ROURKELA: Like previous years, members of the Bajrang Dal acted as moral police on Wednesday and tried to prevent couples from celebrating Valentine’s Day. They raided various parks, restaurants and other pristine localities of Rourkela city on Wednesday for the same.
According to sources, BJD activists looked for love-birds at IG Park, Jubilee Park, Nehru Park, various temples, restaurants and isolated areas of the city. Armed with saffron flags and sticks, the young members of the party shouted slogans against Valentine’s Day.
In fact, the saffron brigade has instilled a fear among unmarried couples by publicly humiliating them for several years. The couples were scared of spending solitary time in close proximity on the occasion.
Meanwhile, the Rourkela unit of the Shri Yoga Vedant Seva Samiti (SYVSS) on Monday organised Matri Pitri Pujan (worship of parents) at Hanuman Vatika complex for young children to counter what they called onslaught of cultural erosion from western forces. About 1,000 parents with their children participated in the programme. The SYVSS has been organising Matri Pitri Puja for over a decade to counter Valentine’s Day.
Swami Brahmasakhyatkar Saraswati Maharaj said rich cultural heritage of India was getting adopted by foreign counties. “In such a scenario, it was unfortunate that the minds of our youths were getting corrupted with immoral ideas and values,” he added.