KOCHI: A day after the moral policing incident, Marine Drive hosted a protest meet by the members of ‘Kiss of Love’. Moral policing is something which the common man can never accept. A group of people who unleash a reign of terror in the name of tradition and culture can never be accepted. But while people oppose moral policing, a question arises whether the manner in which it is being opposed is sending a wrong message to the young generation. Is it being implied that ‘Hey, guys you are free to do anything.’
Experts say, moral policing as well as agitations against it will spoil the social vigil if they become overzealous. “The militant way of correcting individuals in the name of social vigilance is not right. It is equally important to make sure that the reaction towards moral policing is not going out of bounds,” said psychiatrist C J John.
He said the situation will become such that individuals and the society in general will begin to ignore cases where people are being genuinely subjected to exploitation. “For instance, when an individual comes across sexual aggression towards a female he or she should try to interfere and save her. If he sees a minor being exploited, the individual should react. However, because of the after- effects of moral policing and the hue and cry raised by those opposing it, people refrain from helping out. This situation must not arise in our state,” he added. The society is supposed to implement a reasonable level of vigil. “The society can completely ignore the responsibility of social vigil provided the police take corrective measures to prevent sexual exploitation of minors,” said John.
“We have seen even during protests against moral policing antisocial elements create trouble. One should remind himself or herself of the socially and morally acceptable behavioural limits. Make sure that there is no place for moral policing in our society. It is equally important to ensure that wrong signals are not being conveyed through expressions of revolt against moral policing,” he added.