Moral policing: Kerala students beaten up for sitting next to each other at bus stop

A group of students were subjected to moral policing at a bus stop in Kerala’s Palakkad on Friday, July 22. The students, who were a group of boys and girls studying at the Karimba Government Higher Secondary School, were assaulted by a group of about 10-12 persons for “sitting next to each other”. The police have arrested two people — Siddiq (50) and Hareesh (28) — in connection with the incident. "We were a group of boys and girls waiting at the bus stop. Our principal-in-charge was also with us. Suddenly, one person came and verbally abused a girl from our group. When we questioned them, other locals joined him and started beating us,” one of the students told the media.

The student added that this is not the first such incident that has taken place near the school. “The local residents always make an issue when they see boys and girls together," they said. The mother of a boy who was assaulted told the media that the attackers, after beating up the children, forced them onto a bus and asked them to leave the place. "I got a call from my child at around 5.30 in the evening saying a few people attacked them while they were waiting at the bus stop. When I asked about it, my son told me that he was having pain in his chest and body. Who gave them the authority to beat the children," she asked.

Students told the media that local residents often create an issue when boys and girls reach the bus stop together or stand together. Police said they have taken the statement of the students and were examining the CCTV visuals of the nearby shops to identify the rest of the culprits. Further, according to reports, four students who sustained injuries in the assault have been admitted to a hospital.

A senior police official told PTI that a case has been registered against the two arrested persons and five to six unidentified persons under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 341 (wrongful restraint), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), and 294 B (using obscene words in or near any public place). Meanwhile, protesting against the incident, the Students' Federation of India (SFI) marched to the bus stop, where they sat and demanded action against the culprits.

Earlier on Thursday, July 21, students of the College of Engineering Thiruvananthapuram (CET) found that a long bench at the bus shelter near their college, was cut into single seats so that the students do not sit together. They marked a protest by sitting on each other’s laps on the cut bench, without gender bias, and clicked pictures and shared them on social media.

(With PTI inputs)