Woman says she was harassed by vendors in Coimbatore flower market for wearing sleeveless outfit

COIMBATORE: A female law student lodged a complaint with the Coimbatore city police on Wednesday against a group of flower vendors who moral policed and harassed her for wearing a sleeveless outfit. The vendors allegedly pushed her and her friend from the flower market after arguing with her.

In her complaint lodged with the city police, Janani, 20, of Anna Nagar at Naickanur stated that she had completed a diploma course and had been working as an English trainer. She said she was pursuing law in an Andhra Pradesh-based law college and her mother Sulochana was working as a lawyer at the Coimbatore combined courts. She attended a drawing training organised by a private organisation in the flower market area on Sunday. After attending the training, she went to the flower market where a group of men questioned her for wearing a sleeveless outfit in public places. They threatened her with dire consequences and abused her with filthy words, she alleged.

Addressing reporters at the city police commissionerate, Janani said six vendors in the flower market commented on her for wearing the dress. "A group of men threatened me that some bad incidents had happened to women who had worn such outfits in the flower market. They said such an incident might have happened to me too. They gheroed me and my friend and pushed me away from the flower market. They don't have any right to dictate what type of outfits I wear. They should be punished for their moral policing," Janani said.

She added that she had been wearing a sleeveless churidar. "This is a normal dress," she said.

Her lawyer Kareem said such incidents could attract women harassment. These trouble mongers should be booked and arrested by the police.

Meanwhile, the Flower Seller Welfare Association lodged a complaint with RS Puram police in the city on Wednesday evening alleging that the woman had visited the flower market along with her friend to take videos. The flower sellers requested her not to take videos as it would affect their business and would create nuisance to the buyers. However, the woman had taken videos of the traders and circulated them on social media. The association said the woman had called the flowers vendors names. So, the police should take stringent action against her.

Further inquiries were on over the two petitions, police said.