New Delhi: Former IPS officer and BJP leader Kiran Bedi said on Friday that having a camera in the change room is an absolute assault on the modesty of women.
"Having a camera in the change room is an absolute assault on the modesty of women and I am glad that Mrs Irani has reported this," Bedi told ANI here.
"I think it is an exposure of its kind and must be quite rampant," she added.
The former IPS officer asserted that this is an offence in the Indian Penal Code.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Gaurav Bhatia said that such cases are increasing day-by-day and are becoming a worrisome trend.
"With the advent of technology, these incidents are happening more frequently" Bhatia told ANI.
"Strict action only would act as deterrence against such pervert and sick thinking people," he added.
Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani came across the camera, pointed into the dressing room, when she was in the showroom to buy clothes at FabIndia store in Candolim. Irani is on holiday in Goa.
She then alerted her husband and called Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Calangute MLA Michael Lobo, who stays in the vicinity of the clothing boutique.
Lobo filed the initial complaint on behalf of the 39-year-old minister before she recorded a statement for the police. He added that he found out that the camera was installed four months ago and recorded people from the waist up.
"It is a serious crime. It is outraging the modesty of a woman, this is not accepted," Lobo said.
An First Information Report (FIR) has been registered in connection with the incident.
"When she was doing her shopping, she noticed that one of the CCTV cameras was focused towards the trial room," local police inspector Nilesh Rane said.
He further said, "She informed us about this incident and subsequently an offence has been registered."
However, FabIndia managing director William Bissell denied installation of any such camera and said "cameras are routinely placed in places where shoplifting can occur".
"No organisation in the world would ever dream of doing anything like this," Bissell told an English news Chanel, saying the company was fully cooperating with investigations.
Goa`s long sandy beaches and laid-back lifestyle have attracted tourists for decades, and it has a reputation for being much safer for women than other socially conservative states.
FabIndia is one of the country`s best-known ethnic fabrics and handicrafts chains, attracting large numbers of foreign customers.
