By Mohd. Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh DGP V. Dinesh Reddy’s recent comments on the dress of women have for sure caused a big controversy here, with the top cop of the state becoming a flat target for feminist groups who criticized him in the strongest terms. Even some women ministers in the state cabinet besides union minister D. Purandeshwari demanded his resignation on the assertion made by him on the annual press conference. Even the union home minister P. Chidambaram taunted and isolated the DGP on his comments on opposite sex.
But the Director General of Police (DGP) is getting support from an expected quarter i.e. Muslim Ulema and intellectuals, and Hindu right wing groups. While many feminists were branding DGP as chauvinist, Muslim clergy and Hindu fundamentalists on other hand don’t find anything wrong with his assertion that women dress is the prime cause for the recent increase in the attacks on them.
In fact DGP’s comments on women dress-up generated a lively debate in the Muslim dominated old city area. His remarks formed the main core of the Friday ‘khitaab’ (sermon). Many Khatibs in the Friday prayer sermons supported the DGP and asked the Namazis to control their women on the way they are dressing.
For last two weeks Urdu newspapers in the state were full of articles and open letters to the DGP by many religious organizations showing their open support. Mulana Khalid Saifullah Rehmani is a leading scholar in Islamic jurisprudence and he is the founding member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board. He wrote an article in support of DGP in his Friday column in the Munsif Urdu daily.
Rafat Seema Khatoon, Principal of Jamiatul Salihat, an Islamic seminary for girls said, she thinks what DGP told about women’s dress up and its relation to the recent increase in the attacks are correct. She said what women choose as her dress is their personal affair, but when they get into the public life or outer space of the society they have to be ready for the response from the male side, and even the negative response due to their immoral dressing, but at the same time she told police can’t escape their responsibility for protecting the women by blaming the women dress up.
Rizwana Zareen, Principal, Jamiatul Mominath, said: a woman is generally considered a yardstick to show modesty, absence of ‘haya’ (shame) from her is actually a sign of deficiency in her faith, Shame is a natural quality of women and every religion believes in it.
Hindu right wing groups are not behind the Muslim clergy in supporting DGP.
Rashtriya Sevika Samithi leaders hailed Dinesh Reddy’s comments, saying they reflect the views of majority of Indians and urged him not to withdraw these due to criticism from some quarters. Lalita Rani, a leader of the Samithi said, “Influenced by the western culture, young girls are wearing skimpy dresses which is leading to an increase in the number of crimes, some women feel that they will wear whatever they like and men should close their eyes”.
RSS leader and advocate Vijaya Bharathi has met the DGP along with other leaders of the organization and said, “The DGP’s comment about wearing obscene clothes being one of the factors leading to rapes is 100 per cent true. Some of the women’s organizations are opposing this, but we welcome the DGP’s comments. Obscenity in society, pornographic literature and indecent dressing and abusive words are key reasons for this situation. Innocent youth and children are falling prey to this culture; the DGP’s comments will help in bringing about awareness in society”.
This type of support from both the right wing Hindu groups and Muslim clergy class is rarely seen. Now Andhra Pradesh DGP V. Dinesh Reddy can have a sigh of relief from this rare but strong support from an unexpected quarter.