--- description: The group will be monitoring social media for flirty messages and says couples saying 'I love you' must get hitched. title: Young Indians Better Play It Cool This Valentine's image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcbabf402df641ee6/69877dc835ba6f2e56c06eb8/175686302.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Indian Extremists Say Anyone Using the L-Word on Valentine's Day Must Marry by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 5, 2015 9:05 AM CUT  Feeding time at the Hindu wedding Feeding time at the Hindu weddingScotty Robson Photography—Getty Images/Flickr RF by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 5, 2015 9:05 AM CUT You should always be careful what you post on Facebook, especially if it’s “I love you” and you’re a Hindu in India around Valentine’s Day — you just [might end up getting hitched](http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/meerut/Posted-I-love-you-on-Facebook-Get-married/articleshow/46124798.cms?utm%5Fsource=facebook.com&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=TOI "undefined"). At least that’s what will happen if a conservative organization called the Hindu Mahasabha has its way. The organization’s leaders say they will monitor social-networking sites on the day of love and forcibly marry any couples expressing the emotion publicly, the _Times of India_ reports. “Display of love in the entire Valentine’s week is equivalent to not following Indian traditions. Anyone found displaying love on Facebook, Twitter or WhatsApp will be caught hold of,” said the group’s national president Chandra Prakash Kaushik, adding that eight social-media teams are already in place in the capital New Delhi. The group had announced earlier this week that it would also have people on the ground making sure couples exchanging flowers, gifts or public displays of affection tie the knot immediately. That’s only for Hindus, however — interfaith couples will reportedly be made to undergo a “purification” ceremony. Online, Kaushik said, Mahasabha volunteers would message offending couples and ask for their phone numbers and addresses so they can start planning the nuptials. “If they refuse to share their numbers, we will contact their parents — especially those who are active online — and ask them to get them married if they really love each other,” he said. The New Delhi police have plans to tackle the moral police, however, and inspector general Alok Sharma told the _Times_ that any attempts to force couples to marry would be met with legal action. Twitter, of course, had a field day. > [](https://twitter.com/BeingOffended/status/563149998343213056) > [](https://twitter.com/iKaranDeshmukh/status/563081575097982976) > [](https://twitter.com/accidentlwriter/status/562898967235936256) Indian satire website Faking News took it one step further with an [article](http://www.fakingnews.firstpost.com/2015/02/gay-couples-excited-after-hindu-mahasabha-announces-weddings-on-valentines-day/ "undefined") entitled “Gay couples excited after Hindu Mahasabha announces weddings on Valentine’s Day,” pointing out that homosexuality remains illegal in the country. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3696690/valentines-day-india-hindu-mahasabha-facebook-forced-marriage/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3696690/valentines-day-india-hindu-mahasabha-facebook-forced-marriage/"},"headline":"Indian Extremists Say Anyone Using the L-Word on Valentine's Day Must Marry","datePublished":"2015-02-05T09:05:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T04:10:04.695Z","description":"Online teams will be monitoring social media for flirty messages","url":"https://time.com/3696690/valentines-day-india-hindu-mahasabha-facebook-forced-marriage/","keywords":["Marriage","India","facebook","Valentine's Day","Flowers"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcbabf402df641ee6/69877dc835ba6f2e56c06eb8/175686302.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rishi Iyengar","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rishi-iyengar/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcbabf402df641ee6/69877dc835ba6f2e56c06eb8/175686302.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"175686302","caption":"175686302","creditText":"Scotty Robson Photography—Getty Images/Flickr RF","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3696690/valentines-day-india-hindu-mahasabha-facebook-forced-marriage/","name":"Indian Extremists Say Anyone Using the L-Word on Valentine's Day Must Marry"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"First Grade Valentines","description":"Out of the mouths of babes, love is explained. 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