On 2 November 2014, a Facebook group called for a "Kiss of Love" gathering at Marine Drive in Kochi, Kerala, to protest moral policing after Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha activists vandalised a cafe in Kozhikode. Police took between 30 and 80 organisers and supporters into preventive custody before they reached the venue, as Hindu and Muslim groups staged counter-protests. Similar events followed in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Delhi and Kozhikode, and a year later two of the best-known organisers were arrested in an unrelated sex racket case.
Key takeaways
- The Kiss of Love protest was triggered on 23 October 2014, when Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha activists vandalised the Downtown Cafe in Kozhikode after a TV channel aired footage of couples there.
- On 31 October 2014 the Kerala High Court declined to stop the Kochi event after the state government said enough police would be deployed and illegal acts would be dealt with.
- On 2 November 2014 Kochi police took organisers marching from Ernakulam Law College into preventive custody. Police put the number at 30; other reports said about 50, 52 or 80.
- Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal, SDPI and Campus Front activists marched against the event at Marine Drive, and police later booked at least 100 people for processions and unlawful assembly.
- Kiss of Love events followed in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Delhi, JNU and Kozhikode, where police again took protesters and Hanuman Sena workers into custody on 7 December 2014.
- In November 2015 organisers Rahul Pasupalan and Resmi R Nair were arrested in an online sex racket case; both deny the charges, and a POCSO chargesheet was filed in December 2019.
Background: the Downtown Cafe attack
On 23 October 2014, Jai Hind TV, a Malayalam channel, broadcast footage of couples at the Downtown Cafe on P.T. Usha Road in Kozhikode NBC News. Global Voices described the channel as owned by the Congress party Global Voices.
That Thursday, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha activists attacked the cafe, alleging "immoral activities". They shattered glass panes and destroyed furniture and television sets Madhyamam. Police registered a case against about 15 activists under IPC sections 143, 147, 148 and 427 (unlawful assembly, rioting with weapons and mischief), and arrested a Yuva Morcha worker two days later Madhyamam.
In early November police arrested Prakash Babu, the Yuva Morcha's state general secretary, whom they described as the key accused. He was arrested on a train at Tirur and taken to Kozhikode for questioning Madhyamam.
How the Kiss of Love call started
A group of Facebook users calling themselves "Free Thinkers", led by short film maker and IT professional Rahul Pasupalan, set up a "Kiss of Love" page and asked people to gather at Marine Drive in Kochi on 2 November PTI via OneIndia. Pasupalan told NBC he expected about 200 likes; the page had over 1,000 by the next morning NBC News. By 31 October it was approaching 40,000 Gulf News.
The organisers said it was "not a kiss fest" but a gathering of like-minded people to raise awareness against moral policing Madhyamam. Pasupalan said they had asked people to come as couples, and that two men attacked six organisers and took their placards during a press meet at Marine Drive Claim · Organisers The News Minute.
Permission, the High Court and the politics
Kochi police denied permission for the event IANS via The News Minute. The organisers said they had applied a week earlier and would go ahead anyway The News Minute.
On 31 October a Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice A.M. Shaffique disposed of two petitions seeking to stop the event, filed by two Ernakulam Government Law College students and the Sri Sathya Sai Orphanage Trust. The petitioners argued it violated the IPC and the Kerala Police Act and was against Indian culture. The court recorded the government's assurance that sufficient police would be deployed and action taken against any illegal activity PTI via OneIndia.
Government's position Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala wrote on Facebook that the right to protest was a fundamental right, but that police would act if protesters created a law and order problem. He also warned of "stern action" against those indulging in moral policing PTI via OneIndia.
Reactions split across party lines:
- Kochi Mayor Tony Chammany (Congress) called for a ban, calling it "a cultural and moral compromise", while condemning the cafe attack The News Minute.
- Congress MLA V.T. Balram said it was "undemocratic to suppress by force any peaceful get together". CPI(M) MP M.B. Rajesh also backed the event Gulf News.
- BJP state vice-president M.T. Ramesh said his party would not prevent the event, and that moral policing and violent protests were "not BJP's cup of tea" PTI via OneIndia.
- The VHP opposed the event as against Indian culture but said it would "not take law into their hands" to stop it IANS via The News Minute.
What happened at Marine Drive on 2 November
Crowds fill Marine Drive
Thousands gathered at Marine Drive and nearby, most of them onlookers Deccan Chronicle. NBC put the crowd at more than 10,000; Pasupalan said about 80% had come to watch NBC News.
Counter-marches
Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal, SDPI and Campus Front activists marched to the venue and said they would stop the event Deccan Chronicle. Madhyamam named Shiv Sena, the district unit of the Kerala Students Union and "a Muslim outfit" among those marching against it Madhyamam.
Organisers detained
In a last-minute change, organisers tried to march from Ernakulam Law College to the venue. Police stopped them and bundled them into a van as they held placards against moral policing Madhyamam. A photo of Pasupalan and Resmi R Nair kissing inside a police vehicle went viral Deccan Herald.
Scuffles and lathicharge
A small group got past police and kissed at Marine Drive. Deccan Chronicle reported that activists opposing the campaign attacked supporters, including women, and that police used a lathicharge Deccan Chronicle. Police chased the crowd; some people fell in the melee and a TV cameraman was injured Madhyamam.
Cases registered
Police registered cases against at least 100 people for processions and unlawful assembly at Marine Drive, but none against onlookers PTI via India TV.
Counts of those held vary. A police officer quoted by Deccan Chronicle said 30 were taken into custody "for their own safety" and no charges were registered against them Deccan Chronicle. Madhyamam and Global Voices said about 50, NBC said 52, and Gulf News said 80 NBC News Gulf News. NBC also reported about 25 people hospitalised with minor injuries, which it attributed to opposing protesters Claim · NBC report.
Both accounts
Organisers' account
The organisers said the protest was a peaceful, symbolic stand against moral policing and that kissing and hugging were only its chosen form Deccan Chronicle. One organiser later said police first allowed them to march to Marine Drive and then arrested them The News Minute. On 3 November they said their Facebook page and at least five linked accounts had been hacked, that some people came to the venue with weapons, and filed a complaint with the Home Minister PTI via India TV.
Police and government account
Police said the detentions were preventive, made "as the situation was going out of hand", and for the protesters' own safety Deccan Chronicle. The government had told the High Court that it would deploy enough police and act against any illegal activity PTI via OneIndia. Before the event, Gulf News reported police officials suggesting banned organisations could be involved No evidence; no such link was shown in the reporting reviewed Gulf News.
Opponents argued that kissing in public was against Indian culture. A Facebook group opposing the campaign said there was "no ambiguity in IPC/Constitution regarding the public indecency" NBC News.
How it spread to other cities
- Hyderabad, 2 Nov: BJYM and ABVP workers held a sit-in against a Kiss of Love event at Hyderabad Central University. Police arrested people from both sides IANS via Ummid.
- Kolkata, 5 Nov: Jadavpur and Presidency University students formed human chains and kissed in public in solidarity with Kochi Gulf News IANS via India TV.
- Delhi, 8 Nov: Students, mainly from AISA, SFI and AISF, gathered at Jhandewalan to march to the RSS office and were stopped at police barricades. Hindu Sena members shouted slogans and scuffles broke out. Police told PTI at least 70 were detained and freed within half an hour PTI via OneIndia. The Caravan said three were briefly detained The Caravan, and a senior officer told Deccan Chronicle that "nobody was detained or arrested" Deccan Chronicle.
- JNU, 9 Nov: Students gathered at Ganga Dhaba in the campus for a similar event PTI via India TV.
- Kozhikode, 7 Dec: A second Kerala edition, "Kiss in the Street", went ahead despite no permission. Police caned and detained protesters and workers of the Hanuman Sena, which had threatened in posters to strip participants in public Gulf News. Commissioner A.V. George said those held would be let off without a case. Filmmaker Didi Damodaran and her husband were attacked by men said to be Shiv Sena activists PTI via India TV.
The ABVP condemned the Delhi protest and accused Left student groups of trying to corrupt young minds PTI via OneIndia. Organisers in Delhi and Hyderabad told reporters they received threatening and abusive calls NBC News.
Later developments: the 2015 arrests
On 18 November 2015, the Kerala Crime Branch arrested Pasupalan and Nair among six people in an online sex racket case, under an operation called "Big Daddy" led by IG S. Sreejith The News Minute. Police said two minor girls had been brought from Bengaluru. The accused were booked under IPC sections 366A and 370, Section 67 of the IT Act and the POCSO Act Deccan Herald.
Government's position Chennithala said the government would investigate whether the Kiss of Love protest "was used as a shield" for unlawful activity, but said he did not believe all participants had such intentions Scroll.
Claim · Pasupalan Pasupalan said he and Nair were innocent and were being framed because of the Kiss of Love campaign. He disputed the police account of where they were arrested The News Minute. The Karnataka High Court, granting Nair bail, observed she "was not involved in the trafficking" of the two girls Deccan Chronicle.
The Kiss of Love page said the couple were not the movement's leaders. Supporters such as Balram and Rajesh said they had backed the idea, not individuals The News Minute. In December 2019 the Crime Branch filed a POCSO chargesheet against both, four years after the FIR The News Minute. Sreejith blamed encrypted digital evidence for the delay Onmanorama.
Kozhikode saw another "Kiss of Street" event on 1 January 2016, which ended in a baton charge and detentions on both sides Gulf News.
Outcome
- Detentions in Kochi: 30 to 80 people on 2 Nov 2014, by different counts; released the same evening.
- Cases: At least 100 booked for processions and unlawful assembly at Marine Drive.
- Cafe attack: Case against about 15 Yuva Morcha activists; state general secretary Prakash Babu arrested.
- Court: Kerala High Court declined to stop the event on 31 Oct 2014.
- Spread: Events in Hyderabad, Kolkata, Delhi, JNU and Kozhikode in Nov and Dec 2014.
- Later case: Organisers arrested in Nov 2015; POCSO chargesheet filed in Dec 2019.
What is still pending
No verdict in the 2015 sex racket case against Pasupalan and Nair, and no outcome of the 2014 cafe attack case or the Marine Drive cases, was found in the reporting reviewed. Searches for 2024 to 2026 coverage, including the tenth anniversary, returned no new developments.
Questions people ask
What was the Kiss of Love protest?
It was a 2014 protest against moral policing, started on Facebook by a group called "Free Thinkers". Its first event was called for Marine Drive in Kochi on 2 November 2014. Organisers said it was a gathering against moral policing, "not a kiss fest".
Why did the Kiss of Love protest start?
It began after Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha activists vandalised the Downtown Cafe in Kozhikode on 23 October 2014. The attack followed a TV report showing couples at the cafe and alleging "immoral activities".
How many people were detained at Marine Drive?
Police said 30 organisers and supporters were taken into preventive custody. Other reports gave about 50, 52 or 80. Police later booked at least 100 people for processions and unlawful assembly.
Did the Kerala High Court ban the Kiss of Love event?
No. On 31 October 2014 the High Court disposed of two petitions seeking a ban after the government said it would deploy enough police and act against any illegal activity.
Which groups opposed the Kiss of Love protest?
Reports named Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal, SDPI, Campus Front and the KSU district unit in Kochi, the ABVP and BJYM in Hyderabad, the Hindu Sena in Delhi and the Hanuman Sena in Kozhikode.
What happened to the Kiss of Love organisers?
Rahul Pasupalan and Resmi R Nair were arrested in an online sex racket case in November 2015 and later got bail. They say they were framed because of the campaign. A POCSO chargesheet was filed in December 2019.
Sources
- Madhyamam: Yuva Morcha activists attack restaurant in city, 24 Oct 2014
- Madhyamam: Yuva Morcha activist held for restaurant attack in Kozhikode, 25 Oct 2014
- Madhyamam: Key accused in restaurant attack case nabbed, 5 Nov 2014
- NBC News: #KissofLove: Why kissing in public is political in India, Nov 2014
- Global Voices: Kissing protest in India ends in police violence and arrests, 3 Nov 2014
- PTI via OneIndia: Kerala High Court refuses to interfere with Kiss of Love event, 31 Oct 2014
- Gulf News: Emotions run wild over Kerala Kiss of Love event, 31 Oct 2014
- Gulf News: Kiss of Love plan gets more support in Kerala, Oct 2014
- The News Minute: Kiss of Love organisers attacked in Kochi, 29 Oct 2014
- IANS via The News Minute: Police say no to Kiss of Love event in Kochi, 29 Oct 2014
- The News Minute: Kiss of Love to go on, city's mayor will protest, 1 Nov 2014
- Madhyamam: Kiss of Love organisers, sympathisers taken into preventive custody, 2 Nov 2014
- Deccan Chronicle: Kiss of Love campaign ends with protesters' arrest, 3 Nov 2014
- PTI via India TV: Kiss of Love web accounts hacked, 4 Nov 2014
- PTI via India TV: Cases against nearly 100 persons registered, 5 Nov 2014
- IANS via Ummid: Tension at Hyderabad University over kiss of love, 3 Nov 2014
- IANS via India TV: Kiss of Love comes to Kolkata, 5 Nov 2014
- Gulf News: Kiss of Love protest moves from Kerala to Kolkata, Nov 2014
- PTI via OneIndia: Kiss of Love protest in Delhi, 70 detained, 9 Nov 2014
- The Caravan: Images from the Delhi edition of the Kiss of Love campaign, Nov 2014
- Deccan Chronicle: After Kochi and Kolkata, Kiss of Love reaches Delhi, 9 Nov 2014
- PTI via India TV: Kiss of Love held in JNU campus, 9 Nov 2014
- The News Minute: In Kozhikode too, Kiss of Love protestors arrested, 7 Dec 2014
- Gulf News: Cane charge, arrests as Kiss in the Street defies police ban, Dec 2014
- PTI via India TV: Kiss protest marred by violence, 8 Dec 2014
- The News Minute: Police formally arrest Kiss of Love organisers in alleged sex racket case, Nov 2015
- Deccan Herald: Kiss of Love couple held for sex racket, Nov 2015
- Scroll: Kerala to probe whether Kiss of Love was used as shield for sex trade, 19 Nov 2015
- The News Minute: We supported the idea, not the individuals, supporters say, Nov 2015
- Gulf News: Kisses and chaos mark New Year in Kerala, Jan 2016
- The News Minute: Rahul Pasupalan out on bail, says he is being framed, Dec 2016
- Deccan Chronicle: Kochi police framed me, says Rahul Pashupalan, 28 Dec 2016
- The News Minute: Chargesheet filed against Kiss of Love activists under POCSO, Dec 2019
- Onmanorama: IG Sreejith blames technology for chargesheet delay, 24 Dec 2019