The Madavara metro station.
Credit: DH Photo/B K Janardhan
A viral video of a couple allegedly engaging in PDA
(public display of affection) at a Bengaluru metro station has sparked debate about the ethical use of social media.
On April 10, Karnataka Portfolio, a social media handle on X, posted the video without blurring the couple’s faces and called them out for ‘inappropriate behaviour’. The incident reportedly took place at Madavara metro station. While some online users questioned the act of filming strangers in public, many shamed the couple.
According to lawyer and activist Vinay K Sreenivasa, insulting a woman’s modesty through words, gestures, or actions or intruding upon her privacy can invite imprisonment under Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. “The police should book the account suo moto,” he says.
Sreenivasa adds that the account could also be charged under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act for “circulating material with an intent to deprave someone”. He does not consider the couple’s actions obscene. “If they had taken off their clothes or done something along those lines, it could be deemed as PDA. But this is a case of freedom of expression,” he explains.
Academic and writer Chandan Gowda says the incident reflects a growing willingness to violate people’s privacy through the use of instant-recording technologies and social media. “It’s a form of public shaming and inciting perverse delight at the cost of individual privacy,” he observes.
Madhu Bhushan, writer and activist, adds, “Social control is not new, but it’s getting renewed state legitimacy. This creates a sense of entitlement among people, especially those in social and political power.” She warns that whether it’s the lynching of minorities, moral policing of young couples or women, or taking the law into one’s own hands, it’s all contributing to growing lawlessness.
Chandan notes that society is veering towards a “decivilising condition of moral disarray”. “We need to develop and debate public ethics around social media usage. It’s not enough for platforms to claim they uphold community standards — these standards should evolve from within the public. Ethical social media behaviour must be part of school curriculum,” he suggests.
Writer Samudyata Kanjarpane echoes concerns over increasing moral policing and says people now view everything through the lens of tarnishing Indian culture. In a separate incident in Chandra Layout on April 11, an interfaith couple was assaulted for sitting together in a public space. The attack was recorded and later circulated on social media.