Couples throng hangout zones on Valentine's Day, many pay homage to CRPF martyrs

Romance was in the air as popular hangout zones, malls and restaurants in Delhi were soaked in the colour red on Valentine's Day on Friday, while many paid homage to the 40 CRPF personnel killed in Pulwama terror attack a year ago.

Anti-CAA protesters, who have been camping at Shaheen Bagh for over two months, also celebrated Valentine's Day at the protest site with a performance of children at midnight.

Valentine's Day saw couples roaming on the streets, exchanging gifts, roses and thronging cinema halls, with the young and old displaying their affection for their loved ones in many ways.

While India Gate, Connaught Place and other similar hotspots saw a huge turnout on the occasion, many thronged a church in Central Delhi to light candles for the 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel killed in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir last year.

 

"We decided to celebrate Valentine's Day this way. Last year, we were at a restaurant for dinner when news of the attack broke. This year, we decided to come to a church to pray for the martyrs," said 24-year-old Priyanshi Bhardwaj.

Sandeep Arora, 32, went to Bangla Sahib Gurudwara's community kitchen to offer service as a homage to the slain CRPF personnel.

"Me and my wife come to Gurudwara very often to offer service whenever we want to make any wish or offer prayers. This time we thought of doing it for Pulwama martyrs. That is our way of celebration of love," he said.

Richa Kanodia, who works at an MNC, celebrated the day with her partner, "The day I met him, everything started to feel right. It was a feeling which cannot be expressed in words. For us everyday is a Valentine's Day. We are looking forward to take this relation further."

Anti-CAA protestors at Shaheen Bagh also extended an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come celebrate "the day of love" and talk to them about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Red colour, which signifies love, was the theme at many restaurants and joints in the national capital that had made special arrangements for youngsters who were seen making a beeline in front of these outlets.