Acid attack threats Indian girls with jeans Slug: India no jeans Date: 15/08/2012 Reporter: Shaikh Azizur

Rahman I !R": #$rom August the 20th% jeans &ill 'e 'anned (or girls) An* girls (ound &earing jeans &ill 'e atta+ked &ith a+id), !hat-s the threat &ritten in 'old red ink on large hand&ritten posters on the &alls o( Ran+hi +it* in the Indian state o( .harkhand) !he threat +omes (rom a ne& group +alled .harkhand /i'eration "rganisation) India is alread* the (ourth most dangerous pla+e in the &orld (or &omen to li0e in% a++ording to last *ear-s sur0e* +ondu+ted '* the !homas Reuters (oundation) Shaikh Azizur Rahman (inds out i( the threat stop girls and &omen (rom &earing jeans) !12! S$2 1: 3irls and 'o*s together% +hatting% in (ront o( a +o4ed +ollege) A group o( 'o*s and girls are on their &a* to +ollege) !he girls are &earing jeans% just like the 'o*s) 154*ear old +ollege student in Ran+hi 6eenakhsi Singh lo0es to &ear jeans) Singh 7lip 1 8(emale% 1nglish9: #As do man* other girls in m* +ollege% I &ear jeans) 7ompared to other traditional dresses% I (ind them more +om(orta'le and eas* to manage), :ut the* might not ha0e the (reedom to use jeans a(ter August the 20th) A++ording to the posters put up earlier this month% &omen in .harkhand state &ill 'e atta+ked &ith a+id i( the*-re (ound &earing jeans) !he threat +omes (rom a ne& group +alled .harkhand /i'eration "rganisation) ;oli+e ha0en-t heard a'out the group 'e(ore) 6an* 'elie0e it-s a pro46aoist group (rom the use o( red ink in the posters) ;oli+e are still in0estigating the matter) :ut 6eenakshi is no& a(raid) Singh 7lip 2 8(emale% 1nglish9: #!he* are sa*ing that &e ha0e to &ear traditional dress like sal&ar kameez and ha0e to +o0er our head &ith s+ar() I shall (eel 0er* un+om(orta'le to (ollo& their dress +ode) I +an-t understand &h* jeans are inde+ent in their e*es) :ut I am reall* a(raid o( their threat) 6a*'e I ha0e to stop &earing jeans) A+id atta+ks ha0e ruined li0es o( man* girls in India),

A+id atta+k on &omen is not ne& in Indian so+iet*) 6an* &omen ha0e 'een atta+ked and dis(igured &ith a+id a(ter the* re(used marriage proposals) Similar threat also sur(a+ed in <ttar ;radesh) /ast month some 0illage +oun+ils 'anned girls (rom &earing jeans) =illage leader Sohan'iri De0i sa*s jeans pro0oking se>ual assault) De0i 7lip 1 8(emale% ?indi9: #!he 'od* o( a girl gets re0ealed and it &ill trigger trou'le (or her) @hen she goes out &earing jeans% 'o*s 'egin trailing them &ith 'ad intention) @e shall take a+tions against girls &ho de(* our order) @e shall tell the parents and thro& them out o( our +ommunit*), Anti4jeans threats ha0e 'een pouring (rom di((erent parts o( India A espe+iall* the northern and eastern states) .harkhand-s &omen and +hild de0elopment minister =imla ;radhan e0en suggested +ollege girls not to &ear #0ulgar dresses,) Rights a+ti0ist Sha'nam ?asmi e>plains &hat she sees as the root o( the pro'lem) ?ashmi 7lip 1 8(emale% 1nglish9: #!here is one India &hi+h li0es in the 21st +entur* and there is the other &hi+h is still li0ing in (eudal ages) Due to the +ommuni+ation re0olution the modern ideas rea+h e0er* +orner o( the +ountr*) And gender justi+e is one su+h idea &hi+h has rea+hed the people a+ross the nation) "n the other hand% the patriar+hal and (eudal so+iet*% &hi+h still &ants to hold on to the age4old +ustom o( looking at &omen as uneBual and seeing their role onl* inside homes% keep on opposing an* progress '* them) !he re+ent diktats &hi+h &e ha0e seen 'anning o( jeans% or using o( mo'iles in pu'li+% the* 'asi+all* indi+ate su+h deeper patriar+hal so+iet* '* itsel( that e>ists in India), 2C4*ear old ;ar'ati 6urmu (rom @est :engal sa*s she (eels sa(er a(ter she stops &earing jeans) 6urmu 7lip 1 8(emale% :angla9: #I used to &ear jeans and !4shirts 'e(ore) :ut it attra+ted too mu+h o( attention (rom 'o*s) 6an* 'o*s teased me and e0en tried to molest me in the 0illage) I stopped &earing tight jeans and s&it+hed to the traditional salwar kameez) o& I dra& less attention (rom 'o*s) .eans e>pose a &oman-s 'od* too mu+h and make her unsa(e), Ranjana Dumari is the dire+tor o( e& Delhi4'ased 7entre (or So+ial Resear+h) She sa*s there-s no +onne+tion 'et&eeen &hat &oman &ears and 'e+omes 0i+tim o( se>ual atta+k) Dumari 7lip 1 8(emale% 1nglish9: #@hate0er the pro0o+ation the* are talking a'out is not 'e+ause o( the +lothes) ItEs in the minds and e*es o( the men and 'o*s &ho look at the &omen in the &a* the* do 'e+ause the* ha0e ne0er 'een stopped) ?arassing% e0e teasing% se>uall* harassing &omen% e0e teasing et+ are reall* in the (rame o( the &a* the* think),

S$2 2: 3IR/S A D :"FS "$ @AD1 <; I DIA $"< DA!I" ;R;"!1S!I 3 A(ter the posters appeared on +it* &alls% the 3" @ake <p India $oundation organised a protest mar+h in Ran+hi) @a0ing 'anners% the girls shouted that a +hange o( mindset is needed A not a dress +ode) !he* &ere also +alling (or a+tion against the group 'ehind the anti4jeans posters in .harkhand) Ranjana Dumari sa*s jeans are pra+ti+al) Dumari 7lip 2 8(emale% 1nglish9: #It also gi0es *ou more (reedom in terms o( *our o&n 'od*% *our o&n thinking) ItEs not just +lothes) ItEs the &a* the girls are getting more a++ess to market% to edu+ation% 'e+oming mu+h more independent% mu+h more +on(ident) .eans is not just a dress% itEs just not &hat the* &ear% 'ut itEs also the &hole persona that re(le+ts in those +lothes) !he de+laration on jeans is a'solutel* a'surd% itEs mindless) ItEs 0er* stupid to talk like that in a time and the so+iet* &here the girls are mar+hing ahead), 204*ear old engineering student Anindita 7hatterjee sa*s she &ill +ontinue &earing jeans) 7hatterjee +lip 1 8(emale% 1nglish9: #I li0e in a modern era) I ha0e (reedom to do or &ear &hate0er I like) 7ountr*-s +onstitution gi0es me this right) I lo0e jeans and I (ind it +on0enient to m* li(est*le) Some men &ho are mentall* si+k% (eel threatened '* the ad0an+ement o( &omen &ant atta+k &omen pi+king up an e>+use o( jeans) I don-t +are (or su+h anti4jeans threats), !his is Shaikh Azizur Rahman (or Asia 7alling)