It is a sad reflection on the state of our society that a group of lawyers and others had the temerity to assault Ajitesh Kumar on the premises of the Allahabad High court even after the court had ordered police protection for him and Sakshi Mishra, the daughter of BJP MLA Rajesh Mishra. The couple had come to Allahabad to attend court as they had pleaded for police protection following alleged threats from Rajesh Mishra and his goons after their elopement and inter-caste marriage.
The court had heard their plea and recognized the fact that their lives were in danger. It had ordered police protection for the couple. The court was aware of the fact that since this was an inter-caste marriage, the couple was under pressure from many quarters. Although Rajesh Mishra has denied threatening the couple, Monday's incident shows that the hate against inter-caste marriages has seeped deeply in society and even if the families of the couple have no objection, self-styled guardians of moral values will not let the couple live in peace.
This is something that the Indian society must rid itself of. Every adult has the right to choose his or her life partner. The courts recognize this and the Special Marriage Act provides for it. Then why are self-styled guardians so agitated? It is no one's business to interfere in the decision of the couple and the Allahabad police should identify the lawyers who assaulted Ajitesh and punish them as per law. Although Ajitesh was struck dumb by the assault and has expressed his inability to identify the culprits, the police must find other ways like CCTV footage and other witnesses including policemen who were guarding the couple, to identify the assaulters. It is of prime importance that they get punished to set an example and warn others that such crimes will not be tolerated.
Pic courtesy: Republic TV
