Thiruvananthapuram: Authorities in Kerala who are still taking flak for the manner in which police handled the “Kiss of Love” protest event in Kochi on Sunday, may soon have a similar event to worry about.
A group of public rights activists in Kannur are planning to hold a protest against the ban on smoking in public places by publicly smoking, local media reported.
The organisers are planning to hold the event this month itself, near the old bus stand in Kannur.
Among the demands the pro-smoking activists are making is that the authorities must earmark designated places for smokers to smoke in public places. The date and time for the event is yet to be decided.
Their contention is that since cigarette and beedi (traditional form of tobacco) sales have not been banned by the state government, it is illogical to clamp down on public smoking.
The state government clamped down on smoking in public places on the grounds that it affects the health of passive smokers.
The protesters argue that when smoking is allowed in private places like homes, there is no logic in banning it in public places. They also point out that the toxic fumes from factories are significantly more damaging to health than the smoke from cigarettes.
The organisers hope that the move will get strong public backing and that it will also be supported by the tens of thousands of people associated with cigarette and beedi manufacturing and distributing sectors.
Meanwhile, police have registered cases against some 1,000 people who participated in the “Kiss of Love” event and those who opposed it, based on footage taken from the event.
Those who opposed the event included the Yuva Morcha, the Bajrang Dal, the Kerala Students’ Union and the Campus Front.
Meanwhile, the Facebook page of the Kiss of Love organisers, which had gone missing for a while on Monday after attracting more than 60,000 likes, came back to life soon after, and now has over 86,000 likes.
The event was held to protest the increasing incidence of moral policing in Kerala, the latest of which featured Yuva Morcha activists vandalising a café in Kozhikode in October, alleging that “immoral activities” were going on there.
Many writers and social activists came out in support of the Kiss of Love event to protest moral policing. The Kochi city police, however, denied permission for the event.