LUCKNOW, India (AP) -- Hindu nationalists who claim they are fighting against Western cultural influence have threatened to shave young lovers' heads and beat them if they exchange Valentine's Day cards and gifts.
Valentine's Day, which falls on Saturday, has in recent years gained popularity in India -- a predominantly Hindu nation whose constitution guarantee freedom of religion.
"The faces of those not heeding our request will be blackened and their heads will be shaved," Ved Prakash Sachchan, of the militant Hindu organization Bajrang Dal, said Thursday in Lucknow, capital of Uttar Pradesh state.
"We will not allow any foreign festival which is a violation of Indian culture."
On Wednesday, another Hindu hard-line group, the Shiv Sena, which is a part of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, waved bamboo sticks at a rally in Lucknow threatening to beat people who observe Valentine's Day.
Story from CNEWS
Valentine's Day, which falls on Saturday, has in recent years gained popularity in India -- a predominantly Hindu nation whose constitution guarantee freedom of religion.
"The faces of those not heeding our request will be blackened and their heads will be shaved," Ved Prakash Sachchan, of the militant Hindu organization Bajrang Dal, said Thursday in Lucknow, capital of Uttar Pradesh state.
"We will not allow any foreign festival which is a violation of Indian culture."
On Wednesday, another Hindu hard-line group, the Shiv Sena, which is a part of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, waved bamboo sticks at a rally in Lucknow threatening to beat people who observe Valentine's Day.
Story from CNEWS
