A group of men holding sticks and roads were seen entering a park in Patna, the capital of Bihar. The message was clear for young couples to not celebrate Valentine’s Day.
According to the media reports members of a fringe group called Hindu Shiv Bhavani Seva, went to various parks around the city, shouting slogans like, “Stop spreading obscenity in public spaces.”
In the footage, the men were seen urging young couples to leave the park, telling them, “Go home and remember the Pulwama heroes,” and adding, “Valentine’s Day is a Western tradition, and we will not allow it to continue.”
The Pulwama attack, which occurred on February 14, 2019, saw 40 CRPF jawans killed when a Jaish-e-Mohammad suicide bomber drove an explosive-laden vehicle into a convoy on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.
The fringe group clarified that they weren’t opposed to love but were against what they viewed as “obscenity in the name of love.”
In a similar incident in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, two organizations—Bajrang Dal and the Bharatiya Sufi Foundation—denounced Valentine’s Day as a celebration of Western culture, which they believe has no place in India.
Bajrang Dal leaders have organized 12 patrol teams in the city, with 20 additional teams covering nearby areas. The Bharatiya Sufi Foundation also opposed Valentine’s Day, arguing that it “misguides children.”