On August 13, a group of men barged into art director Suresh Chaliyath’s house in Kerala, beat him in the front of his family, dragged him out of his house and whisked him away in a vehicle. He returned battered and took his life the next day. Suresh’s interaction with a woman is alleged to be the reason behind the attack, though the police are still investigating the case.
In November 2019, M Radhakrishnan, then secretary of Thiruvananthapuram Press Club, and a few other men barged into his female colleague’s house, bringing back her male colleague who had just visited her house. They attacked the man and the woman in front of her young children. The survivor recently said that Radhakrishnan even interrogated her children on “what was going between the uncle and their mother.” Radhakrishnan was later arrested and the police have submitted a charge sheet in the case.
In 2017, the police in Thiruvananthapuram grilled a couple who were sitting together at the garden attached to the Napier museum in the city, questioning if they were married and asking them not to indulge in vulgar behaviour. Year on year, Kerala — known for its progressiveness and most literate state — witnesses instances of moral policing, where a mob or group of men weaponise patriarchy to infringe upon another person's right to freedom and privacy, impose their subjective ideology on them and even physically attack the victims. Such instances go unabated that it has gradually induced fear among many, that one can be beaten up even for conversing with someone over the phone, meeting up with someone at “odd hours” and even in a place that a section of people think is “inappropriate.”
There have been many more instances of moral policing in Kerala other than these three in the last few years.
"These instances show that there is no correlation between literacy and progressiveness in the state. Seeing such instances, one would wonder whether literacy has been redefined in the state or what we have earned with literacy. It shows that the high literacy rate is of no use and it didn’t help improve quality of life, living standards and follow a culture that befits a democratic society. We are walking back from progressiveness, ” said writer Suneetha Balakrishnan.
It’s not just women and men (same religion and different religion) who are often targetted for “going against the Indian culture,” but the LGBTQIA+ community, too, are subjected to such heinous crimes. Among the three moral policing incidents that were reported in Kochi in November 2018, one was an attack on transgender women. A drunk man reportedly harassed the two trans women, seeking sexual favours.
Although there are provisions under the Indian Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) that is applicable in cases of moral policing, it is a grave violation of fundamental rights guaranteed under the Indian Constitution.
“It seems like it is a society that decides everything for a person, on what is desirable for men and women, and how they should live. The Indian Constitution guarantees the rights to have food, clothes etc of our choice, but society would never allow us to enjoy our civil liberties,” Sreekutty, a transgender woman, told TNM.
“It’s the failure of the police to act in a timely and stern manner that often paves the way for such instances. The police would be friendly when we meet them to lodge the complaint. However, justice would be far from coming to fruition and the police would find scores of reasons for not acting upon,” said Sreekutty, who is Chairperson of Liberty Foundation for the transgender community.
“Though Kerala claims to be a transgender persons-friendly state, harassments in all forms continue in one or the other every day," added Sreekutty, calling for speedy and stern action by the police to stop this violence.
Usha Punathil, former director of Kerala Mahila Samakhya Society and a social activist, sardonically asked in a Facebook post, why do we need police when moral policing is allowed to thrive. Reacting to art director Suresh Chaliyath’s death, Usha wrote, “He died once because of humiliation, and later, he died of suicide. It seems that no action has been taken."
The Vengara police on Monday, August 16, arrested two people in connection with Suresh’s death. The arrested people, Nizamuddin and Mujeeb Rahman, have been charged under section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). “The issues that led to the death are still being investigated,” the police said.
According to Suneetha Balakrishnan, a writer based in Thiruvananthapuram, the issues are multi-layered. “In the past, women were conditioned to not step out with men (other than family members) and we never use to also. Now that we have realised and come out of that world of conditioning, we are under society’s constant surveillance. Social media is also being employed to keep tabs on people. It becomes ‘love jihad (a term used by right-wing groups) if the man and woman are not of the same religion, and an illicit affair if their religion is the same,” Suneetha said.
Read: Day after ‘moral policing’ attack, Kerala school teacher found dead
If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers of suicide-prevention organisations that can offer emotional suppport to individuals and families.