Sena suspends its Kochi workers for caning couples

Shiv Sena on Thurs day indefinitely suspended party workers from Kerala who har assed couples at Kochi’s Marine Drive walkway and caned them

Distancing itself from the moral policing incident, the party’s youth wing chief and Sena founder Bal Thackeray’s grandson Aaditya Thackeray said on Twitter, “The incident in Kochi, Kerala, is shameful and unnecessary. The party will not shield or endorse such acts. The said persons involved in the act in Kochi have been immediately suspended from the party’s membership indefinitely.”

The members Sena suspended had taken out a procession under the banner, ‘Stop love under umbrella’ on Wednesday.

During the procession, they verbally abused couples sitting on Kochi’s Marine Drive and threatened them. Some party workers even caned them despite the presence of police personnel and the media.

The Sena has traditionally resorted to moral policing in its home turf of Mumbai, with its workers driving away couples from public places and protest ing against Valentines’ Day cele brations.

But the party stopped its vio lent protests ever since Aaditya emerged as its youth face.

With Mumbai’s fast-changing demographics and the Sena’s ambitions to politically grow in other states, the party has of late become more modern tolerant