Kerala man, filmed on Valentine’s day, found hanging

Mangalore Today News Network

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 24, 2017:  A young man who was attacked, filmed and targeted with a video on social media by moral vigilantes on Valentine’s Day, was found hanging outside his home in Kerala’s Palakkad district on Thursday.

A suicide note been has found where he, police say, has cited the harassment on Valentine’s Day as the reason for taking the extreme step.

The man, believed to be in his 20s, and his woman friend were accosted by five men near a beach in Kollam on February 14. The accused videotaped the couple, asking the woman obscene and humiliating questions and circulated the video on social media, the police said.

The couple had reportedly moved to a nearby bushy area so the woman could relieve herself since there are no public toilets on the beach.

The gang allegedly tried to assault her and when the man stepped in to defend her, he was attacked. The couple were then filmed and threatened.

After the couple complained to the police, the men were arrested.

According to the police, the man was upset and stayed aloof after the incident, as claimed by his friends.

Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had taken a strong note of the incident and asked the state police chief to take strict action on incidents of moral policing incidents. "Such criminal activities will not be tolerated in Kerala," Mr Vijayan had warned.

Still, the police were left red-faced after a couple live-streamed their exchange with two constables on Tuesday after they were accused of indecency. Vishnu SS, 24 and Arathy SA, 23, who had met at a park in Thiruvananthapuram, were harassed, questioned and fined exactly a week after Valentine’s Day. "Having someone’s arm on my shoulder is not wrong. Booking people for as small a reason as this has to stop," Aarthy had told NDTV.

As the police came under a barrage of criticism, state police chief Loknath Behara said he wished "it had not happened" and public display of affection, while frowned upon by society, is not illegal.