Sex is something not to be ashamed of, says Bollywood actor Abhay Deol

Mumbai, Aug 13: Bollywood actor Abhay Deol on Wednesday, Aug 13, lashed out at Mumbai police for conducting raids on couples at a hotel.

On Thursday, Aug 6, Mumbai police arrested 64 couples following raids at hotels on Madh Island and Aksa beach here for allegedly indulging in indecent behaviour in public.

In a Facebook post, Deol wrote:

"SEX!

Even I am baffled by our society's obsession with sex.

I enjoy it, I crave it, I pursue it. I don't hide the fact. I feel a tinge of shame admitting it. It always takes a moment for the logical part of my brain to put the shame aside, and I see reason.

I have come to believe my sense of shame comes from my upbringing. I was brought up by the same values as any other from my country, which may come as a surprise to those who think people born into the film industry are brought up with a different set of values (usually loose and privileged). So I get it. The taboo that comes with the topic of sex in my society.

But booking young kids for a crime they didn't commit, physically and mentally abusing them publicly? To me it looks more like it was the police that was guilty of 'public indecency'.

All this because they were young adults having sex. How liberated can you be!? They must be punished. By any law out there.

Many believe moral policing is a way to get rid of ‘western influences', like liberal views on sex (it always starts with those) within our society. That there are outdated British laws from the Victorian age on sex and sexuality still in effect in India today, is lost on those constantly claiming that liberal views on sex (such as premarital sex) come from Western countries, and conservative views come from India.

I'm not going to cite ‘the Kama Sutra' as an example.

The last I remember, my country has a written history that is a few thousand years old. It is full of stories of kings and queens, of kingdoms and communities, coexisting mostly peacefully, with an invasion every now and then.

People from all over the world converged upon my country, staking their claim, leaving their mark. The culture of the region however, always held onto its roots no matter who currently ruled it. That is how I see morals. They are relative to those who rule.

Principles on the other hand, are unchangeable, they are at the root of my culture. That's what I was taught, so If we have a ‘moral police', then why not a ‘principal police' as well?

I guess I have resigned myself to a society mistaking itself to be the custodian of my culture.

This started off as a topic on sex. SEX IS NOT SOMETHING TO BE ASHAMED OF WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR SOME PEOPLE TO DIGEST THAT?

Oops...there I go...thinking of sex again...

Is that indecent to admit publicly?"

What happened on Aug 6?

The arrests were made after raids were carried out by a team of police officials led by Deputy Commissioner (Zone XI) Vikram Deshpande at several lodges, resorts, two-star hotels and on the beaches.

The arrested people were later brought to Malwani police station and booked under Bombay Police Act.

The arrested persons were fined Rs 1,200 each before being let off later.

Parents of some college students who were held were also called to the police station.

OneIndia News