These posters were put up in some areas of the city, which read- ‘Don’t go to late night parties, you may get raped or gang-raped’ and ‘Don’t go to dark and deserted areas with your friend, what if she gets raped or gang-raped?’
‘बलात्कार से बचने के लिये घर में रहें’… अहमदाबाद में पुलिस के लगाए पोस्टरों पर बवाल
Posters put up by Ahmedabad Traffic Police in Gujarat for a safety drive have stirred a controversy as some of them urged women to stay at home to avoid rape. The posters, which were put up in some areas of the city, have been removed after the opposition criticised them.
The posters, which were put up in some areas of the city, read, “Don’t go to a party late at night, you may get raped or gang-raped” and “Don’t go to a dark and deserted area with your friend, what if she gets raped or gang-raped?” The posters were put up on road dividers in Sola and Chandlodia areas and have now been removed.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Traffic) Neeta Desai clarified that the traffic police had only sponsored the posters related to road safety and not those related to women’s safety. She claimed that an NGO called ‘Vigilance Group’ created and put up the controversial posters without the consent of the traffic police.
Desai said, “The NGO had approached us and said that they wanted to organize traffic awareness programs in schools and colleges and for this they wanted the help of our staff. They had only shown us posters related to traffic awareness, not these controversial posters. These were put up without our knowledge and as soon as we came to know, we got them removed immediately.”
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government on this issue and has raised questions on the safety of women in the state. AAP said in a statement, “The reality of the BJP government talking about women empowerment in Gujarat is something else. In the last three years, more than 6,500 rapes and more than 36 gang rape cases have been registered in the state. On an average, more than five rapes take place every day.”
AAP’s statement further said, “The Chief Minister and BJP leaders talk about women’s safety, but such posters in a big city like Ahmedabad tell the truth of Gujarat. Our question to the Chief Minister is whether women in Gujarat can go out of their homes at night or not?”
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