Sex has become an easy target in this country
Pitchayarat Chootai

Bedroom raids by Mumbai sex police?

Recently, the Mumbai police rounded up 40 couples from hotel rooms and charged them with public indecency. We spoke to a few young Mumbaikars, who think this violates their personal space.

‘Action was uncalled for’

The recent infringement of privacy by the police, when they decided to raid hotels and harass couples, was absolutely uncalled for. It’d be best if the cops started taking their job of keeping the city safe as top priority rather than focusing their energies on moral policing.

Mitchelle Janson, 26, lead account manager at a digital firm.

‘What’s the use of an apology?’

I hope the couples sue the police for wrongful applications of IPC and punitive damages, but the sad truth is no one will. Who wants to be harassed by the police after all? What is the use of an apology after all the embarrassment they faced? And why should they be embarrassed about something that is so basic in nature?

Tina Roy, 27, bank accountant.

‘Our bedrooms aren’t safe’

In our 69th year of independence, it is a shame that while we have certain liberties, some very fundamental ones are slipping out of our grasp. The state objected to our food (the beef ban), to what we do in our spare time (porn) and now have issues with our sex lives. Isn’t it enough that you aren’t allowed to show your love for another person publicly without being rounded up by the cops and fined? Now, even our bedrooms aren’t safe?

Gaurav Sharma, 21, student.   

‘Focus on more serious issues’

My heart goes out to the parents who had to receive a phone call from their children telling them they were arrested for being together with a member of the opposite sex in a hotel room. It is quite a betrayal of trust. I personally am against sex before marriage but for those who don’t think like me, I don’t see how anyone should tell them otherwise. I do wish our police would focus on more pressing issues such as spurious liquor racket, the flagrant breaking of traffic rules and rampant child labour. We should be fighting this because it goes against our fundamental rights.

Sajid Khan, 18, student.

‘Let’s ban sex’

Sex has become an easy target in this country – we can’t watch porn, we can’t have sex with people from the same sex without it being a crime, we can’t change our gender without being ridiculed and our religion tells us premarital sex is bad or that sex is meant only for reproduction and not pleasure.

Sex is against our culture and a western import (like all other evils). Forget the Kama Sutra or the erotic statues in temples. We can’t screw someone (pardon the language) but the government can screw us all right and in many different ways. The future in India is sexless. This could actually be a good thing, our population is growing at such a fast pace that people not having sex and reproducing is a great idea! Is this what the government actually wants to do?!

 

Tanisha Sharma, 22, fashion blogger.

(All names have been changed on request)

What do you think about the Mumbai police’s actions against the 40 couples? Leave a comment below or via Facebook.

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