Haritha John| The News Minute | March 20, 2015 | 11.20am ISTA group of students from different colleges in Thrissur district, Kerala gathered in the Thekkinkad Maidan on Thursday to protest against moral policing allegedly by Hindu Maha Sabha activists in the region.Recently when some students from the fine arts college in the district gathered in the grounds of the Vadukkunathan temple to paint pictures as part of their academics, a group who introduced themselves as Hindu Maha Sabha members had threatened the students. Saying that the maidan (ground) belonged to the temple premises, the group told the students not to enter the area.The Hindu Maha Sabha workers had allegedly listed a set of conditions prohibiting the students from entering the maidan - saying that non-Hindus could not enter, they also said that girls and boys together would not be allowed together. The men also threatened the students telling them to refrain from painting or singing inside the area.Following this incident, students from different colleges staged a protest named “Smiling Wednesday” in the maidan, where they protested by drawing pictures, making handicrafts and singing songs together.“Our protest was by doing what they told us not to do. We boys and girls sat together, we sang songs loudly, and we drew pictures and painted them. We did what those fascists prohibited us to do,” Riyas Abdulla, one of the organisers of Smiling Wednesday.Thekkinkadu Maidan, the venue of famous Thrissur Pooram festival, though it belongs to the temple, has been treated as a public place where people from different religions visit as a place for relaxation.(Images Courtesy: Lukhmanul Hakeem and Smiling Wednesday Facebook page)TweetFollow @thenewsminute