Protests outside metro station over 'moral policing' incident

Kolkata: A rally was organized outside Tollygunge Metro station today to protest against an alleged moral policing incident inside a train compartment.

According to the media reports, a man hugging his female friend raised eyebrows in a metro coach on Monday evening. A few people objected to the alleged intimacy, following which an argument ensued between the two sides.

The mob then allegedly heckled the couple, pushed them out of the train and beat them up, the reports said.

Youths gathered in large numbers outside Tollygunge Metro station this morning with placards and posters bearing slogans - "Hok alingan (let's hug)".

"We are here to protest against the moral policing incident in metro. Our city is known as the city of joy and love. We have never witnessed such incidents before. It is completely shameful," said a student of a renowned college in the city.

Kolkata is known for its liberal mindset and it has no place for moral policing, he added.

Another student, who was part of the team that organised the demonstration, said they would offer free hugs inside the metro compartments today in protest against the incident.

"A man and a woman hugging each other is no crime. It is a sign of affection, not perversion," she said

Indrani Banerjee, the spokesperson of the Metro Rail, said yesterday that appropriate action would be taken in the matter if the victims came forward with a complaint.

The Metro Rail did not support moral policing of any kind, she had said.

Photographs of the alleged assault have gone viral on the social media, sparking an outrage by authors, artists as well as common people.