I wish to express my deep disgust over the recent news report of harassment of a boy and girl under the garb of moral policing in Bihar. Sadly, such incidents are not new. First, in almost all such cases, the so-called moral police is nothing but a mob of men. Second, under which law of our Constitution is such an action permitted? No law allows any citizen to take the law into their own hands and harass or assault others. We have seen this repeatedly — on Valentine’s Day, certain outfits go around indulging in hooliganism in the name of moral policing. What is most disturbing is that all this is often done while law enforcement personnel watch as mere spectators. When will this stop? This mob culture; groups of men, some of whom proudly claim to be members of outfits that enjoy protection; must be discontinued. The system must take full responsibility for maintaining law and order. Merely rebranding ourselves as a ‘developing nation’ is not going to take us forward if we cannot ensure basic safety, dignity and constitutional rights to our own citizens.
ALWYN FERNANDES, Benaulim
