Kerala moral police: Why Valentine's Day turned tragic for Aneesh in Kollam
A woman was assaulted in Kerala for riding scooter with a male colleague. A man was beaten to death as he was seen coming out of a woman's home whose husband lived in the Gulf. According to 2011 Census, Kerala has the highest total literacy rate.
In Short
- Aneesh committed suicide after he was assaulted and humiliated.
- Aneesh and his woman friend were assaulted by moral police.
- The incident took place at a Kollam beach.
Every year on Valentine's Day, a guy and a girl going together become usual suspects for the self-appointed moral police. In Kerala's Kollam, Aneesh and his woman friend became the unsuspecting victim of moral policing.
22-year-old Aneesh was committed suicide after the gang, which assaulted him and his woman friend, circulated a video of their ordeal.
The incident took place when the woman went to shrubby areas of the Azheekel beach to relieve herself as there was no public toilet in the region.
A gang of four-five people, reportedly drunk, saw the woman and tried to assault her. She raised alarm and when Aneesh reached the spot, he was confronted by the gang of moral police.
READ| Kerala: Victim of moral policing on Valentine's Day found hanging dead outside house in Kollam
They assaulted them, filmed the entire incident and plastered it all over social media. Nine days later, Aneesh hanged self failing to bear humiliation and harassment at the hands of moral police.
But, this was not the singular incident in Kerala. Moral policing has a history in the state that boasts of its Europe-like literacy rate and high credentials on social indicators.
- Only a few days before the Valentine's Day incident, some police personnel turned into moral police on spotting a couple sitting in a park. The couple was accused by the police personnel of sitting in vulgar position at public place.
- The man retaliated by going live on Facebook. He said that he had just put his hand on the woman's shoulder. How is merely putting hand on shoulder is vulgar, the man asked.
- In another case last week, a law student lodged a case against the Muslim League at Nadapuram of Kozhikode district in Kerala. The Muslim League members were accused of bullying her on social media for her dressing and making friends with non-Muslim guys.
- In June last year, Malappuram district of Kerala was in news for moral policing as a 42-year-old man was beaten to death after a gang of moral police saw him coming out of a woman's home. The woman's husband lived in one of the Gulf countries. The moral police suspected the man of having an illicit affair with the woman.
- In 2014, the youths of Kerala had revolted against moral police and took out 'Kiss of Love' protest march against vigilantism. But, the November protest was marred by violence as the moral police objected to it vehemently.
- In 2014, nine people were convicted for killing a man in 2011 in Kozhikode. The man was fatally thrashed by a gang of moral police who were not happy with the man going around with a woman of Kozhikode's Kodiyathur village.
- The same year, a woman was assaulted by another gang for riding scooter with a male colleague in Malappuram district. The woman fractured her leg in the assault.