Director-General of Police V. Dinesh Reddy stirred a hornet’s nest by linking the increase in rape cases in the state to the clothes worn by women. On Friday, Mr Dinesh Reddy was questioned at the annual press-meet on why there have been so many rapes and murders in the state. His absurd reply was that it is women who are to blame. “Fashi-onable dresses worn by women, even in rural are-as, is one of the factors lea-ding to an increase in rape cases. Police have no control on this issue. Earlier, in rural areas, women used to wear traditional dress but they are wearing fashionable dress and salwar-kameez,” he said.
His statement drew criticism from women’s rights activists, ex-policemen and even Union minister P. Chidambaram. “I strongly disagree with that statement. Everyone is entitled to dress the way he or she pleases as long as he or she has regard for the occasion, the place and the context. Obvio-usly, you don’t wear a whole lot of clothes to play football or tennis and you don’t wear swim wear and go to a cocktail party,” he said. He added that there cannot be any kind of policing and “certainly not by a DG of Police”.
The DGP further said that rapes due to social factors like fashionable clothes, and murders due to sexual jealousy can’t be controlled by the police. “We can control faction crimes and murders by rowdy elements but not family disputes and sexual jealousy murders,” he said in what is a shocking admission that there are certain crimes the police don’t want to engage with.
Asked whether he would recommend a dress code, the DGP said, “Several colleges and schools have introduced a dress code. This is a democratic society and people are free to do what they want.” In a puzzling contradiction, the DGP’s office clarified later that he was misrepresented, but still mai-ntained that provoking clothes worn by women was one of the factors for the increasing rape rate.
“What has hurt the DGP is that, for reasons best known to them, some news channels misinterpreted it. Also, some of the prominent women, knowing very well what type of person the DGP is, reacted out of proportion, thinking the misinterpretation as gospel truth,” the press note said. Actress Shradda Das co-ndemned the DGP’s thinking as “really silly”. “The problem lies with men. You can’t blame fashion, Bollywood, films; instead provide more security.”
