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Indian women

protest

'obscene'

movies

NEW DELHI: Some 400 Indian women Wednesday staged a noisy protest here to demand a ban on movies showing semi-nudity, saying they lowered women's dignity and were responsible for growing crime.

The protestors forced dozens of men queuing up outside

a prominent theatre for an English film to disperse by destroying

its colour posters and billboards and shouting slogans

against obscenity.

The theatre quickly put up shutters fearing violence.

"Movies in theatres and television which show nudity in

any form should be banned," one of the women said in brief

remarks during the demonstration, which drew a lot of

attention from motorists and passersby.

Policemen who arrived at the scene, however, did not intervene.

"It is these movies which are responsible for growing

attacks on women" in New Delhi, their leader said, referring to

a sharp upswing in cases of rape and harassment of young women

on the streets.

The protestors, including several teachers and

housewives, earlier marched from a city centre to two

prominent movie theatres carrying large cloth banners and

shouting slogans denouncing obscenity in films.-AFP