News East-West
MUMBAI: From literary festivals to beauty pageants to Valentine Day, regressive elements and right-wing groups in India are out to take the country back to ancient times.
This time, they have managed to stop the Kingfisher Fashion Week in Visakahpatnam on its second day on Sunday.
Protesters, including students, women’s group and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), descended on the venue to oppose what they called the open show of vulgarity, forcing the police to wind up the fashion show.
Nearly 50 models and eminent personalities from the entertainment industry were taking part in the fashion show.
Police intervened after the VHP, which is an upper-caste-led, self-appointed guardian of Hinduism, filed a complaint in which they alleged that some models wore dress which displayed Hindu gods and thus hurt their religious sentiments.
The protesters said such shows encouraged vulgarity in public life and amounted to exploitation of women.
The protesters also included the All India Democratic Women’s Association, Progressive Women’s Organisation and the Democratic Youth Federation of India.
