'Be well behaved, avoid late nights': Bizarre police advisory in Kolkata's posh Salt Lake raises eyebrows

Bidhannagar, more commonly known as Salt Lake, is a large, affluent residential neighbourhood located on the outskirts of Kolkata. The night life there is quite vibrant, with young professionals often chilling out in different bars and cafes. Now, it seems the police in the area do not view 'such liberties' favourably. They have come up with a list of actions and tips on how to prevent 'eve-teasing'.

With such a list, which tries to curb the freedom of women and seeks to put the onus on them to ensure their own safety, one can only wonder why the police is there in the first place. 

The first point of advice on the list is to dress decently, although the definition of what is 'decent' has not been elaborated. The dozen points on the list include asking girls to be well behaved and to avoid late nights. It is absolutely baffling how such a circular smacking of sexist and patriarchal mindset could be issued in a state ruled by a woman. 

At a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his August 15 speech at the Red Fort, “Why do you put 'bandhan' (restrictions) on your girls,  Do you not ask what your boys are doing? Who they are meeting? What they are doing?”, some babus seem to be still stuck in the archaic khap panchayat mindset. 

The advisory has already created a stir, with people taking to social media to vent their anger at such a step.