Moral police paid back in their own coin

PUDUCHERRY: A group of Hindu Munnani workers, who threatened to instan­tly marry couples celebrating Valentine’s Day in public places, literally received a slap on their faces when a couple they ‘confronted’ tied the nuptial knot in full public glare, without so much as flinching and, in as casual a manner, flung away the thali after the spectacle ended.When nine anti-Valentine’s Day ‘activists’, led by members of Hindu Munnani (HM) leaders Sanil Kumar and Murugaiah, entered Bharathi Park with a bang on Tuesday, all the lovers there fled. Uma Maheswari and Vadivelu, however, continued to remain seated on a bench. The HM men, waving a thali, walked up to them.Even as one of them broke into a homily about Indian culture and stressed on ‘love after marriage’, and curious onlookers watched with bated breath, Vadivelu took the thali from the activist’s hand and tied it around Uma’s neck. Just like that! Taken by surprise, one of the ‘activists’, perhaps as a face-saving measure, presen­ted Rs1001 to the couple while another gave Rs 501 as moyee panam (wedding gift). Pocketing the cash, the couple walked out of the park after telling reporters there that they were already engaged.What took the ‘Valentine’s Day’ cake and smeared it squarely on the faces of the moral police was this: as the couple rode off on their motorbike, Uma removed the thali from her neck and threw it away near the gate. What’s more, police later arrested the ‘activists’.