Indian Women Fight Back With Pink Panties

Women fight back after Hindu extremists vow to disrupt Valentine's Day
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 14, 2009 11:10 AM CST

An extremist group opposed to young couples in India celebrating Valentine's Day is being deluged by pink panties, reports Radio Netherlands. The protest—organized after members of Sri Ram Sena attacked women drinking in pubs and vowed similar action today—seems light on the surface but actually is a sign of the deep religious, political, and sectarian divisions that divide the nation, notes the Los Angeles Times. Police are on alert for the duration of the holiday.

The campaign's appeal for women to send panties to the group's headquarters met such an overwhelming response that collection centers had to close. The Hindu extremists say they will send back pink saris—"a piece of Indian culture"—to anyone who sends underwear. Sri Ram Sena's leader has been taken into custody for Valentine's Day to help keep the violence down.
(More Valentine's Day stories.)

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