Instant help for lovers in distress

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This September, Veerbharti and Pooja, a young couple from Saharanpur, found themselves facing the ire of Khap panchayats, who were ready to punish them for being in love. But standing up for the cause of love, and offering support to the couple were ‘Love Commandos’ — an organisation of men who fight for the cause of lovers in distress.
Recalls Veerbharti, “Thinking about the two months we spent in the Delhi shelter of Love Commandos still sends a chill down my spine. On September 21, my wife called me and told me that she had run away from home and reached Delhi to escape harassment by her family. We called up Love Commandos and asked if they could help us, and surprisingly we were offered immediate help. On September 23, I married Pooja in a simple Arya Samaj ceremony and for the next two months we were supported by this team. I have now settled down in Haryana and I am soon going to be the co-coordinator for this mission in my area.”
This is one of the many love stories that had a happy ending due to the efforts of this organisation. Love Commandos recently celebrated its 500 days of completion, and now wants to spread the message of love across the globe.
Harsh Malhotra, an interior decorator and chief-coordinator of Love Commandos, says, “Ten years back, prior to Valentine’s Day, we used to protect lovers from extremist groups and back then we called ourselves Peace Commandos. A year back we decided to focus completely on lovers’ plight and honour-killing cases and thus Love Commandos was formed.”
“We have more than six lakh members today across the country, and in different areas we have teams of professionals and volunteers who help young couples. Our tag line is pyaar karna paap nahi, virodhi hamara baap nahi. We work with bureaucrats, police officials, counselors and general pubic, to rescue harassed girls and couples. On an average we get 300 calls everyday from harried couples. We have a 24x7 helpline where people can call and we try to provide them with free shelter and support till they stand on their feet. However, it will be good if the government also takes up this mission and helps lovers who are disowned by their families,” he adds.
The chairman and Delhi area coordinator of this organisation, Rajesh also agrees that there should be more support from government and administrative authorities for this cause. He says, “In our country the best way to remove caste discrimination is by encouraging inter-caste marriages. The society should be more open and tolerant about love marriages. I feel it is the right of a person to marry whoever s/he wants to, and there should be no objection to it by any group or community in the name of honour or religion.”
The 24x7 helpline number of Love Commandos is 9313784375. The warriors of love promise help. And a happy ending is their collective goal.