Kolkata: If you wear skirts, you will not be allowed to enter KMC-owned theatre

Kolkata, Nov 4: In yet another bizzare incident in Kolkatta, a KMC (Kolkata Municipal Corporation) owned Star Theatre denied a girl to enter because of her dress.

The girl who had her birthday was driven out of the theatre by the hall staff for wearing a dress that barely revealed her knees and termed her dress as 'drishtikotu' (something which hurts the eye or obscene).

After the girl's father intervened in the matter, she was allowed to enter the theatre. Girls's father also asked the theatre authorities to apologise for the act and waited for three days for it. Later, he filed a complaint with the state women's commission.

As per TOI report, "On October 28, the Class XI student, her father and younger brother went for the movie to celebrate her turning 17. She looked natty in a black-and-white floral print dress. The trio was about to enter the theatre when a female security guard asked the girl to step aside.:

The girl thought she was being taken for frisking, but started crying after she she was taken to a ticket clerk's cubicle and told to read a notice. A part of notice said, "Lungis, shorts and drunks are not allowed into the theatre."

Her father was quoted as saying in the daily, "When I confronted the ticket clerk, he maintained that boys wearing 'half pants' and girls wearing 'skirts that were like shorts' weren't allowed into the theatre. I couldn't believe it. Was I in Taliban territory? This happens in khap panchayats, not in Kolkata. Who gave them the authority to comment on her dress or act as moral police? It was a knee-length dress. She looked elegant and they had the gall to tell her she looked indecent!"

As the authorities realised that they were inviting trouble, they allowed her to enter.

The hall manager remained unperturbed and told TOI: "We have had many run-ins with patrons in the past but not allowed those with shorts and skirts. An exception was made in this case because it was her birthday."

Later, the theatre authorities issued an unconditional apology to the girl who had been humiliated for wearing a skirt and coming to watch a movie.

"The staff at Star theatre had no right to judge the girl's dress or comment on its appropriateness. The security persons who were present that day have been relieved of duty at the cinema hall. I, on behalf of the Star theatre management, apologize for the agony that the staff behavior has caused to the girl celebrating her birthday with family," theatre manager Ranjan Ganguly was quoted as saying in TOI.

OneIndia News