In her complaint, the woman said that water had been leaking from the pipeline of her washroom (Representative Image).

Key Highlights The college student approached the President of her society regarding a leaking pipeline The President criticised the girl for wearing shorts

Kolkata: A college student was criticised for wearing shorts by the President of a residential complex last Tuesday. The student had gone to the President to complain about a leakage issue at her apartment but instead of listening to her, the President found it easier to comment on the length of her clothes.

A classic example of moral policing, the incident holds testimony to how women are often criticised on the basis of their clothes. The girl said that after the incident, she turned to the police for help. The police, however, excused themselves out of the matter by saying that it was the "housing's internal matter".

When she did not get help from anyone, the woman took to social media and narrated her ordeal. She tagged the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Bannerjee in her tweet on Wednesday and also wrote an email to the Kolkata Police commissioner. It was only after this, that the officials deployed at Garfa police station went to her apartment and recorded her statement, along with the statement of the accused.

In her complaint, the woman said that water had been leaking from the pipeline of her washroom. The woman said that she had called a plumber from an online portal but when he came, the gates of the building had been shut. The girl then went to the association's office requesting them to let the plumber come to her flat.

Her complaint read, "As I started to speak about my problem, I noticed all eyes were on my body rather than on my face. The man who spoke next had an especially conspicuous stare of perversion. He said he does not feel like talking to a girl like me because I'm not dressed according to his satisfaction."

"I am that kind of girl who should not be listened to at all because I have no more sense than dressing like a woman of the streets and walking into a room full of respectable men. When the policeman finally arrived, he only talked about how he was powerless over a community's policies and politely requested me to reschedule the plumber's appointment. He conveniently never tried to address the harassment and discrimination that I had faced", she added in her complaint.

Defending his patriarchal stand, the president of the association said, "I was working at the office when the girl barged in and began talking in a manner that was extremely disrespectful. That had soured the mood and then I saw the woman was in her shorts and so I told her to come to an office in some decent clothes as several elderly persons were sitting there. That comment infuriated the woman. "

This incident is proof of the kind of society we live in. A society where a woman's character is measured by the length of her clothes, the colour of her skin and the choices she makes in life. While we may have overcome 'ghoongats' and 'sarees', we are still a long way from seeing women as human beings who have more to them than just clothes and make-up.