Lovers flock Taj on Valentine's Day, saffron outfits target couples

Lovers flocked the Taj Mahal, called a monument of love, in large numbers to celebrate Valentine's Day, even as saffron outfits targeted couples at many places in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.

Couples, many of  them foreigners, were seen walking hand in hand  and  clicking selfies and photographs at Taj.

According to sources, the footfall in Taj registered a sharp increase on  Wednesday despite warnings by a saffron outfit that it would "punish" the couples if they were found celebrating Valentine's Day.

The Hindu Kalyan Sabha had on Tuesday performed a "lathi puja" (worshipping the lathis) threatening to use the lathis on lovers.

The saffron outfits targetted lovers at several places in the state.

According to reports, Bajrang Dal (BD) activists raided parks and hotels in the state's Pilibhit town, about 300  km from here, and "apprehended" several couples and handed them over to the police.

In Muzaffarnagar town, BD workers barged into a gift shop and  beat up some couples there, reports said. The police  are trying to identify miscreants with the help of CCTV footage.

In Faizabad town, couples celebrated Valentine's Day under the watchful eyes of security personnel.

Police personnel had been deployed at parks to thwart any attempt by saffron outfits to target couples.

The sprawling campus of Lucknow University, which had banned the entry of the students on Wednesday, remained under lock and key.