City where the kissing has to stop

Kissing is an expression of affection, but in Bombay, India, this tender act is enough to get you arrested.

In one of the most densely populated cities in the world, few places offer sanctuary for young lovers constrained by cultural conservatism and the constant glare of relatives. They steal kisses and exchange whispers in the most intimate setting available. But this tender act is enough to get them arrested.

More than 100 couples were rounded up by police this week for activities that in Western society would be regarded as innocent. In India, where kissing in public is technically illegal, they were deemed to be in “objectionable positions”. They were taken away in vans, fined up to 1,200 rupees for indulging in “obscene” behaviour and forced to endure the humiliation of calling their parents from behind bars.

The clampdown in Bombay comes less than two months after the Shiv Sena (Army of Shiva), a nationalist party accused of orchestrating violence against Muslims in the 1993 riots, swept to power in the municipal elections.

Source: Times Online
Image: Wikipedia
Tags: Kissing | Obscene | Public