INDIA'S Tourism minister is today under fire after he suggested female visitors to his country should not wear skirts.
Dr Mahesh Sharma made the controversial remarks as part of new list of 'list of dos and don'ts' which he says will be given to tourists.
He also advised women visiting India not to go out alone at night when in small towns.
But he was quickly criticised for his comments which some believe blamed rape victims for their clothing rather than rapists for their attacks.
He later stated that he was speaking from a position of "concern" and that he meant the comments "in the context of religious places."
Last year Mr Sharma hit the headlines when he announced that "nights out for girls was not part of Indian culture".
He was speaking on Sunday about a "welcome kit" offered to tourists at the airport which contains a card with some advice.
In 2015, more than 8.02 million foreign tourists arrived in India annually according to figures from the Press Information Bureau .
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He explained: "It has instructions like if they are in small cities, they should not roam around alone at night or wear skirts… They should take a picture of the car they are travelling in and send it to a friend as precaution."
Asked if he was suggesting a dress code for women, the minister said India was a "cultural country" and "we have a different dress code for temples. Kindly keep that in mind while dressing up".
"I was speaking about religious places, like temples. I did not comment on what women should wear or not. I am the father of two daughters, I cannot put a ban on what women wear," Sharma said.
"Different countries issue advisories from time to time, but I never said change anyone's way of dressing."
The minister soon found himself under attack on social media with many mocking his 'outdated' views.
India's record on sexual assaults has been a hot topic since 23-year-old student Jyoti Singh was gang-raped and thrown off a moving bus in New Delhi in December 2012.
She died in hospital in Singapore on December 28, two weeks after being attacked.
Her father, Badri Singh, later decided to reveal his tragic daughter’s identity – to give strength to other victims.
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