Public display of affection, PDA, has never been well accepted in our society. So be it a couple holding hands, or kissing even in their private vehicles, cops have kept a stern eye on the young love birds. In what could be called moral policing in its new avatar, Operation Majnu saw cops in Ghaziabad hauling up and harassing couples sitting in parks and malls. Although SHO Alka Pandey, who was heading the operation, has been suspended, the camera footage of couples in a park being roughed up, aired on television channels, shocked many. Delhiites feel it’s time for cops to draw a line before invading the privacy of not just couples but even friends who’re spending time together without offending anyone.
Shares Rajat Kapoor , a resident of Punjabi Bagh, “My cousin, his girlfriend and I were sharing a smoke in my car, in the parking lot just outside my house, when a cop came and started asking for my license and other documents. He later started inquiring about the girl and her name and details. He said we are not allowed to sit and smoke and asked us to accompany him to the police station. After endless arguments, just because a girl was involved, we had to give him `500 to put an end to it.”
Many feel that every time a couple is sitting in a car, especially in an isolated place, the cops tend to harass them as they know that the couple would never be able to deal with the embarrassment of getting caught by a cop. “Just when I hugged my fiancee while dropping her outside her apartment in Dwarka, this cop came up to us and said, ‘I know what people like you do on the roads’ and we were clueless. They embarrassed us as if we were doing something shameful. I understand that there’s a certain distance that couples should maintain when they’re in public, but this is simply invading someone’s private space. As long as I’m in my car and I’m not doing anything to offend anyone, I don’t think I should be harassed. We ended up paying the cop some money to avoid further trouble,” says Prashant, a call centre employee.
As young couples share their side of the story, Rajan Bhagat, PRO, Delhi Police clarifies that unless there is a complaint from someone, their staff is not given any instruction for such moral policing. In fact he goes on to say, “If you feel that a cop is harassing you just for money, you have all the right to complain against him and action will be taken. We’ve had similar complaints where we have helped people.”
Blame it on the society we live in or the need to save oneself from the trouble of landing up in a police station, most couples prefer to pay the bribe to avoid being embroiled in something murky and embarrassing.
“If I call my parents to a police station and tell them that I was just sitting with my friend in his car and the cops caught me for money, will they believe me? I think the mindsets have to change. Many of us never park anywhere and sit in the car as you never know when a cop would start asking you for details and money,” says Lohit Kumar, HR executive.
Some feel that all this moral policing is needed, but only when there’s something really wrong. “Look at the state of public parks today. The other day I was at the Garden of Five Senses and saw this couple lying on the lawns. It was so embarrassing as I was with my friends. You need cops to check such areas and not knock on car windows and harass couples when they’re just sharing a talk in their private vehicle,” says Monica Nathani, a student.
(A few names have been changed on request.)