Kerala buffeted by rising wave of public obscenity, indecency.
A recent surge in acts like public masturbation and other obscene acts has raised alarm bells. Despite worrying numbers, glaring legal loopholes continues to empower perpetrators.
No dedicated law
* The absence of specific laws directly addressing flashing or public masturbation often hinders the
formal registration of cases
* Police sources indicate that while victims sometimes bravely come forward with video evidence, many
hesitate to pursue further legal action due to fears of protracted legal battles
* The lack of a dedicated law ensures that there's no precise data on the true scale of the problem. How-
ever, social media platforms and online blogs are increasingly amplifying voices on the issue
While not physically violent, being masturbated at is deeply personally violating. Public masturbation, unlike private acts, is not protected free expression; it is a grossly indecent act that outrages a woman's modesty. Incidents of street harassment such as sexually explicit comments, public masturbation and stalking are unfortunately common. Though public masturbation broadly fell under sections 73, 77, 285 and 124 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) - the absence of a specific law leads to under-reporting and very few convictions.
Psychiatrists say that individuals suffering from paraphilia are likely to masturbate in public. "Paraphilia is a condition characterised by intense fetishes towards unusual objects. When a person with paraphilia masturbates publicly, it inherently harms the object of their fetish, often women".
Public masturbators may also exhibit signs of regression, a psychological condition involving behaviour like extreme passivity, social withdrawal, aggression and open masturbation. Exhibitionism, a form of paraphilia, involves exposing genitals to unsuspecting strangers for sexual arousal and a few cases have confessed that the presence of a woman made the act "more realistic".
District-wise data with the State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) for May 2024-25 is:-
* Kozhikode 193
* Ernakulam 157
* Thiruvananthapuram 123
* Kasaragod 98
* Kollam 76
* Malappuram 74
* Palakkad 67
* Alappuzha 66
* Kottayam 54
* Pathanamthitta 43
* Kannur 35
* Idukki 33
* Wayanad 29
* Thrissur 24
Courtesy. Excerpted from Pooja Nair @ Kozhikode in the NIE.
Tailpiece.
Got up at 5, sent all the morning messages. Switched on the morning hymns, lit up the puja room lamp and opened up the house. The morning chores and was ready by a half past 9.
It was a thoroughly wet day. It was also depressing to hear about the passing away of young Kalabhavan Navas @ 51. My tears and prayers! May god give strength to his family to tide over this tragedy.
Prof MK Sanu passes away this evening at the Amritha Hospital!
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