Right wing organisations protest
Jamshedpur, Feb 14: Valentine�s Day celebrations in the city were largely peaceful without any untoward incident on Friday. Over 200 police personnel were deployed at different parts of the city, especially along Jubilee Park where people gathered in large numbers.
Over 100 activists from the right wing organisations reached Jubilee Park to drive out couples. The protest on Valentine’s Day started as an initiative to make public places more appropriate for families and friends.
“We want parks to be more available for family and not lovers involved in
indecent behaviour,” said Arun Kumar Singh, official, VHP,
Jamshedpur. Singh also said that this is
just a start and would run this campaign once in every month in areas like
Jubilee Park, Hudco in Telco and Sir Dorabji Tata Park.
Young couples, college and school students, and families were spotted enjoying
boat rides and local cuisines at the riverside and parks in the city while
enjoying the Valentine’s Day At the same time, the gift shops and florists had
a good time as buyers thronged to purchase gifts, flowers and bouquets to
present to their loved ones on the Valentine’s Day.
Most of the shops and shopping malls were decorated with red ribbons and heartshaped balloons. The weather also turned a little pleasant as people enjoyed bright sunshine.
Gift shops offered special Valentine’s Day accessories and eateries made special arrangements for couples while youngsters were seen making a beeline infront of outlets buying flowers for their beloved.
Young lovers in large numbers were seen at malls and parks, families also had a good time.
Police had made elaborate arrangements to thwart any attempt of moral policing in the city by right wing outfits.
“We are not for moral policing. We will not allow anyone to take law in their hands. We have deployed adequate number of police to ensure that there is no violence and harassment of couples,” a senior police officer said.
Last year, the Valentine’s Day celebrations were peaceful here with police taking adequate steps.
Others said it was all about prioritizing, Aravind Anantharam, a student, said, �Valentine�s Day is a day to celebrate love. But it�s not the only day to celebrate love. We can always find time for love in the coming years. For now we can concentrate on clearing the GATE. Plus, taking a break for an hour or two to celebrate Valentine�s Day won�t do any harm.�
Jahnavi Kulkarni, another student, said, �I think the ones taking the exam have grown up not to be bogged down by such trivial issues.� We suspected these folks were saying so because they had no boyfriends or girlfriends. But Anirudh Shankar was quick to revert. He said, �I know this friend of mine who is seeing someone. They have mutually decided to put off their Valentine�s Day plans because both took the exam.� Looks like the Valentine�s Day celebration was in the examination hall for this couple.