The controversial Kiss of Love event in Kerala organised last year was meant to be a fight against moral policing. But the arrest of two of its organisers, for allegedly being part of an online sex racket involving children, has put the supporters of free expression in a quandary.
Rahul Pashupalan, 29, a techie-turned filmmaker, was arrested along with his wife Resmi R Nair, 27, and six others from a posh hotel in Kochi in the early hours of Wednesday. The police claimed that a special investigation team, led by Crime Branch Inspector General of Police S Sreejith, trapped the couple by posing as affluent non-resident Indian clients.
The couple had led the "Kiss of Love" movement in Kochi last year protesting against the moral policing by right-wing Hinduva groups such as Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Shiva Sena, Bajrang Dal and Hindu Sena.
The police claimed to have earlier caught notorious gangster Abdul Khader alias Ali Akbar, and his wife Rubina, alleged to be the couple's accomplices, in a similar fashion. Two minor girls, including a six-year-old, brought from Bengaluru for the "clients", were rescued and handed over to the Child Welfare Committee.
The police team had specially sought children as their investigation apparently revealed that the group was involved in supplying minor children to pedophiles. Sreejith said that Akbar was the kingpin of the operation, allegedly having close links with some child trafficking rackets in Bengaluru.
The police claimed that Rahul and Reshmi supported him by luring young girl children through a Facebook page called "Kochu Sundarikal" (Beautiful Girls). The page was put under observation following complaints that it carried sexually lewd posts and pictures of minor children. Their subsequent investigation, the police said, revealed that the site was being used to lure children into flesh trade.
Wednesday’s action is part of a wider operation code-named "Big Daddy", being carried out by the police for the last two months against online sex rackets. Apart from the eight arrested in Kochi, another seven persons were held from Malappuram, Palakkad, Idukki and Thiruvananthapuram, according to the police. More than 100 people have been so far arrested under the operation.
Protests questioned
The arrest of Rahul and his wife has created ripples in Kerala, and led to a heated trading of charges on social networking sites, with those who backed and opposed the Kiss of Love event locking horns. While those who participated in the event have distanced themselves from the couple, the critics, especially those belonging to the Hindutva outfits, claim the arrests are a vindication of their stand.
The Crime Branch inspector general believes that the couple, who were once successful techies, were leading a double life. The couple, who had met as engineering college students, the police claim, have confessed to have taken to flesh trade to clear the huge debts caused by a film project.
The critics of the event, however, say that the whole Kiss of Love event was a sham and the couple had engaged in social networking sites for criminal activities. Rahul, who ran a group called "Free Thinkers" on Facebook had come up with the idea of Kiss of Love after a restaurant in Kozhikode was vandalised by right wing activists on charges of immoral activities, in October last year. He mobilised support for the movement by launching another Facebook page in the name of Kiss of Love, which drew more than 1.5 lakh likes.
The first edition of the event at Marine Drive in Kochi gained international attention after Hindutva activists clashed with the event organisers and supporters. The campaign soon found resonance among urban youth across the country, with television channels hailing him as a revolutionary hero.
A local Malayalam channel had even proposed Rahul as one of the top 10 newsmakers of Kerala in 2014. The BBC also ran a report about him and the movement, leading to it being seen as the beginning of another renaissance in Kerala.
The cause and the people
While some have defended Rahul, alleging that he may have been implicated in a false case, others have tried to draw a distinction between the movement and the people behind it.
“I will take the police version with a pinch of salt. The Kerala police who have fabricated the ISRO [Indian Space Research Organisation] espionage case can do anything. I will wait for the full facts of the case before making a judgment,” said Ravi Verma, in a comment on Facebook.
Some others like him have also expressed the apprehension that the arrest may be a part of a wider conspiracy to crush the movement, which had triggered public debates over the otherwise forbidden subject of sexuality and helped bring about a shift in the attitude of the society towards moral policing.
VT Balram, Congress member of Legislative Assembly, who had supported the movement, said that his support was not for the people but for the idea. The arrest of one or two of the faces behind the movement will not affect the cause, he said, and added that he will continue to lend support to the movement against moral policing.
Minu Alias, a media professional who was at the forefront of the ‘Kiss of Love’ protest, agreed and said that she had backed the campaign and not the people behind it.
“If anybody involved in the campaign has done anything wrong they should be dealt with in accordance with law. ‘Kiss of Love’ had no leaders. It was an idea that was taken up by the people,” she said.
Thomas Joseph, IT professional at Infopark in Kochi, disagreed. Those leading a movement, he said, should be above board. Great movements have attracted people because of the credibility of their leaders, he added. “No one will be able to organise another ‘Kiss of Love’ protest in Kerala in the near future.”
Rahul Pashupalan, 29, a techie-turned filmmaker, was arrested along with his wife Resmi R Nair, 27, and six others from a posh hotel in Kochi in the early hours of Wednesday. The police claimed that a special investigation team, led by Crime Branch Inspector General of Police S Sreejith, trapped the couple by posing as affluent non-resident Indian clients.
The couple had led the "Kiss of Love" movement in Kochi last year protesting against the moral policing by right-wing Hinduva groups such as Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Shiva Sena, Bajrang Dal and Hindu Sena.
The police claimed to have earlier caught notorious gangster Abdul Khader alias Ali Akbar, and his wife Rubina, alleged to be the couple's accomplices, in a similar fashion. Two minor girls, including a six-year-old, brought from Bengaluru for the "clients", were rescued and handed over to the Child Welfare Committee.
The police team had specially sought children as their investigation apparently revealed that the group was involved in supplying minor children to pedophiles. Sreejith said that Akbar was the kingpin of the operation, allegedly having close links with some child trafficking rackets in Bengaluru.
The police claimed that Rahul and Reshmi supported him by luring young girl children through a Facebook page called "Kochu Sundarikal" (Beautiful Girls). The page was put under observation following complaints that it carried sexually lewd posts and pictures of minor children. Their subsequent investigation, the police said, revealed that the site was being used to lure children into flesh trade.
Wednesday’s action is part of a wider operation code-named "Big Daddy", being carried out by the police for the last two months against online sex rackets. Apart from the eight arrested in Kochi, another seven persons were held from Malappuram, Palakkad, Idukki and Thiruvananthapuram, according to the police. More than 100 people have been so far arrested under the operation.
Protests questioned
The arrest of Rahul and his wife has created ripples in Kerala, and led to a heated trading of charges on social networking sites, with those who backed and opposed the Kiss of Love event locking horns. While those who participated in the event have distanced themselves from the couple, the critics, especially those belonging to the Hindutva outfits, claim the arrests are a vindication of their stand.
The Crime Branch inspector general believes that the couple, who were once successful techies, were leading a double life. The couple, who had met as engineering college students, the police claim, have confessed to have taken to flesh trade to clear the huge debts caused by a film project.
The critics of the event, however, say that the whole Kiss of Love event was a sham and the couple had engaged in social networking sites for criminal activities. Rahul, who ran a group called "Free Thinkers" on Facebook had come up with the idea of Kiss of Love after a restaurant in Kozhikode was vandalised by right wing activists on charges of immoral activities, in October last year. He mobilised support for the movement by launching another Facebook page in the name of Kiss of Love, which drew more than 1.5 lakh likes.
The first edition of the event at Marine Drive in Kochi gained international attention after Hindutva activists clashed with the event organisers and supporters. The campaign soon found resonance among urban youth across the country, with television channels hailing him as a revolutionary hero.
A local Malayalam channel had even proposed Rahul as one of the top 10 newsmakers of Kerala in 2014. The BBC also ran a report about him and the movement, leading to it being seen as the beginning of another renaissance in Kerala.
The cause and the people
While some have defended Rahul, alleging that he may have been implicated in a false case, others have tried to draw a distinction between the movement and the people behind it.
“I will take the police version with a pinch of salt. The Kerala police who have fabricated the ISRO [Indian Space Research Organisation] espionage case can do anything. I will wait for the full facts of the case before making a judgment,” said Ravi Verma, in a comment on Facebook.
Some others like him have also expressed the apprehension that the arrest may be a part of a wider conspiracy to crush the movement, which had triggered public debates over the otherwise forbidden subject of sexuality and helped bring about a shift in the attitude of the society towards moral policing.
VT Balram, Congress member of Legislative Assembly, who had supported the movement, said that his support was not for the people but for the idea. The arrest of one or two of the faces behind the movement will not affect the cause, he said, and added that he will continue to lend support to the movement against moral policing.
Minu Alias, a media professional who was at the forefront of the ‘Kiss of Love’ protest, agreed and said that she had backed the campaign and not the people behind it.
“If anybody involved in the campaign has done anything wrong they should be dealt with in accordance with law. ‘Kiss of Love’ had no leaders. It was an idea that was taken up by the people,” she said.
Thomas Joseph, IT professional at Infopark in Kochi, disagreed. Those leading a movement, he said, should be above board. Great movements have attracted people because of the credibility of their leaders, he added. “No one will be able to organise another ‘Kiss of Love’ protest in Kerala in the near future.”
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