Delhi Police files FIR against perfume brand Layer'r over 'obscene' ads

A complaint was filed by the chief of the Delhi Commission for Women, who accused the brand of promoting toxic masculinity and rape culture through their ads.

Delhi Police has registered a case against a perfume brand for allegedly promoting ‘rape culture’ through its advertisements, police said on Thursday.

The case was registered following a complaint by the Delhi Commission For Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal last week. She had also written to the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur seeking his intervention in the matter.

After the letter, the ministry had directed that the advertisement was taken off air and the social media platforms, the DCW said.

The panel had issued a notice to the Delhi Police asking it to file an FIR against Layer’r, alleging that the firm’s ads “promoted gang-rape culture”. The company had issued an apology earlier this week for the advertisements while stating that they were aired “only after due and mandatory approvals.” “On the complaint of Delhi Commission for Women Chairperson Swati Maliwal, Special Cell, Delhi Police has registered an FIR under Section 67 IT Act (Punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) in the matter of misogynistic advertisement by ‘Layer Shot’ perfume brand which was recently played in mass media,” the DCW said.

Objecting strongly to the two ads, which according to her promoted a “rapist mindset”, Maliwal had issued a notice to Delhi Police on June 4 seeking action in the matter.

“On my complaint, the Delhi Police has registered an FIR in the matter. I hope strong action is taken against the owners of Layer Shot company as well as those involved in creating and publishing this outrageous advertisement on TV, which clearly encourages toxic masculinity and gang rape,” she said in the notice.

She also said that she hopes that the I&B ministry will put in place a stringent system so that such an advertisement is never played on TV again.

“Exemplary action in this matter is needed to cause deterrence against advertisements encouraging sexual violence against women and girls,” she added.

The company had said that they didn’t intend to hurt anyone’s sentiments.

“This is with reference to our recent two TV advertisements of Layer’r SHOT on various broadcasting platforms. We, the brand Layer’r SHOT, would like to inform one and all that only after due and mandatory approvals, we have aired the advertisements, wherein, we never intended to hurt anyone’s sentiments or feelings or outrage any women’s modesty or promote any sort of culture, as wrongly perceived by some,” the company had earlier said.

“However, we sincerely apologise for the advertisements that consequentially caused rage amongst individuals and several communities and beg their pardon.

“Most importantly, we have voluntarily informed all our media partners to stop the telecast/broadcasting of both the TV advertisements from June 4 with immediate effect,” the company had said in the wake of the controversy.