Mumbai: Model Poonam Pandey's plan to strip if India beats Sri Lanka on Saturday has angered the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) women's wing which has sought police action against her.
In a letter to Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik, BJP Mahila Morcha state president Nita Kelkar said Saturday's World Cup game at Wankhede Stadium shall be graced by Indian President Pratibha Patil and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse.
"To strip in front of a large gathering in celebration of India's victory is highly condemnable and deserves to be halted and foiled forthwith," Kelkar urged.
"Indian women are revered and respected since time immemorial. We have a tradition of Sita, Draupadi, Jijamata, Queen of Jhansi, Tarabai Holkar, Savitri Phule, Ramabai Ambedkar, Sarojini Naidu, Indira Gandhi, Kalpana Chawla and many more.
Eminent lawyer Ganesh Sovani, explaining the legal position, said if Poonam actually sheds her clothes before the crowd, it would be a serious offense under Section 292, 294 of the Indian Penal Code and the Indecent Representation of Women Act, 1987, besides posing a security risk in view of the huge crowd at the venue.
Poonam, who has been seen in several ad campaigns, on Friday said she would seek permission from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Mumbai Police before her 'bare all' act.
"I have no intention of distracting the Indian team members. It will be a legal act and it is my own idea of celebrating India's victory in the World Cup," she said.
Kelkar countered this by saying there are many other ways of celebrating India's victory without sullying the image of Indian women before the whole world.
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