The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Valentine's Day turns into tense affair

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Tuesday, Feb 15, 2011
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Valentine's Day turns into tense affair

Staff Reporter

Bajrang Dal activists force couples ‘caught' by them into marriage

Eight such couples ‘caught' by Bajrang Dal squads married at VHP office in Koti
Police disperse a group of people who try to enter a bakery forcibly in Bowenpally

HYDERABAD: Valentine's Day was a tense affair in the twin cities on Monday after Bajrang Dal activists carried out their threat to force couples ‘caught' by them in parks into marriage.

Eight such couples ‘caught' by the Bajrang Dal vigilante squads were married at the Vishwa Hindu Parishad Office in Koti, Sanghi temple at Pedda Amberpet, Radehshyam Ashramam in Moinabad and Venkateswara Swamy temple in Shamshabad. Elsewhere, police were deployed in good numbers to thwart any disruption of the V-Day celebrations, but there was not much of a problem.

Police intervention

Police dispersed a group of people who tried to enter a bakery forcibly in Bowenpally, while ten Bajrang Dal activists were taken into custody on Necklace Road, as they were scouting to catch unmarried couples.

There were demonstrations in front of shops at Paradise, Koti, ECIL crossroads, Ameerpet, Dilsukhnagar crossroads, Uppal crossroads and Habsiguda.

Opportune moment

One of the couples, married at the VHP office in Koti, hailed from Karwan and was in love for the last two years. Their parents, they claimed, were opposed to their marriage and they decided to meet at Gandipet.

They told the Bajrang Dal activists who surrounded them that they were planning to get married. Literally seeing an opportunity to overcome the hurdle posed by their parents, the couple happily followed them to the VHP office to get married.

Bajrang Dal city president N. Vinod maintained that the marriages were performed only after couples gave their consent and after verifying whether they were majors. They also took it in writing that there would not be any problems in future.

“Messages were also sent to their parents.” He sought to assure the newly wed couples that they would stand by them in future. At some places, the Bajrang Dal activists buttonholed petrified youngsters and explained to them how V-Day celebrations were against Indian customs.

Policemen stood guard at Imax, Necklace Road, Sanjeevaiah Park, Tank Bund, City Centre Mall and some restaurants and pubs in Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills and Himayathnagar.

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