mangalore today

Bengaluru: A girl asked to wear ‘Indian dress’ fights moral policing


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Bengaluru, Oct 06: In yet another case of moral policing in India, a young woman in Bengaluru riding pillion on a bike with her boyfriend was allegedly stopped and harassed by a passerby man, all because she wasn’t dressed "appropriately".


The incident, which reportedly took place on Thursday night in Bengaluru’s HSR layout area, was shot on a mobile phone and has been doing rounds ever since. In the video, the unidentified man can be seen commenting on the woman’s clothes, instructing her to "follow Indian rules" and even yelling at her for not wearing "proper clothes."


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“I heard someone yelling. I was riding pillion and I looked to my right side. There was a man on a two-wheeler, who began yelling at me and said, ‘Don’t you have any clothes at home?’" the 28-year-old woman hailing from Mumbai told The News Minute.


"When I asked him what his problem is, he began yelling at me, saying Indian women must not wear ‘such’ clothes. I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt. I don’t see what the problem is," the woman, who didn’t want to be named, added.


The accompanying boyfriend, who had been recording the entire incident on his phone, was heard schooling the man. “I know the Constitution. Do you know the Constitution? We have the freedom to wear whatever we want”.


The woman added that when the harasser realised that he was being filmed, he lowered his voice and tried to be polite. Yet, the man in question kept allegedly asking her to change her attire.


“Maybe he expected us to be scared. I also told him that I would go to the police. That’s when he got back on his bike and fled,” she added.Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated case of moral policing that has come to forth in recent times.


Last month, St Francis College in Hyderabad had imposed a rule which came into effect from August 1, which said that students would have to wear kurtis below knee-length, and sleeves. Sleeveless, shorts and similar clothing is banned on the campus.


Under this new rule, students were not allowed to attend their classes, as their outfits were not per ’guidelines,’ the circular for which was issued in July. However, following backlash and protests from the student, and extensive media coverage, the circular was withdrawn by the college later.