Thursday, January 14, 2010

In MP, moral police against lingerie ads, window display - India - The Times of India

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    • BHOPAL:
    • Hindu rightwing activists are parading the streets of Bhopal asking storekeepers to tear down hoardings advertising lingerie and cover up
    • mannequins showcasing women’s undergarments.

      Activists of a newly floated Sanskriti Bachao Manch on Wednesday issued an ultimatum to shopkeepers and traders dealing in lingerie asking them ‘‘not to display lingerie in public.’’

      Giving five days to the shopkeepers to comply, the activists asked shopkeepers in Bhopal’s New Market area to remove all undergarments put up in display windows shops and pack them in boxes. ‘‘No hanging of underwear publicly,’’ manch
      district-level leader Chandra Shekhar warned.

      Sources say activists might have taken a cue from BJP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan who had on Monday asked municipal authorities to remove hoardings of spa massages put up by a local beauty salon near a girls college.

      Chouhan was offended to see the ‘‘obscene’’ hoarding displaying the bare back of a woman. He also asked the authorities to register an FIR against the beauty salon and remove all hoardings by ‘Nikki Bawa Spa Treat’’.

      ‘‘Your mannequins should wear sarees, not underwear. From now on, keep all undergarments inside. Show it to the customer when he or she asks for it. Five days from now if undergarments are still hanging outside, we will light a bonfire of the lingerie,’’ Chandra Shekhar threatened.

      While moving around the New Market area, the activists pulled down a hoarding advertising a coffee-flavoured condom at the City Centre. They also asked theatre owners not to put-up posters of film stars in ‘‘offensive’’ clothes and postures. The manch is seen as an off-shoot of Bajrang Dal.

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