Indian couple's romance on moving scooter leaves social media users angry

A bizarre video featuring a couple engaging in PDA on a moving scooter left Indian social media users fuming with anger.

The video was shot by passers-by in Lucknow city of Uttar Pradesh in India. It went viral the day it was uploaded to platforms like Twitter. The person who posted it tagged the local police, asking them to take strict action against the couple.

The video shows a girl kissing a man riding a scooter as she sits facing him with her legs wrapped around him. The incident took place in the crowded lanes of Lucknow's Hazratganj area on January 15.

The Lucknow Police launched an investigation into the matter the moment the video went viral on the internet.

"The 14-second video clip showed the girl sitting cross-legged on the seat of a two-wheeler and hugging the rider, who was wearing a black jacket. She then grabbed his neck and kissed him. Both were without helmets," said Additional Deputy Commissioner, Rajesh Srivastava.

The police have arrested the 23-year-old man under various sections of Indian law pertaining to obscenity and rash driving. However, the girl has been let off for being a minor.

The authorities have appealed to the public not to indulge in such acts and risk their lives, writes The Times of India.

India is a conservative society where the public display of affection is not considered normal by most. It has often landed young couples in trouble. Several cases of moral policing have been reported over the years. In 2018, a couple from Kolkata was thrashed on the metro for "standing too close" to each other.

The video from Lucknow also managed to upset social media users. "Young people from India are going wild and trying to copy western culture but this doesn't work in #India," wrote one user.

"At the end driver will be arrested and penalised and not the girl," wrote another. Another user commented: "They should maintain some decency and not cross limits in public."

This incident was, however, a little different from the cases wherein couples have been punished for indulging in PDA. The couple in question from Lucknow did not have the helmets on and were risking their lives as well as the lives of others.