THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Valentine's Day in India has been marred by a spate of attacks on young couples as Hindu radicals battle what they claim are foreign influences corrupting Indian culture.
Six men from the Hindu group, Shiv Sena, were arrested in Agra, the home to the Taj Mahal, after they cut the hair of overtly romantic couples in a park on Valentine's Day.
In Pune, western India, two couples were stopped by activists from the same group and forced to "marry" on the spot by exchanging flower garlands. Five more members of Shiv Sena were arrested in Delhi for threatening couples.
In the central Indian city of Ujjain, a mob of Hindu fanatics beat a brother and sister they mistook for a couple displaying affection. Meanwhile activists blackened the faces of many couples they said were behaving inappropriately in the cities of Aurangabad and Bijnaur.
Valentine's Day has recently become hugely popular in India but public shows of affection are still considered taboo by many.
Hindu mobs were not the only ones targeting couples on Valentine's Day. A policeman in the northern state of Haryana was caught on camera attacking a female college student accused of being "involved in immoral activities". The graphic video showed the officer, Molla Ram, repeatedly spinning a woman around by the hair. He was later suspended.
The Valentine's Day violence comes amid a "culture wars" debate over the influence of foreign culture in India. >>> Matt Wade in New Delhi | Monday, February 16, 2009
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