Detrimental to women portrayal: I&B Ministry asks Twitter, YouTube to pull down Layerr Shot perfume advertisement

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Saturday asked Twitter and YouTube to remove the videos of the advertisement from their platforms of a perfume brand – Layer Shot that triggered outrage for "promoting sexual violence against women".

The videos were "detrimental to the portrayal of women in the interest of decency and morality" and in violation of Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code), the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in letters to Twitter and YouTube.

The videos of the perfume brand sparked outrage among a large section of social media users, who claimed the advertisement sought to promote sexual violence against women.

"It has come to the notice of the Ministry that an inappropriate and derogatory advertisement of a deodorant is circulating on social media. The Ministry has asked Twitter and YouTube to immediately pull down all instances of this advertisement," Press Information Bureau said in a tweet.

The TV channel on which it appeared has already pulled it down on the directions of the ministry, PIB further tweeted while also attaching the letters to Youtube and Twitter.

The ministry, in the letters to Twitter and YouTube, said that the Advertisement Standards Council of India (ASCI) also has found the videos in violation of its guidelines and asked the advertiser to suspend the advertisement on an immediate basis.

Both Government and ASCI have intervened to stop the further publishing of the offending advertisement of Layer’r Shot, the advertising regulatory body said while requoting PIB’s tweet.

Earlier, the Delhi Commission for Women has written to Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur demanding that a "misogynistic" advertisement being played on mass media be taken off air.

The panel on Saturday said the advertisement "promoted gang-rape culture" and also issued a notice to the Delhi Police in the matter.

"The Delhi Commission for Women has come across a misogynistic advertisement of a perfume brand," said the letter which went on to describe the objectionable advertisement.

In her letter to Thakur, Maliwal sought urgent action by the ministry to ban the advertisement.

The Delhi Police has been asked to provide an action taken report in the matter by June 9.