A series of controversial posters urging women to “stay home to avoid rape” have triggered widespread outrage in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, with opposition parties slamming the state’s approach to women’s safety. The posters, allegedly part of a safety awareness campaign, were spotted on road dividers in the city’s Sola and Chandlodia areas before being hastily removed.
The messages, which included statements like “do not attend late night parties, you could be raped or gangraped,” and “do not go with your friend to dark, isolated areas, what if she is raped or gangraped?” were criticized as promoting victim-blaming and spreading regressive ideas.
While the posters bore the name of the Ahmedabad traffic police, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic West) Neeta Desai clarified that they had only approved road safety messages and not content related to women’s safety. According to Desai, the NGO Satarkta Group, which had approached the police to collaborate on traffic awareness campaigns in schools and colleges, pasted the controversial posters without informing or seeking approval from the department.
Desai stated that once the issue came to light, the posters were removed immediately. “The NGO only showed us traffic-related posters. These were not shared with us during our discussions,” she said.
The Gujarat unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) strongly condemned the posters, accusing the BJP-led government of failing to ensure women’s safety in the state. In a statement, the party pointed to crime statistics, claiming over 6,500 rape cases and 36 gang rapes had been reported in Gujarat in the last three years, amounting to over five cases daily. “The government talks of women’s empowerment, but the reality on the ground is very different,” the statement read.
AAP further questioned whether the government expects women in Gujarat to stay indoors at night to remain safe, calling for accountability from the Chief Minister.
