Andhra Pradesh DGP clears air on controversial remarks on women's clothing

HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh DGP V Dinesh Reddy, who landed in a controversy for his remarks linking women's fashionable dresses to increase in rape cases, today said he did not mean to degrade women and had only mentioned a " social study".

The state police chief had sparked a controversy on Friday last when he attributed the increase in rape cases to women provoking men by wearing "flimsy and fashionable" clothing.

"I had said that provocative fashionable dresses, was perhaps one of the factors (behind increase in rape cases). But I did not say that it was 'the factor'," the Director General of Police told PTI.

The top cop's remarks had earned the wrath of political parties and women organisations, who strongly condemned it.

He pointed out that Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had also said that the "revealing and provocative dresses of women," was a reason for the increase in rape cases in Delhi.

"I replied to a query keeping in mind a social study and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's comment, when (I was) asked by the mediapersons about the reason for increase in the number of rape cases in the state," Reddy said.

The DGP said keeping these two things in mind, he had said that provoking fashionable dresses is perhaps one of the reasons for the increase in rape cases.

Blaming the media for "creating" a controversy, he said, "Selfish interests, indulging in this type of twisting things and blowing them out of proportion, would not be good for the society."