This is how the Bollywood star reacted to Mumbai's cops' 'moral policing' after they rounded up and harassed 13 consenting couples from a hotel near Aksa beach in Mumbai
The police must obey the law while enforcing the law: Former Governor of California Earl Warren
Recently, the Mumbai police came under fire after around 13 consenting couples were dragged out of their hotel rooms in Madh Island and Aksa beach area, and taken to jail for 'indecent public behaviour'. And if you thought it ended there, then you're wrong. The Malvani police detained them for hours, thrashed those who protested and also imposed a fine of Rs 1200 on them.
This incident sparked a massive social media outrage with most people slamming the police for its brazen attack on those couples' rights and privacy.
Voicing similar views is none other than Bollywood actor Abhay Deol. In a long Facebook post Abhay, who is known to have a clear stand on societal matters and expresses his opinions fearlessly, questions those who still have a primitive mentality towards SEX!
He openly says, "Sex is not something to be ashamed of -- why is it so hard for some people to digest that?"
Here's a look at his post:
SEX!
Even I am baffled by our society's obsession with sex.
I enjoy it, I crave it, I pursue it. I don't hide the fact. I feel a tinge of shame admitting it. It always takes a moment for the logical part of my brain to put the shame aside, and I see reason.
I have come to believe my sense of shame comes from my upbringing. I was brought up by the same values as any other from my country, which may come as a surprise to those who think people born into the film industry are brought up with a different set of values (usually loose and privileged).
So I get it. The taboo that comes with the topic of sex in my society.
But booking young kids for a crime they didn't commit, physically and mentally abusing them publicly? To me it looks more like it was the police that was guilty of 'public indecency'.
All this because they were young adults having sex. How liberated can you be!? They must be punished. By any law out there.
Many believe moral policing is a way to get rid of 'western influences', like liberal views on sex (it always starts with those) within our society. That there are outdated British laws from the Victorian age on sex and sexuality still in effect in India today, is lost on those constantly claiming that liberal views on sex (such as premarital sex) come from Western countries, and conservative views come from India.
I'm not going to cite 'the Kama Sutra' as an example.
The last I remember, my country has a written history that is a few thousand years old. It is full of stories of kings and queens, of kingdoms and communities, co-existing mostly peacefully, with an invasion every now and then. People from all over the world converged upon my country, staking their claim, leaving their mark. The culture of the region however, always held onto its roots no matter who currently ruled it. That is how I see morals. They are relative to those who rule. Principles on the other hand, are unchangeable, they are at the root of my culture. That's what I was taught, so If we have a 'moral police', then why not a 'principal police' as well?
I guess I have resigned myself to a society mistaking itself to be the custodian of my culture.
This started off as a topic on sex. SEX IS NOT SOMETHING TO BE ASHAMED OF! WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR SOME PEOPLE TO DIGEST THAT?
Oops... there I go... thinking of sex again...
Is that indecent to admit publicly?
After posting the letter, Abhay spent sometime interacting with his fans, and thanked them for standing by his views and sharing the post.
Photograph: Abhay Deol and Kalki Koechlin in a still from Devdas
Note: The image is used only for representational purpose
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