Body spray brand apologises for its controversial ads
New Delhi(PTI): Body spray brand Layer'r Shot has apologised for its two controversial ad campaigns which last week triggered an outrage for "promoting gang rape culture".
However, Layer'r Shot, owned by Gujarat-based Adjavis Venture, said the two advertisements were aired "only after due and mandatory approvals".
"... 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," Layer'r Shot said in an instagram post on Monday.
It further added: "However, we sincerely apologise for the advertisements that consequentially caused rage amongst individuals & several communities and beg their pardon."
Layer'r Shot claimed that it had "voluntarily" informed all its media partners to stop the telecast/broadcasting of both the advertisements from June 4 with immediate effect.
The statement comes two days after the Information & Broadcasting (I&B) ministry had on Saturday asked Twitter and YouTube to remove from their social media platforms the videos of advertisements of Layer'r Shot, as it triggered outrage for "promoting sexual violence against women".
In letters to Twitter and YouTube, the (I&B) ministry had said that the videos were "detrimental to the portrayal of women in the interest of decency and morality" and in violation of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code).
The videos of the perfume brand sparked outrage among a large section of social media users who complained the advertisement sought to promote sexual violence against women.
Advertising sector regulator ASCI had also directed to suspend the controversial ads of the body spray brand, saying that it "was potentially in serious violation" of its code against offensive advertising.
After seeing the ad campaign, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) immediately invoked a special process called "Suspended Pending Investigation" (SPI) and asked the advertiser to file a response over it.
"The said ad is in potential violation of ASCI's chapter II, which states that advertisements should contain nothing indecent, vulgar, especially in the depiction of women, or nothing repulsive which is likely, in the light of generally prevailing standards of decency and propriety, to cause grave and widespread offence," said a statement from ASCI issued on Saturday.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
