I Did Not Comment on What Women Should Wear: Mahesh Sharma

Mahesh Sharma asked women foreign tourists visiting India not to wear “skimpy” clothes “for their own safety.”

File Photo of Mahesh Sharma (Photo: IANS)

Union Culture and Tourism Minister, Mahesh Sharma on Sunday advised women foreign tourists visiting India to not wear skirts or “skimpy” clothes for their own safety. He also asked them to refrain from going out alone at night in small towns.

His comments came as a setback and created an uproar among people. Reacting to the flak he received, Mahesh Sharma clarified that he is just concerned and was asking women to take precautions. He further said his comment was not a remark on what women should or should not wear.

He had earlier said that women foreign tourists should not wear short dresses and skirts as the Indian culture is different from the western culture.

All this would be a part of the advisory pamphlet that is given to the tourists when they arrive in India, the Minister said.

We give a welcome kit to all the tourists when they land at the airport. The kit includes a list of dos and don’ts and other small pieces of advise like to not go out alone at nights, not wear skirts, take a picture of the registration number of the vehicle you use and send it to a friend. [sic]

Mahesh Sharma

He had advised foreigners to visit the temple towns of Mathura and Vrindavan keeping the sensitivity of Indian culture in mind.

(With inputs from Times of India, Indian Express and ANI)