Valentine's Day celebrated amid protests

Scores of couples, young and old, enthusiastically celebrated Valentine's Day today even as several radical outfits played spoilsport in some parts of the country.
Love was in the air as malls, restaurants and popular hangout zones soaked in the colour red with the young and old displaying their affection for their special ones in many ways. Cupid struck couples exchanged gifts, roses and thronged cinema halls and other popular hangouts.
Heart-shaped flowers, and red and pink balloons could be seen festooned at coffee houses and themed restaurants while hi-end eateries claimed they were chock-a-block with lunch and dinner reservations.
In the national capital, Ramlila Maidan had a distinct whiff of love for a large number of Delhi's young couples who chose to spend the day by keeping a "date with Arvind Kejriwal", who took oath as Delhi chief minister today.

While Delhi saw the day passing off peacefully, celebrations in other parts of the country were marred by disruptive activities from some radical groups.
In Lucknow, Kanpur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Bulandshahr and Bareilly of Uttar Pradesh, youths in saffron attires were seen on public places stopping youths from celebrating the event.

In Kanpur, activists of Bajrang Dal held protest against Valentine's Day celebrations and chased away young couples from parks and zoo.
Shiv Sena workers misbehaved with couples in Bulandshahr and forced them to do sit-ups and also chased them away.
While for some Delhi couples the choice was not difficult considering their admiration for Kejriwal, for many others it was akin to walking a tightrope.

22-year-old Shekhar Singh put it best when he said, "I wanted to spend Valentine's Day with her but I also could not afford to miss a moment as historic as this. So I popped the idea of celebrating it here and thankfully she agreed."
Specially crafted heart-shaped placards bearing messages such as "Arvind, India Loves You" were also abound in the crowd going with the mood. Also seen in the crowd were a substantial number of married couples who chose to celebrate the day at the historic venue on the occasion.