Moral policing rule irks public
Indira Park drops bar on unmarried couples
An attempt by the GHMC and the city police to do moral policing in public places, which drew sharp criticism from several quarters, seems to have been abandoned. A banner that the city corporation had hung outside the entrance to Indira Park, proclaiming ‘Unmarried couples are not allowed inside the park’, has been removed.
An image of the banner posted on Twitter on Thursday morning caught the attention of many, who quickly questioned the “overzealousness” of cops at public places like parks. Within an hour, the GHMC responded by saying the banner has been removed but stressed that the police will continue keeping an eye out on people’s behaviour in the park.
A tweet with an image of the banner posted by netizen Meera Sanghamitra in the morning sparked outrage among youths, who objected to the GHMC allowing only married couples to enter the park. This also resulted in a meme outburst mocking the civic body and its decision on banning unmarried couples from Indira Park.
A repurposed cartoon of a priest conducting a wedding ceremony was one among the reactions wherein the priest was seen saying, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now enter Indira Park.”
Another tweet showed a wedding picture of actors Ranveer Singh and Deepaka Padukone juxtaposed with the image of the ban banner, with Ranveer Singh saying “Let’s go to Indira Park and chill.”
Yet another showed a man selling fresh coconut water with a photo-shopped banner of his own, with an offer to sell ‘park entry marriage certificate’ for `50.
Mayor Vijaylakshmi Gadwal, minister KT Ramarao and others, who are generally active on twitter, maintained a studious silence in the matter. Twitter users tagged them on the issue. The instant backlash was enough for the GHMC to hastily walk back on its decision.
The civic body’s zonal commissioner for Secunderabad posted a fresh picture of the entrance with a board of do’s and don'ts for visitors to the park; but this time with the banner not in sight.
In the post, the GHMC official said, “Banners removed by DD UBD (deputy director urban biodiversity). Inconvenience regretted. Informed local police to keep vigil by regular visits to maintain the serene atmosphere in the park.”
Critics said the happygo-lucky atmosphere in the capital city, a major hub for IT industry, should be retained and the tendency on the part of cops and others to do moral policing and tense up the city life should be stopped.