Recently, Mumbai police proved yet again that their commanders are ineffective and petty. Conducting a raid on hotels in Madh Island and Aksa, a team of cops rounded up around 40 couples on the basis of ‘indecent behaviour in public’. Considering these couples, some of whom are even engaged, had given correct proof of identity and were in private rooms, there was no logical or legal reason for the backward minded Malwani police to pick them up.
A 19 year old girl who was picked up told Mid-Day , “I am literally contemplating ending my life because of the trauma and the stigma from the raid. I haven’t been able to step out of the house and my parents have also not spoken a single word to me since this morning.”
The couples were humiliated, made to call their parents, and when one of them protested, she was slapped. They were released 5 hours later after paying a fine. DCP Vikram Deshpande conducted the raid and senior inspector Milind Khetale confirmed it. This raid is a ridiculous attack on the rights to freedom and privacy.
