Kerala college students give befitting reply to moral policing with ‘sit-on-lap’ protest
One of the preferred gathering places for college students in Thiruvananthapuram is a bus stop next to the College of Engineering Trivandrum (CET) in Kerala. However, kids having fun at the bus stop frequently draw strange looks and muttered remarks from the neighbourhood residents.
Numerous police complaints were made against the children. The college students were shocked and appalled to see the long steel bench had been divided into three seats on Wednesday, which brought society’s unease to an all-time low.
The students sat together on the seats and took pictures as a proper response. On social media, pictures of girls holding hands and sitting on boys’ laps circulated.
Numerous pupils were stunned by the development. “We found the incident shocking. People’s attitudes are highly upsetting,” according to college union chairperson Ajmal Labeb.
The photos caught the attention of the authorities, and on Thursday, Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Arya Rajendran went to the location. A new, gender-neutral bus stop with WiFi will soon be erected, according to Arya Rajendran.
“The local citizens’ organisation installed the bus shelter. Here, we spend a lot of time with one another. Locals occasionally get irritated when boys and girls interacted, though. Police had once or twice received complaints about us, and they had questioned us about why we were hanging out late at night, according to Labeb.
A college union member named Abhijith V. V. claimed that everyone was upset over the seats being reduced to three. “The residents association said that the seats were divided into three in order to maintain social distance when the mayor inquired about the subject with them. She has guaranteed the installation of a gender-neutral bus stop. There have been cases where residents have morally policed pupils, according to Abhijith.
Arya Rajendran posted a message in Malayalam on Facebook in support of the college students, saying, “The seat beside CET being divided into three is inappropriate and disrespectful of a developed society. In our nation, sitting with boys and girls is not prohibited. If somebody has that thought, they should remember that they still live in the bullock cart era. I applaud the students for their vehement opposition to the situation. Kerala’s Minister of General Education, V Sivankutty, also praised the youngsters on Facebook.
Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright
