Mumbai: Couples picked up from hotel rooms, charged with 'public indecency'

The Malwani police several of whose officers were suspended for allowing a spurious liquor racket to flourish in their jurisdiction which led to the deaths of more than 100 people in the hooch tragedy last month seem to have declared war on an easy target sexNo city for lovers Malwani police under the supervision of DCP Vikram Deshpande conducted the raid around 3 pm on Thursday in several lodges and twostar hotels in the vicinity of Madh Island and AksaConsenting adults who had checked into various hotels in the Madh Island and Aksa area to get some privacy were shocked to find the police knocking on the doors of their rooms on Thursday More than 40 couples were rounded up and taken to the police station where they were insulted and some of them especially college students were made to call their parentsSchooled Some of the people who were caught in the raid They said they were insulted and some of them especially college students were asked to call their parentsThey were then charged with lsquoindecent behaviour in publicrsquo even though they were in private hotel rooms when they were lsquocaughtrsquo and fined Rs 1200 before being let off nearly five hours laterTraumatised by the incident a 19yearold girl told midday that she is contemplating committing suicide because of the stigma and because her parents arenrsquot talking to her anymore Another 21yearold girl who had gone to a hotel with her fianceacute whom she is supposed to marry next month says she was slapped by a female constable for daring to protest against the actionRaidAccording to officials a team from the Malwani police under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner Zone XI Vikram Deshpande conducted the raid around 3 pm on Thursday in several lodges resorts and twostar hotels in the vicinity of Madh Island and AksaThey said officials knocked on the doors of rooms and rounded up nearly 40 couples and took them to the police station A youngster name withheld caught in the raid said ldquoThe police first insulted all of us in front of all the officers and the other couples and then forced us to call our parents and insulted and disgraced us in front of them They also made the parents feel guilty as if their children had committed some heinous crimerdquo He added that they were taken to the police station around 5 pm and many of them were allowed to go only by 10 pmSuicidalldquoI am literally contemplating ending my life because of the trauma and the stigma from the raid I havenrsquot been able to step out of the house and my parents have also not spoken a single word to me since this morningrdquo a 19yearold girl told midday yesterdayAnother 21yearold woman was slapped by a female police constable when she refused to pay the fine ldquoI am not a prostitute I am an adult who was out with my fianceacute who I am supposed to marry next month to find some privacy I had entered my name in the hotel register with my identity proof and also handed over the relevant documents when asked by the cops But when I tried to tell a female constable all of this she slapped merdquo said the girlldquoDo we have freedom as citizens of India How can you fine and demean us and intrude into our privacy If you want to take legal action fine the hotels or lodges if any of them allow immoral activities like prostitution to go on in their premises Making love to the person of my choice in a private room doesnrsquot amount to indecent behaviour in public You canrsquot just harass us because a DCP orders a raidrdquo she addedOfficialspeakWhen contacted DCP Vikram Deshpande asked midday to call the police incharge of Malwani Police station and hung up Senior Inspector Milind Khetale confirmed the raid and said that the couples were fined under Section 110 Indecent behaviour in public of the Bombay Police Act and three cases were also registered under the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act