Bajrang Dal staged a protest against Valentine’s day yesterday in Hyderabad, having already established a history of harassing young couples in public spaces. Bajrang Dal will be on the lookout this Valentine’s day.
Members of the Bajrang Dal organised anti-Day Valentine’s protests in Hyderabad, requesting that the government recognise February 14 as Amar Jawan Diwas.
On Saturday, Bajrang Dal members burned greeting cards and Valentine effigies at Abids Circle in Hyderabad.
Today Bajrang Dal staged a protest against Valentine Day in various Telugu speaking states. Bajrang dal members alleged that young couples engage in “obscene activities” “unmarried-sex” and consume drugs on valentine’s day.
According to Bajrang Dal members, Valentine’s day is western traditional should not be celebrated in India. They alleged that valentine’s day is imposed on the Indian youth by western brands.
But the question remains where does Valentine day come from and how to this day it struggles to find its space in India.
According to legend, the day is celebrated to mark the death anniversary of Saint Valentine who died in mid-February in 270 AD. It is said that Saint Valentine was a priest, who defied the Emperors’ orders and secretly married couples to spare husbands from war.
The day is celebrated by couples and friends alike all over the globe to celebrate love, relationships and intimacy.
In India, there is a Serious Cultural clash when it comes to Valentine’s day. Many fringe groups, furthered by conservative sections of society, across all religions don’t want their children to date as it violates their value system. Women are especially judged for their character and sometimes these young couples also have to go through moral policing and public shaming.
Therefore, young Indian couples especially the ones living in second-tier cities struggle to date and meet each other in public spaces on days like Valentine’s day where they escape their parent’s wrath only to be harassed by these fringe groups.
