Radicals protest against Valentine's Day revelry across India - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Ahead of the Valentine's Day, activists of a radical group gathered here to chart out their protest against the celebrations of romance by the courting friends and couples. Under the banner of Hindu Makkal Katchi (Forum of Hindu Children) they gave a fillip to their crusade by having their heads tonsured amidst raising of slogans and burning of Valentine Day greeting cards. They condemned the fancy among the youngsters to celebrate Valentine's Day by declaring they would hound the lovebirds and similar courting couples and discourage them from aping the West. Speaking to the media, Arjun Sampath, convener of the forum mentioned that their volunteers would ensure that the couples found dating or romancing and celebrating the V-Day are detained and their parents or elders are summoned to counsel their wards. "Since all these fads are against Indian culture, we will see to it that no courting couples or lovers make a mockery of our native ethos and celebrate the Valentine's Day. We will not hesitate to ascertain their whereabouts and summon their parents for a proper treatment of such lovebirds," Sampath added. Meanwhile, activists of Sanskriti Bacahao Manch (Save Our Culture) another forum in Bhopal worshipped sticks with which they are planning to beat up the couples, if they are found courting. "The youth should banish the western culture from our country on this Valentine's Day. They can choose some other day from the whole year to express their love, but not Valentine's Day. Despite our efforts, if the youth does not listen, then we have performed this ritual of worshipping the sticks and gathered our whole group," noted Chandrashekhar Tiwari of Sanskriti Bacahao Manch.