Students took to the streets in the northern Indian city of Meerut Wednesday after televised scenes of police kicking and punching young couples over "public indecency" prompted outrage.
The students blocked traffic in the city and burnt effigies of police after officers swooped on 30 couples sitting in a park on Monday. Scenes aired on television stations nation-wide showed police, including female officers, kicking, slapping and punching cowering young women and men.
"They even lopped off the hair of a schoolboy and beat a girl black and blue... We will not call off our protest as long as these officers are not arrested," said Anup Mehta, a Meerut college student.
In the national parliament in New Delhi, members from both sides of the house condemned the beating, with Hindu Nationalist leader Sushma Swaraj describing the action as a "product of a sick mind."
Meerut police superintendent Rajiv Ranjan Verma said the swoop was part of "Operation Romeo" to discourage indecent behaviour in Meerut.
"We had been getting complaints from people that young people indulge in indecent behaviour, but some policemen exceeded their limits... They went overboard," Verma told AFP.
One eyewitness said police even picked on a married couple.
The autonomous National Human Rights Commission also criticised the police action. "What happened just goes to show that they did not care for the dignity of women," said panel chairman A.S. Anand, calling for a report from the local administration.
India's National Commission for Women also has asked the government of Uttar Pradesh state, where Meerut is situated, for a report.
Young couples in conservative India often meet in parks and cafes without the knowledge of their parents who disapprove of dating. Married couples who live in traditional joint families also go to parks for privacy.