Police action in Anti-Romeo squads in Uttar Pradesh has triggered debate.
Highlights
- Prashant Bhushan's tweet on Anti-Romeo squad triggered controversy
- Many accused him of 'hurting religious sentiments', sought apology
- 'My tweet on Romeo brigade being distorted,' Mr Bhushan tweeted later
Lawyer activist Prashant Bhushan triggered a storm today after he weighed in on the Uttar Pradesh government's Anti-Romeo squads with a tweet that was seen as insulting to Lord Krishna. The civil society protested vociferously, religious groups demanded an apology and one person filed a police complaint against the activist for alleged insult to the deity. Yet others complained to twitter, alleging "hurting of religious sentiments".
The Anti-Romeo Squads, a BJP poll promise fulfilled by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has generated debate after reports of alleged police excesses. While the job involved cracking down on men who harass, stalk and molest women, cellphone video from various parts of the state allegedly showed the police meting out a rough and ready justice, forcing men to do squats or shaving off their hair, or fining men accompanying their cousins, refusing to take the word of the family.
While Romeo, the immortal character of Shakespeare, has been used by the government to loosely refer to molesters, Mr Bhushan's comment added a religious spin to the subject. The tweet that set it off read:Soon after "Lord Krishna" started trending on Twitter, with users taking Mr Bhushan to task.In face of the barrage of protests, Mr Bhushan issued a prompt clarification.But his clarification failed to placate everyone:"It takes several births to understand the Lord Krishna. It is sad how easily he got dragged into politics," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra tweeted.