Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (MS)
Bengaluru, Oct 6: In an incident of moral policing that occurred at the HSR Layout in the city, a couple man and woman who were walking were stopped by a passerby and questioned on the kind of dress the woman was wearing.
In the video, the passerby is saying, "You must follow Indian rules. Please wear proper clothes." In reply, the man who has shot the video, who is annoyed by the passerby, can be seen questioning the moral policing. He says, "I know the constitution. Do you know the constitution? We have the freedom to wear whatever we want."
This incident took place on the night of Thursday and is uploaded on the Facebook. The unknown stranger harassed the 28-year-old techie woman originally from Mumbai. The woman, a resident of HSR Layout was shopping with her boyfriend at around 10 pm on the night of Thursday. When both of them were returning home on their two-wheeler, they were stopped by an unknown person, who was also riding another scooter.
Giving details to the media, the woman, who wants to remain anonymous said, "I was riding pillion with my boyfriend and suddenly heard someone shouting at me. When I turned to see, a man on a two-wheeler was yelling at me. He said, "Don't you have any clothes at home?" When I asked him what the issue he has with my dress, he said that being an Indian woman I must not wear such clothes. I do not know what the issue was as I was wearing shorts and T-shirt."
The boyfriend of the girl, who also resides in HSR Layout asked the stranger to get off his bike and started shooting the video on his camera. When the passerby came to know that the whole conversation was being filmed, he lowered his voice but kept on saying that being an Indian girl she should not wear such clothes and that it is 'Indian Rules'. The boyfriend of the girl said to the stranger that he has no right to tell them what to wear as they are free to choose.
The stranger was pestering the woman to change her clothes, probably thinking that the couple will be scared. When the woman said that she will file a complaint with the police, the stranger sped away from the spot.
The woman thought of not filing the complaint with the police because she thinks that even the police have the same mindset and they will also tell her the same thing.
Similar incidents of moral policing have taken in the city earlier also. In the month of May, a couple, who was having joyride in the night on their two-wheeler was waylaid by four men and questioned. When the boy, Kiran Kumar, said that it is none of their business, the gang attacked him and hit his head with a stone and molested the girl.
The students of Christ College had complained in the month of March to DCP Usha Pant that the women police officers were also doing moral policing on them in the locality near their college.