By Sanjay Sharma, IANS
Bhopal : Valentine’s Day is three days away and the hype has already started building up in Madhya Pradesh. The Bajrang Dal is threatening couples but this time the Hindu group will have to contend with women’s organisations determined to ensure that the day goes by peacefully.
The drama that surrounds every Valentine’s Day, on Feb 14, began Monday with the Bajrang Dal ‘praying’ to the sticks and batons they say they will use to stop young lovers from meeting in public places.
“We will catch hold of couples meeting in public places, parks and restaurants and get them married. If they don’t get married, the girl will have to tie a rakhi on the boy,” said Bajrang Dal leader Devendra Rawat.
To counter the Bajrang Dal, women activists of the Christian Justice Forum did a similar exercise. Performing a ‘lathi puja’ and forming a ‘lathi brigade’, comprising 100 women, to take on those threatening to disrupt Valentine’s Day celebrations in the state.
“We are fully prepared to protect those willing to celebrate Valentine’s Day. We will go all over Bhopal in small groups and see that no one disturbs the young couples. When other festivals can be celebrated without any restriction, why not Valentine’s Day?” asked Rajni Rawte of the Justice Forum.
The Youth Awareness Ring (YAR), a subsidiary of the NGO Nari Kalyan Samiti, has also set up groups of 30 students each to tackle the Bajrang Dal.
“We will first tell the disturbing elements to mend their ways and also educate girls to oppose such people. If the situation still goes out of control, we will seek police assistance,” said Samiti secretary Manju Sharma.
Then there is the Sawarna Samaaj Party (SSP) and the Rashtriya Secular Manch (RSM) that have also taken up the challenge of stopping the Bajrang Dal.
If the SSP is threatening Bajrang Dal members with a mace (Hanuman’s weapon), the RSM has decided to form baton-wielding groups of women.
“These women will provide the necessary security to citizens if the government fails to do so,” said RSM convenor Chandna Arora. “We will follow the Bajrang Dal workers to prevent them from misbehaving with lovers.”
The Congress party’s National Students Union of India (NSUI) has jumped into the fray.
“NSUI workers will be deployed at various places in the city to see that Bajrang Dal workers, or anyone for that matter, do not disturb the young couples. Then they would inform the police in case anyone is harassed and take the law into their hands if the police fails to act”, said NSUI secretary Naveen Choubey.
“We are also planning to launch a helpline to defend lovers in case of harassment.”
State officials said police forces would be deployed in hotels, restaurants and picnic spots across the state in view of the warnings.
“We will not let anyone interfere in the personal freedom of a person. Action will be taken against anybody trying to violate the law,” said Bhopal Superintendent of Police Jaideep Prasad.