Delhi Police Files FIR Against Perfume Brand For Ads Promoting ‘Rape Culture’

The case was registered after Delhi Commission For Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal filed a complaint last week.

Screengrab of the purported advertisement which has been now taken off air and social media.

Source : Twitter

New Delhi: A perfume brand was booked by the Delhi Police for allegedly promoting ‘rape culture’ through its advertisement, said the police on Thursday, reported news agency PTI. 

The case was registered after Delhi Commission For Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal filed a complaint last week. In a letter written to the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur, Maliwal sought his intervention in the matter.

After the letter, the ministry had directed that the advertisement be taken off air and the social media platforms, the DCW said.

Apart from writing letter to Information and Broadcasting Ministry, the DCW had also issued a notice to the Delhi Police against the perfume brand Layer’r alleging that the firm's ads “promoted gang-rape culture”. 

The company had issued an apology earlier this week for the advertisements while stating that they were aired “only after due and mandatory approvals.” 

"On the complaint of Delhi Commission for Women Chairperson Swati Maliwal, Special Cell, Delhi Police has registered an FIR under Section 67 IT Act (Punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) in the matter of misogynistic advertisement by ‘Layer Shot’ perfume brand which was recently played in mass media," the DCW said.

“On my complaint, the Delhi Police has registered an FIR in the matter. I hope strong action is taken against the owners of Layer Shot company as well as those involved in creating and publishing this outrageous advertisement on TV, which clearly encourages toxic masculinity and gang rape,” Maliwal said in the notice.

Meanwhile, the company said that they didn't intend to hurt anyone's sentiments.

“This is with reference to our recent two TV advertisements of Layer’r SHOT on various broadcasting platforms. We, the brand Layer’r SHOT, would like to inform one and all that only after due and mandatory approvals, we have aired the advertisements, wherein, we never intended to hurt anyone’s sentiments or feelings or outrage any women’s modesty or promote any sort of culture, as wrongly perceived by some,” the company had earlier said.

The company said that they had voluntarily taken down the two advertisements and issued an apology for the ads.