Commentators and women鈥檚 rights group have ridiculed the draft directive by Mumbai鈥檚 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) at a time when the country is trying to curb crimes against women.
The proposal by BMC member Ritu Tawade awaits final clearance from the civic body鈥檚 chief.
鈥淚 believe that mannequins, especially the two-piece clothes (bikinis), have an impact on the incidence of crimes against women in the state. Such a display affects the mindset of men,鈥� Tawade told NDTV television channel on Tuesday.
Mannequins sporting underwear or bikinis are a common sight at retail showrooms along city streets and shopping malls in the Indian commercial capital, which is home to the raunchy Bollywood film industry.
Women鈥檚 rights activist Sharada Sathe rubbished the idea. 鈥淲hat nonsense. Mannequins are on display in so many countries. Thinking (of committing a crime) is in the head and not from an outside source,鈥� she told AFP.
BMC officials did not return calls when contacted by AFP.
Tawade鈥檚 proposal has sparked jokes and criticism on Twitter, where former journalist and politician Pritish Nandy wrote: 鈥淚 have never been aroused by a mannequin. Maybe our BMC corporators are?鈥�
An article on Indian news portal Firstpost said: 鈥淓xcept a handful of perverts who don鈥檛 need the provocation of a plastic doll in lace to pounce on women, average Indian men don鈥檛 break into sweat and run into lampposts at the mere sight of lingerie.鈥�
India鈥檚 parliament has passed a law imposing strong penalties for sex offenses against women following the fatal gang-rape of a student on a Delhi bus in mid-December that sparked nationwide protests about the lack of safety for women.