Mumbai mulls mannequin bikini ban in bid to cut assaults

The civic body in Mumbai has passed a proposal to ban the display of bikini-clad mannequins in lingerie shops.

The proposal, intended to reduce incidents of assault on women, is under active consideration by the body's chief executive, Sitaram Kunte.

The proposal was unanimously passed by the assembly, which has 227 member from various political parties.

There have been a number of high-profile sexual assaults against women in India in recent months.

Dozens of rape cases have been reported in Mumbai since the beginning of the year.

Ritu Tawade, a member of the civic body, first put forward the idea a couple of months ago, after a series of rape cases in the country.

She told the BBC that the public display of scantily clothed mannequins in shop windows "indirectly or directly leads to rape".

Mrs Tawade believes that they are titillating for men. "It's a Western thing, our society doesn't allow them," she said.

Mrs Tawade, 39, has already persuaded some shopkeepers in the area that she represents to remove bikini-clad mannequins.

"It's embarrassing for girls. They come up to me and complain about display of mannequins," she added.

A shopkeeper called Behlul Shaikh, who has semi-dressed mannequins in his shop window in central Mumbai, told the BBC he would abide by the authorities' decision. He doesn't think it will have an impact on sales.

Salim Faqih, another shopkeeper in the area, said it would affect his sales but only slightly. He said that he wouldn't challenge the proposed ban but added that he didn't think semi-nude mannequins should be an issue.

"Look at what girls wear today. They are dressed more scantily than our mannequins," he said.

Interestingly, female sales assistants in a shop expressed their surprise at such a move. They said customers wouldn't know what "we sell" if they didn't display mannequins.

Women shopping in showrooms where such mannequins are on display had mixed views.

Welcoming the move, shopper Nandita said the ban would help reduce assaults on women. "Men may get attracted by these mannequins. They should not be displayed."

Another shopper, Arti Bhadra, rejected the proposal calling it "stupid."

"I don't think this leads to rape. It's all about the mentality. India is backward in that," she said.

Mumbai Mayor Sunil Prabhu supports the idea. He told a local newspaper that he believed scantily clad mannequins invited the unwanted attention of men, in a city that has seen a surge of sex crimes.