Union Minister Maneka Gandhi on Tuesday advocated hostel curfews for school and college students to protect them from their “own hormonal outbursts”, adding that the restrictions should apply equally to both girls and boys.
Earlier, on a television news channel, she had said, "As a parent who is sending a daughter to a college — or a son — I would expect her and him to be protected.
And perhaps one of the protections is against themselves. When you are 16 or 17, you are also hormonally very challenged. So to protect you from your own hormonal outbursts, perhaps a certain protection or 'lakshman rekha' is drawn."
However, Maneka sought to clarify her "hormonally challenged" remark, saying what she meant was that "students are excited about their new surroundings and freedom. They need a cordon of protection around them. By hormones, I didn't mean anything sexual."
Maneka defended curfews on the ground of "discipline" and said it is up to a particular institution to decide what hour they want to designate beyond which students will not be allowed outdoor.
Many took to Twitter to condemn her remarks. Author Shobhaa De tweeted, "Maneka Gandhi seems to be having a hormonal outburst herself!!!Did she really (sic) say thatIJ Curfew for girlsIJ