Again, again and again, when will this killing of young people stop. They are being killed just because they were in love, why suddenly every adult in Haryana has joined the moral police brigade. Why is everyone becoming blind in their misplaced anger which appeases its thirst with the blood of innocent lovers.

The bodies of Sandeep Singh and Monica were found hanging on a tree outside the village on Sunday tied with a thick nylon rope. Sandeep’s motorcycle was also found nearby.

Sandeep 22 and Monica 16 were neighbours in a small Haryana village and were in love with each other. They eloped a few days ago. Naturally a police complaint was registered and a massive manhunt was launched since Monica was a minor. But it seems that before police it was the moral police who caught them and after torturing them as they had injury marks on their bodies probably hanged them. As the matter is under police investigation no one is giving out other details.

It seems that suddenly ordinary people armed with the mob courage have turned the judges and executioners without any fear of reprisal, who would retaliate against them, the hapless parents, noway because they would have to face social boycott. The few sane elders who are sure to be there but a tiny voice against a roar would not count. Remember what happened in Ravinder’s case, the family staunchly supported the couple and now has to leave their ancestral house and property while Ravinder is not allowed to enter the village.

Who are these people for whom honour of the village and community is confined to a small circle of young love. What about other important and pertinent issues like female infanticide, education, development of the village which have been overshadowed by their thinking, which unfortunately is drowning the sane voices. It is high time for rational thinking to re-emerge to safegaurd young lives.