dressed 'appropriately'. I don't get that. Times have changed and so has fashion and clothing styles. Even if they don't get that, they have no business to impose their "value systems" on us," lashes out Preethi M, a 28-year-old corporate executive.
Valentine's Day, which is now an accepted celebration, has also been irking some very vociferous people. The nightclub culture that's now centric to Hyderabad has also seen instances of commotion because people have sought to apply some moral barometer to it. Darts Champion and model Aamer Javeed says, "We had planned an event in the city for Valentine's Day, and when the fiesta was set to start, there was a faction that kicked up a ruckus and made us call off the celebrations. There were celebs flown in for the occasion, and even the turnout for the event was good. Nonetheless, we had to call it off. I think that was a violation of democratic principles."
And while the warrants against Richard Gere still stand, most readers think the judiciary and the 'defenders of Indian values' should get down to real business. Law Student Srikant, points out, "I think there are better issues to concentrate on, than matters such as these. And the less that's spoken about such incidents, the better, as brigades will go on and on."