The Hindu : New Delhi News : Shiv Sena stages protest on Valentine's Day

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 15, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Shiv Sena stages protest on Valentine's Day

Staff Reporter

National Panthers Party extends support to young lovers

NEW DELHI: Young men and women in the Capital celebrated Valentine's Day on Tuesday without any major trouble as the police remained on their toes through the day to prevent any untoward incident. While the tone of protests by the Shiv Sena, was muted, the Delhi unit of National Panthers Party had come out in support of the cause of young lovers.

Both the groups came face to face at Wimpy's restaurant in Connaught Place around 2-30 p.m. However, the police intervened and detained over 30 activists, including five women, from both Shiv Sena and National Panthers Party, to prevent a fracas. Activists of both groups were taken to separate police stations and were later released. The police said the two groups did not clash as such but the detentions were made as a precautionary measure.

At Kamla Nagar in North Delhi, which is close to the Delhi University and one of the hubs for young college-going couples, the Shiv Sena staged a protest dubbing the Valentine's Day as a marketing gimmick. There were reports of some activists being detained there, but the police denied it. The Deputy Commissioner of Police (North), Sunil Garg, said adequate arrangements had been made following intelligence inputs. "No detentions were made and there was no trouble in the market," he claimed.

The National Panthers Party claimed to have deployed its men at various places in the Capital, including Connaught Place, Janakpuri, a couple of places in the trans-Yamuna area and also on Metro trains. They further claimed that they were prepared to deal with any group targeting young couples in the name of protesting against Valentine's Day.

In West Delhi, too, the situation remained peaceful. The Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), Neeraj Thakur, said he had no reports of any disturbance in the busy market places. And contrary to fears of there being attacks on young coupls, it was more or less the same story of peace elsewhere in the Capital.

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