KOCHI: A petition was filed before the Revenue Divisional Officer, Ernakulam, seeking an order to the City Police Commissioner to take steps to ensure that the organisers of ‘Kiss of Love’, and activists of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha do not perpetuate any law-and-order problem at Marine Drive on Sunday, where the protest is scheduled to be held.
The complaint was filed by K P Ramachandran, an advocate practicing at the Kerala High Court. According to him, the organisers of ‘Kiss of Love’ were proceeding with their protest though the police had ‘denied permission’. “Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha has given a call to its workers to prevent the event. The possibility of a bloodshed cannot be ruled out. There is going to be disturbance to public peace and tranquility if any untoward event occurs. Marine Drive is a prominent public area in Kochi, where people from all walks of life come to spend their leisure time,” the petitioner said. He further pointed out that kissing in public places is an offence under Section-294 of the Indian Penal Code.
“Kochi is a city of average people, as far as the way of thinking is concerned, who consider kissing or smooching in public as an obscene act, and therefore should be done in privacy. So, an event, in which around 1,000 persons kiss and hug each other in the presence of the public should definitely be considered as obscene, especially if it is done in a public area,” the petitioner added.
Petition to Ban ‘Kiss of Love’
Kochi: Petitions were filed in the Kerala High Court on Thursday, seeking to prohibit the conduct of the ‘Kiss of Love’ protest, which is to be held at the Marine Drive on November 2. The petitions were filed by two students of the Ernakulam Government Law College, and the Sri Sathya Sai Orphanage Trust, Thiruvananthapuram. According to the petitioners, the event is a violation of the provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Kerala Police Act. They alleged that it is against Indian culture.