The Hindu : National : Blown out of proportion: Sheila Dixit

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Blown out of proportion: Sheila Dixit

New Delhi: Facing flak for her comments on the murder of a TV journalist, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit has said her remarks were blown out of proportion and that she was “enormously horrified” by the incident.

She, however, maintained that employers should not allow women employees to go home alone late at night and should provide them escort.

“It horrified me enormously... being a woman myself. I have three sisters; I have two granddaughters. I think what I said was really blown out of proportion,” Ms. Dixit told Karan Thapar’s “Devil’s Advocate” programme on CNN-IBN.

“I used the phrase adventurous in two ways — that travelling at 3 in the morning is not a safe thing for anybody to do and above all I think even for boys, travelling after 9 in the evening.

“Companies employing young girls and boys 24 hours for that matter should provide escort for the safety of our girls and boys.”

The Chief Minister came under attack from several quarters, including politicians and women activists, for her comments on the murder of journalist Soumya Viswanathan that “one should not be adventurous.”

“I can tell you, I am deeply concerned about it and I would also like to tell you that women who are working in jobs that are 24 hours, they should be escorted by their employers as safely as possible… not allowed to go home at 3 in the morning all by themselves,” Ms. Dixit said. — PTI

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