Chennai news: S.B. Madhavi, the first woman dafadar (a ceremonial position) of Chennai Corporation, has alleged that her recent transfer to the Manali zone was a direct consequence of her decision to wear lipstick despite orders prohibiting it. Madhavi, who has been closely associated with Chennai Mayor R. Priya, expressed her outrage over what she describes as a violation of personal rights.
Madhavi, 50, stated that she was shunted out after she allegedly "disobeyed" directives against wearing lipstick. In her defense, she challenged the authorities, asking, as per Times Of India, "If this is a crime, show me the government order (GO) which prohibits it." She also claimed that she faced restrictions on communicating with officials from other departments, a condition she deemed unjust and against human rights.
Following a memo received on August 6 "disobeying orders," Madhavi responded by demanding evidence of her alleged misconduct, including instances of her not being punctual or disregarding orders from her superiors, as reported by Tamil Daily, Dinamalar.
Further, the controversy intensified when Mayor Priya commented on Madhavi's participation in a fashion show during Women's Day celebrations. She said that dafadar wore matt shade lipstick during a fashion show on Women's Day which recieved backlash of her appearance and performance. However, she maintained that the transfer was not directly linked to the lipstick claim.
She clarified that the memo indicated action was taken against her solely for dereliction of duty, with no other reason. She claimed that dafadars were expected to wear uniforms, and his office staff would have merely requested that she appear neat and professional, as per a report on The News Minute.
Meanwhile, Mayor Priya is the third woman Mayor of Chennai after Tara Cherian and Kamakshi Jayaraman.
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