On February 26th, 2022, a woman posted on Twitter that the Puducherry police warned her she was "not dressed properly. She and her friends were visiting the tourist town. She also shared a video of an encounter with the cops, which went viral, prompting more people to wonder what exactly happened.
According to reports, two police officials in Puducherry approached the woman who was from Hyderabad and was taking selfies with her friends near the French colony and advised her that her dress was inappropriate. The officials told the woman wearing a knee-length skirt and a bralette, "This kind of dress is not allowed." When the woman and her friends questioned the officer about it, the authorities replied that "such clothes" are not permitted because the site is a school zone. Officers then informed her that she had been approached because someone had made a complaint against her.
Here are 10 things you need to know about the alleged Moral Policing By Puducherry Cops:
- “I got a dressing lesson from the police in Puducherry as to how to dress! I was casually taking pictures with my friends and he said I wasn’t dressed properly. One of the police questioned my character," Pranita Sandela tweeted on 26th February, accompanied by a video of their altercation with the cops.
- Pranita Sandela and her pals are believed to have been part of a group of friends from Hyderabad visiting Puducherry.
- According to Sandela, the two cops followed the trio for around 15 minutes before approaching them.
- Two police officers can be seen in the video advising the women that the spot belonged to the Aurobinda Ashram (a spiritual community) and that they should take their pictures somewhere else, according to the footage.
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- The cops can also be heard saying "someone" complained, but when one of the women asks who complained, they don't seem to respond directly. The other woman tourist inquires if a "foreigner would be told the same thing?" but the police officers remain silent.
- The Puducherry cops issued a statement regarding the incident that, “We never questioned their dress or made any comments about them. It is a tourist area and we are no one to comment on anyone’s clothing. We received a complaint from the parents of one of the students of the Aurobindo school which is located next to the Ashram. The complainant said the school was about to end (for the day) and the children would be coming that way. We were told to ask these tourists to move from that area. We requested them to move from that area and take pictures in another area.
- “They (the women) said they are from Hyderabad. So we asked one of our officials who knew Telugu to speak to them but they did not speak to him in Telugu and continued arguing with us. One of their friends took a video of the incident as well. After a certain point, we did not want to make this an issue and left the spot,” the police officer added.
- According to some reports, a teacher at the Aurobindo Ashram's school took issue with the women taking photos at the scene of the event and allegedly told Police to move them (women) somewhere else because of their attire. The person allegedly protested orally to two police officers from the Grand Bazaar police station who happened to be passing by, after which the officers engaged the women, alleging that the area was under "private control."
- However, the ashram is a public charitable trust, according to the official website, and the main ashram building is open to all.
- Meanwhile, according to the police, no charges have been filed in connection with the event.
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