Don't wear skirts, Union culture minister Mahesh Sharma advises foreign tourists

AGRA: Union culture and tourism minister Mahesh Sharma, who was in the Taj city on Sunday, advised women+ foreign tourists not to wear skirts and other "skimpy" clothes "for their own safety".

Speaking to reporters here, Sharma said, "For their own safety, women foreign tourists should not wear short dresses and skirts... Indian culture is different from the western (culture)."

He said women tourists should also refrain from going out alone at night.

The minister added that this would be part of an advisory pamphlet to be given to foreign tourists.

He also advised foreigners visiting the temple towns of Mathura and Vrindavan to keep the sensitivity of Indian culture in mind.

The minister, however, later said: "We have not given any specific instructions regarding what they should wear or not wear. We are asking them to take precaution while going out at night. We are not trying to change anyone's preference."

Sharma had stoked a controversy last year too by saying night out for girls was against India's culture. "Girls wanting a night out may be all right elsewhere, but it is not part of Indian culture," he had said.