ID :
45109
Wed, 02/11/2009 - 20:11
Auther :

Now battalion of Cupids to confront Valentine trouble makers

New Delhi, Feb 11 (PTI) In a counter offensive against
moral policing, a group of volunteers will patrol the streets
of India's national capital on Valentine's Day to ensure that
young lovers are not harassed by the "self-styled" guardians
of culture.

Aiming to prevent hooligans from playing spoilsport on
Valentine's Day, martial-arts trained volunteers of Save the
Earth Foundation will roam around major hangouts of Delhi on
February 14.

"Valentine's Day is a day of expressing your feelings for
someone you love and care and is slowly finding a place in our
culture especially in the metropolitan cities," said Ravi
Kalra, founder President of the organisation.

"It is also a day when you can express your choice for a
life partner, which is allowed for by law. No self-styled and
Taliban-minded organisation has the right to object to choice
in a free society," said Kalra.

The foundation, which earlier ran a campaign against
unnecessary honking in Delhi, has now proposed to unleash a
battalion of Cupids to protect Valentine festivities from
coming under attack.

In groups of five or six people, at least ten teams of
young men and women, trained in tactics of self defence will
patrol major areas in Delhi and will be particularly vigilant
against attacks on gift galleries that house special
paraphernalia for Valentines day.

Referring to the Shri Ram Sene that had warned boys
and girls against participating in Valentine day celebrations,
Kalra said "they are actually sick people, united by
frustration and jealousy.

"Instead of borrowing its name from that of Lord Rama,
the organisation should be christened Ravana Sene as unlike
them, Rama had great respect for women," he said.

"Our NGO has formed ten special Valentine Help Escort
Team who would be patrolling actively in major areas of Delhi
and be on a look out for any sick individuals or criminal
minded organisations indulging in such activities," he said.

The Escort teams, that will comprise mostly of black
belts in martial arts, will also carry shoe polish to blacken
the faces of such people and donkey-tags to be attached to
them before they are taken to police to face prosecution,
Kalra said.

The volunteers, he said, have also roped in several
student union activists, particularly of womens colleges to
be part of an awareness campaign against the moral-policing
brigade that will continue even after February 14.

Asked if the move could spark violence, the man behind
the Cupid battalion says the teams will be practising unarmed
combat, which is strictly for self-defence and is not meant to
harm anybody. PTI WAJ
PMR

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